The current school year will be the last official one for King Abdullah Academy.
After close to a decade in the Herndon area, the Islamic private school announced in late January that it will close for good after the 2024-2025 academic year, citing challenges with identifying a “viable financial path to self-sustainability.”
The news took families and even administrators by “complete surprise,” according to one parent.
“So many families are impacted and trying to figure out to navigate these times,” the parent told FFXnow by email. “The parents are trying to combine and see how we can self-fund however … It is really heartbreaking for the kids as they have friends coming from all over northern [Virginia].”
Funded by Saudi Arabia’s government, King Abdullah Academy launched in August 2016 after relocating to its current 40-acre campus at 2949 Education Drive east of Dulles International Airport.
The school was previously known as the Islamic Saudi Academy and operated out of the original Mount Vernon High School from 1985 until its Herndon move. The academy’s departure opened the door for Fairfax County to redevelop the Mount Vernon site (8333 Richmond Highway), a project that began construction last fall.
King Abdullah Academy now has 1,030 students enrolled in kindergarten through 12th grade, according to the school’s administrative team. Offering a certified International Baccalaureate program, it aims to support students academically, while also “maintaining the values of Islam and proficiency with the Arabic language,” its website says.
The campus includes a soccer field, a trail system, outdoor classrooms, playgrounds, courtyards and an eight-lane, Olympic-style swimming pool, among other amenities.
In its closure announcement, the academy said it’s “immensely proud” of the legacy it has built up over the past nine years.
“The Academy has provided education to students of dozens of nationalities and natives languages, maintaining an almost 100 percent graduation rate,” the announcement said. “This school has served as a cornerstone of education, innovation, and community building, touching the lives of countless people in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area and beyond.”
However, a recent financial review found that “the school was running at a significant and persistent loss, and unfortunately, there was no path to self-sustainability,” the administration team told FFXnow.
In addition to being supported by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the school charges $11,250 in tuition.
Acknowledging the disappointment and uncertainty introduced by the upcoming closure, King Abdullah Academy Director General Salwa Linjawi said in the announcement that school leaders are “committed” to providing support services to community members to minimize disruptions.
More from the Jan. 30 release, which was posted on the school’s website:
We are committed to ensuring a seamless 2024-2025 academic year inshallah. That will allow another class to graduate and prevent shortcomings in any of the educational services we provide.
As an additional service, the Academy will offer rising 8th-grade students and rising 12th-grade students the option to complete their degrees through a fully certified, online curriculum for the 2025-2026 school year. The program will be funded by the Academy.
We will continue to do our best for everyone connected to this institution through the remaining period of its operation. We will always be proud of the community we forged with all of you during these years and look forward to the great achievements of all our students, past and present, as they honor us in their further academic and professional lives.
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