The Fairfax County School Board expects to spend about $2 million on engineering and designs for renovations to remake a private school south of Herndon into the new Skyview High School.
At its meeting on June 11, the board directed Fairfax County Public Schools staff to finalize an approximately $1.99 million contract for architecture and engineering services with Grimm + Parker Architecture.
The Beltsville, Maryland-based firm’s bid was ranked the best among 14 submitted proposals by FCPS staff and a Selection Advisory Committee.
An FCPS spokesperson said that if negotiations proceed as planned, construction should start next summer.
Skyview High School will materialize from renovations of the former King Abdullah Academy campus. It is located in the Floris area on the western end of the county at 2949 Education Drive, near Dulles International Airport and the National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center.
FCPS purchased the campus in August 2025 for $150 million shortly after the private school ceased operations because the Saudi Arabian government cut off funding. School board members have touted it as a financial win, with one official estimating that it could have cost $600 million to acquire land and build an entirely new high school.
Under the newly approved contract, Grimm + Parker will plan renovations in three areas:
- The main building, which includes conversions of open areas, staff workrooms and elementary school classrooms to meet high school needs
- Two shell buildings that will be fully built out for high school use
- General site improvements to include athletic facilities like a track and football field and tennis courts
Fairfax County planners signed off on a first phase of the building’s conversion into a public high school last month. That will enable Skyview to partially open in August for the 2026-2027 school year, when FCPS will welcome about 1,000 ninth- and 10th-graders who opt in to attend.
It is expected to be fully open for the 2028-2029 school year.
“We are excited to welcome our first students into Skyview this August, where we look forward to offering unique coursework and access to Skyview’s world-class facilities,” the FCPS spokesperson said.
While final attendance boundaries are still being determined by the school board, officials hope Skyview will alleviate overcrowding at schools in Herndon, Centreville, Chantilly and Oakton.
