Unity Reed High School

Unity Reed High School is a public secondary school in Bull Run, Prince William County, Virginia, near the city of Manassas. It was formerly known as Stonewall Jackson High School; the school was renamed in 2020.

Unity Reed High School
Address
8820 Rixlew Lane Manassas , Virginia 20109 United States
Information
Former name	Stonewall Jackson High School (1972–2020)
School type	Public, high school
Founded	1972
School district	Prince William County Public Schools
School number	[phone]
Principal	Milagros Polanco
Teaching staff	141.29 (FTE)[1]
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	2,452 (2021–22)[1]
Student to teacher ratio	17.35[1]
Color(s)	Maroon, Gold, and White    [2]
Mascot	Lion
Feeder schools	Unity Braxton Middle School
Website	unityreedhs.pwcs.edu

History and administration

Naming controversy

The school was named after Stonewall Jackson, a Confederate general. In 2017, the Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) Board was considering renaming the school as part of a shift away from naming schools after Confederate leaders.^[3][4] In 2020, the PWCS Superintendent released an open letter saying, "We can no longer represent the Confederacy in our schools".^[5]

On June 29, 2020, the school board voted to rename the school to "Unity Reed High School", honoring Arthur Reed, who served as a security assistant at the school.^[6][7][8]

Awards and recognition

In May 2007, Newsweek magazine ranked Stonewall Jackson 530th in the nation on its annual list of "Best High Schools in America". In 2001, Time named Stonewall Jackson as a High School of the Year.^[9][10]

Administration

The principal of Unity Reed High School is Milagros Polanco. Prior to her appointment in 2024, she was the assistant principal at Gar-Field Senior High School.^[11]

Academic programs

CTE programs

Unity Reed is one of 2 high schools in the district that hosts an Aviation Maintenance program (the other being Woodbridge High School). The program teaches equipment safety, maintenance publications and records, airframes, engines, and electricity.^[12] The school also has cosmetology and engineering programs.^[13] Unity Reed is also the only school in the district that hosts a Firefighting program.^[14]

International Baccalaureate Program

Unity Reed High School is an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School. They offer the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP), the IB Diploma Programme (DP), and the IB Career Related Programme (CP).

Students can take part in full IB Programs at Unity Reed High School to earn a diploma or certificate. A student can also take courses offered by the IB in their levels of strength and interest, but do not have to be part of a larger IB Program. These are known as IB/MYP Course Students. Students can be awarded college credit with IB classes, and it weighs the GPA. Unity Reed is one of two high schools that houses the IB Program in Prince William County (the other is Gar-Field Senior High School).^[13][15][16]

Demographics

As of the 2023–2024 school year, the student body of 2,174 demographics were:^[17]

• Hispanic of any race: 72.4%
• Black/African-Am.: 10.7%
• White 8.0%
• Asian: 6.1%
• Two or More race: 2.4%
• Am. Indian/Alaskan: 0.2%
• Hawaiian/Pacific Isl.: 0.1%

Notable alumni

• Ibram X. Kendi, anti-racist activist^[18]
• Tyleik Williams, college football defensive tackle for the Ohio State Buckeyes^[19]
• Ryan Williams, former NFL running back^[20]
• Greg Stroman, NFL player^[21]
• Tim Settle, NFL Player

See also

• Prince William County Public Schools
• Unity Braxton Middle School