Prince William County School Board is addressing a growing concern about student overcrowding, particularly at Covington-Harper Elementary School near Dumfries, where eight trailers are being used to accommodate the rising number of students. During the October 16, 2024, school board meeting, board member Justin Wilk proposed beginning the redistricting process to manage the school’s overflow of students, but the motion failed to gain unanimous support.
Covington-Harper Elementary, located in the rapidly expanding Potomac Shores development, is already facing significant capacity challenges. The growth continues to grow, with an estimated 300 additional housing units expected to be completed within the next year, adding further pressure on the school’s resources.
“The growth in this community is extraordinary. We currently have eight trailers at Covington-Harper, and with the additional units coming online next year, this overcrowding is only going to get worse,” said Potomac District School Board representative Justin Wilk. “We need to act now. Redistricting is one way to ensure that students are receiving the best education possible in a proper learning environment, without being packed into trailers.”
Wilk’s motion proposed that the school board direct the superintendent to begin the redistricting process to address the student population and capacity concerns at Covington-Harper. However, not all board members agreed with the approach.
Richard Jessie, representing the Occoquan District, expressed concerns about the feasibility of redistricting as a long-term solution. “Even if we do the boundaries, what we’re going to find out is that there is no solution because many of the schools are Title 1 and already at max capacity,” Jessie said. “The growth is happening so quickly that even shifting students may not alleviate the pressure we’re seeing at these schools.”
Meanwhile, board member Loree Williams from the Woodbridge District opposed the motion, emphasizing the need for a more collaborative approach. “I cannot support this motion because my district is also facing severe overcrowding, with two new town centers being built and no room even with the new elementary school coming,” Williams said. “Instead of this back and forth between districts, we need to collectively work with the division to come up with ideas that can help all of our students.”
The board acknowledged that overcrowding is not isolated to one area. Prince William County has seen explosive growth in its student population, which has led to the construction of 25 schools in the past 15 years. Despite these efforts, many schools are still using temporary trailers as classrooms, and the rapid pace of development continues to outstrip capacity.
Board Chair At-large Babur Lateef provided context, saying, “We’ve made tremendous progress in addressing overcrowding. However, trailers are still a reality for many of our schools. While we recognize the urgency in addressing the situation at Covington-Harper, the current school construction pipeline should bring some relief in the coming years.”
The construction of a second Potomac Shores Elementary School, scheduled to open in the fall of 2027, is expected to relieve the overcrowding at Covington-Harper. However, Wilk stressed that the situation requires immediate attention, saying, “I don’t believe we can wait until 2027. We need to start making changes now to manage this growth.”
The proposal to add redistricting to the agenda was ultimately defeated, with five members opposing the motion and three in favor.
Covington-Harper Elementary School, located in the Potomac Shores community, opened in 2017 and was named in honor of long-serving community leaders Betty Covington, who served as the Potomac District School Board representative, and Dr. George Harper, the first African American principal in Prince William County.
The school serves the rapidly growing development and was designed to accommodate the area’s increasing population. Despite its relatively recent opening, the school’s capacity has quickly been exceeded due to the ongoing residential growth in Potomac Shores.
