West Potomac High School

Here follows a history of the school as published on the Fairfax County Public Schools website:

Opening Date: 1960/1986 (Building originally opened in Sept. 1960 as Bryant Intermediate School)

Located near the Potomac River between George Washington’s Mount Vernon mansion and the City of Alexandria, West Potomac High School (WPHS) was established in 1985 by combining two existing schools and communities. The school's motto is: Excellence is a Tradition, and WPHS has always been known for expecting a high level of academic and personal achievement. Drawing from an area that is economically, racially, and ethnically mixed, WPHS serves one of the most widely diverse student bodies in northern Virginia. Students come from more than 50 countries and speak 35 different languages in their homes. Socioeconomic and ability levels are just as widely spread. Staff members and students alike benefit from this cross-cultural experience. West Potomac's diversity is an asset to celebrate and explore.

West Potomac High School maintains a close relationship with the community, local businesses, and the middle and elementary schools in its pyramid. It continues to implement effective up-to-date programs for the academic and extracurricular needs of all of the students it serves and for the entire pyramid. West Potomac offers a diversified and challenging academic program for all students, as well as a wide variety of college preparatory courses, including a wide variety of Advanced Placement classes and many professional technical studies programs. The students perform hundreds of hours of community service and participate in a vibrant and renowned cultural arts program. More than half of our student body is actively involved in more than fifty extra-curricular clubs, music and sports programs.

As West Potomac implements small professional learning communities throughout the school, it continues to change and meet the challenges of preparing students for a global economy in the 21st century.

What's in a Name?
Learn about the origin of our school's name in this video produced for Fairfax County Public Schools’ cable television channel Red Apple 21.

In 1985, citing costs and declining enrollment, the Fairfax County School Board voted to close Fort Hunt High School and merge its student body and staff with Groveton High School in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County. The decision was very controversial at the time because Groveton and Fort Hunt had a strong rivalry going back many years. In an effort to diffuse the controversy, the name Groveton was discarded and a new name was sought for the school. Students proposed the name West Potomac because the school is situated west of the Potomac River. The word Potomac is the Anglicized name of a Native American Indian tribe that at one time was loosely allied with the Powhatan Paramount Chiefdom. John Smith and a group of English explorers from Jamestown first encountered this tribe in June 1608, near present day Stafford County, Virginia. It is believed that the name Potomac was originally pronounced "pa-taw-o-mack" and that it may have meant "trading place" or “river of swans.” The Potomac Path, an ancient trail traversed by native peoples long before the arrival of European colonists, once passed half-a-mile to the west of West Potomac High School. Early settlers in Northern Virginia widened the Potomac Path into a wagon road, and today portions of Route 1 and North Kings Highway follow the original trail route. West Potomac High School has grown considerably since the Fort Hunt / Groveton merger of the 1980s. The old Groveton High School building now houses the Pulley Career Center. And what happened to Fort Hunt High School? The building now houses Carl Sandburg Middle School.