Falls Church High School
GPS Coordinates: 38.8624354, -77.2061195
Closest Address: 7521 Jaguar Trail, Falls Church, VA 22042

Here follows a history of the school as published on the Fairfax County Public Schools website:
The history of Falls Church High School begins with its predecessor, the Thomas Jefferson Institute that dates back to the 1870's, in the town of Falls Church. Originally an elementary school, In 1926 it became Jefferson high school. Fourteen years later, in October 1942, the Fairfax County School Board purchased land on Hillwood Avenue in the town of Falls Church and began construction of a new high school in 1944 during WWII. This school opened in September 1945 and was officially named Falls Church High School. When Falls Church incorporated as an independent city in 1948, its school district separated from Fairfax County Public Schools, however Fairfax County retained ownership of Falls Church High School even though it was within the city limits. In 1967, Falls Church High School moved to its present location into a building that originally opened in 1959 as John Greenleaf Whittier Intermediate School, on Marc Drive.
What is the origin of the name Falls Church?
Falls Church High School is located in the Mason District of Fairfax County. When it was founded in 1945, the high school was named for the Town of Falls Church where it was originally located. The town was named for The Falls Church, an historic church located on Washington Street. The first Falls Church, a wooden structure, was built in 1733. It was located near the intersection of two Indian trails. One of the trails led to the Little Falls of the Potomac River and the church came to be known as The Falls Church. The current brick church building dates to 1768. During the Revolutionary War, it was a recruiting station for the Fairfax militia. During the Civil War, it was used by Union troops as a hospital and later as a stable. The first public school in Falls Church, called the Jefferson Institute, opened shortly after the founding of Fairfax County Public Schools in the early 1870s. In 1880, Joseph Birch donated land for a new Jefferson Institute schoolhouse. This school building, made out of brick, was two-stories tall and had six classrooms. It was located near present day Donald Frady Park. In the mid-1920s, the Jefferson Institute became the town’s first high school, and later reverted to a grade school when the new Falls Church High School opened in 1945. This Falls Church High School was located on Hillwood Avenue at South Cherry Street. When Falls Church incorporated as an independent city in 1948, its school district separated from Fairfax County Public Schools. Fairfax County retained ownership of Falls Church High School even though it was within the city limits. In 1952, a new high school was built for city residents - George Mason High School. George Mason High School is located just outside the boundaries of Falls Church in the Idylwood community of Fairfax County. In 1967, Falls Church High School moved to its present location near Route 50, into a building that was originally opened in 1960 as John Greenleaf Whittier Middle School.
Falls Church High School will be celebrating 75 years!
As the student body of Jefferson, predecessor of Falls Church High School, a vote in 1945 was held to decide on the new school's mascot. The senior and juniors elected to keep tradition alive and maintain the Jaguar nickname that had been used at Jefferson (1926-1945). The newspaper, Jaguar Journal, was established in the last year that Jefferson was in existence. In 1998, the name of the newspaper was changed to the Jagwire .
After opening its new building for the start of the 1945-46 school year, Falls Church High School taught grades 9 through 12. In 1948, eighth grade was added to all high schools. When it was built in 1959, our current building was called John Greenleaf Whittier Intermediate School. In the fall of 1967, Whittier Intermediate and Falls Church High School swapped buildings and this building on Jaguar Trail was doubled in size due to the increased class sizes that accompanied the Baby Boomer generation.