Enrollment in Northern Virginia schools has skyrocketed throughout the past decade, fueled first by boom times and lately by the economic downturn.
In the expanding exurbs of Loudoun County, enrollment has topped 60,000, nearly doubling since 2000. Prince William County schools enrolled 3,000 more students this year, 2,000 more than officials had projected. Fairfax County recorded a record 172,000 schoolchildren this year as voters approved a $232 million bond measure for new schools. In the Arlington County and Alexandria school systems, enrollment has been on the upswing, reversing several years of decline.
School officials say two factors explain much of the growth: more immigrants and a weaker economy.
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