Public schools across Prince William, Stafford, Fredericksburg, and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park will be closed for Thanksgiving break from Wednesday, November 26, through Friday, November 28, 2025.
In Prince William County, all schools and offices will be closed to the public during the break. The full announcement is available on the Prince William County Public Schools website.
The Prince William County School (PWCS) Board is considering its calendar options for the 2026-2027 school year.
In its most recent Nov. 18 meeting, the School Board heard about the four options on the table for the 2026-27 school year, each with its own quirks.
“Revealed no evidence of inappropriate, unsportsmanlike or unethical behavior by the Battlefield High School parent volunteers serving on the line-to-gain crew during the game,” InsideNoVa reported. The letter added that “there is no indication or evidence of communication between the volunteers, coaches, or players.”
Forest Park staff discovered the headsets late in the third quarter of the Nov. 14 quarterfinal, prompting Battlefield to replace the crew. While headset use by chain crews is a rule violation, investigators determined no competitive advantage or improper communication occurred. The Class 6, Region B semifinals are set for Friday, with North Stafford traveling to Battlefield for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
“We now have 45.7% of all graduates earning post graduate credentials and 65% of career and technical education (CTE) graduates earning one or more college or career credentials,” Dr. McDade reported. “To date, PWCS has the highest entry-level teacher salary in Northern Virginia.”
During the Nov. 18 School Board meeting, Dr. McDade outlined gains including a 94.8% graduation rate, reductions in absenteeism and dropout rates, improved SOL pass rates, expanded CTE opportunities, and major compensation increases to strengthen teacher recruitment and retention. She also introduced PWCS Elevate 2030, the next strategic plan focusing on global competency, personalized learning, and teacher empowerment.
“While there is an ongoing investigation regarding the opposing team’s volunteer chain crew and their use of communication devices during the game, please understand that under Virginia High School League (VHSL) rules, even if there is a change in Battlefield’s status, our team will not advance to the Region Semifinals,” InsideNoVa reported. “The Bruins would be unable to move forward due to Virginia High School League rules that state that a team that loses a game cannot challenge the outcome.”
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The magazine states that it based its Top 25 rankings on data from the Virginia Department of Education, evaluating advanced diploma rates, graduation rates, chronic absenteeism, SOL advanced pass rates, and AP/IB enrollment across 10 Northern Virginia school divisions.
No high schools from Prince William or Stafford County cracked the top 20 list of Northern Virginia Magazine’s best high schools. Battlefield High School near Haymarket and Gainesville High School, both in Prince William County, ranked 21st and 24th, respectively.
“I really appreciate the opportunity to be a part of this because it was really fun,” Prince William County Public Schools reported. “Being supported by the Commanders made it so much better and finishing the season on our home field [from our turf program] was surreal too.”
“This was an awesome opportunity for these young ladies,” the school division reported. “It was an opportunity for them to have another sport to compete in and just look at the turnout around Prince William County. I hope (this game) continues to spread out.”
“It was reported that the volunteers working the first-down chains were inappropriately using communication devices. Once discovered, the referees asked the volunteers to remove the devices. The chain gang volunteers were asked to leave the game to mitigate any further disruptions,” InsideNoVa reported. “The results of that investigation will ‘be forwarded to the Virginia High School League, who will assist in determining if penalties are warranted.’”
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“We will operate on a two-hour delayed start for students,” Manassas City Public Schools announced. “This means students will report to school two hours later than their normal time. Bus riders will report to bus stops two hours later than their normal time. There is NO SCHOOL FOR PRE-K.”
“Our internal IT team, working closely with outside cybersecurity experts, has made significant progress in restoring division systems after the recent cybersecurity incident,” Superintendent Dr. Kevin Newman stated. “We truly appreciate your patience, trust, and understanding as we worked to ensure our systems and campuses were ready for students and staff to return.”
