Briar Woods High School

Briar Woods High School is a public secondary school located in Ashburn, an unincorporated area in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States, and is part of Loudoun County Public Schools. The school serves students who live in the Broadlands, Brambleton, and Waxpool communities.

Briar Woods High School
Location
22525 Belmont Ridge Road Ashburn , Virginia 20148 United States
Coordinates	38°59′33″N 77°31′50″W
Information
School type	Public high school
Founded	2005
School district	Loudoun County Public Schools
Principal	Sheila Alzate
Teaching staff	126.00 (on an FTE basis)[1]
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	1,757[1] (2022–2023)
Student to teacher ratio	13.94[1]
Language	English
Campus	Suburban
Color(s)	Navy and orange
Athletics conference	Potomac District VHSL Class 5 - Region D
Mascot	Falcon
Nickname	Briar
Communities served	Broadlands Brambleton Waxpool
Feeder schools	Eagle Ridge Middle School Hillside Elementary School Mill Run Elementary School Waxpool Elementary School
Website	www.lcps.org/o/bwh

History

Briar Woods High School opened on August 29, 2005 with its student body coming from Stone Bridge High School, Loudoun County High School, and Eagle Ridge Middle School.^[2] The first Principal was Edward Starzenski, who was principal of Loudoun County High School from 1989 to 2004. The school was officially dedicated on October 14, 2005 at a ceremony presided over by school district superintendent Edgar B. Hatrick III.^[3] In 2006, Briar Woods celebrated its first Homecoming, despite the lack of a returning class.

During the summer before the 2011-2012 school year, ten trailers were installed due to an increased enrollment for the year. In the 2014-2015 school year, students living in Loudoun Valley Estates and most of Brambleton were shifted to Rock Ridge High School to relieve overcrowding. This dropped Briar's enrollment by about 500 students.

In 2023, a new addition was put on the back of the building. This eliminated the need for the ten trailers.

Demographics

In 2006-2007 Briar Woods High School's student population was 67% White; 16% Asian; 10% Black; and 7% Hispanic.

As of 2018, the student population was 53.6% White, 26.4% Asian, 8.5% Hispanic, 5.8% two or more races, and 5.7% Black.

As of 2019. the student population was 52.1% White, 28.3% Asian, 7.9% Hispanic, 6.5% two or more races, and 5.0% Black.

As of the 2021-2022 school year, the student population was 48.6% White, 31.4% Asian, 8.3% Hispanic, 5.8% two or more races, and 5.5% Black.^[1]

Curriculum

See Main Discussion: Loudoun County Public Schools – Curriculum

Briar Woods is a fully accredited high school by the Virginia Department of Education.

School rankings

In 2011, Briar Woods was recognized by Newsweek as one of America's best high schools. It was ranked 1st in Loudoun County, 4th in the state of Virginia and 112th in the country. In 2016, it was ranked the 10th best school in Virginia and is currently unranked in the National Ranking.

Athletics

Briar Woods is a member of the Potomac District and competes in Region 5D of the Virginia High School League.^[4]

Feeder pattern

for the 2021-2022 school year:^[5]

• Eagle Ridge Middle School
  • Hillside Elementary School
  • Mill Run Elementary School
  • Waxpool Elementary School

Notable alumni

• Alex Carter, cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks
• Lina Granados, footballer for FF Lugano 1976, attended Vanderbilt University
• Trace McSorley, Professional Football player, offensive analyst for Penn State Football