Fairfax County students will get the opportunity to take classes on artificial intelligence, personal finance and cybersecurity in the 2026-27 school year.
The Fairfax County School Board unanimously approved the middle and high school course offering changes during a meeting Thursday. The division’s Course Review Committee recommended the changes.
Starting in the fall, students may have the chance to enroll in courses such as AI Essentials or Artificial Intelligence II, both of which cover core AI concepts such as the ethical, legal and societal implications of generative AI and how to craft effective prompts to create text, pictures and videos.
Most of the new classes were approved as optional courses, which means schools can decide whether to offer them based on student interest.
“AI and other business ones, some of these are really, really needed in our high schools right now,” Board member Seema Dixit said. “I hope it goes to each and every high school, and there’s enough audience for it, so there’s a lot of sign ups, so we can offer that course.”
An Advanced Placement Business with Personal Finance class will be available at all schools with full AP programs, according to school board documents.
AP Cybersecurity, another new course, gives students the chance to learn about common digital threats and vulnerabilities while also covering how to manage risk. A class called Advanced Topics in Chemistry will launch in response to teachers asking for a non-AP chemistry course for students who are interested in the subject.
AP classes allow students to take an exam at the end of the year, and a passing score could result in college credit.
Geology will be an option for next fall as well. While the course has been state approved for years, this will be the first time it’s offered in Fairfax County Public Schools.
“I’m very excited about these new course offerings,” Board member Ilryong Moon said. “It’s not just artificial intelligence, which I’ve been talking about it for the last 18 months. I’m excited to see this coming up for the next year, but also, equally excited I get at seeing additional World Language offerings.”
The language offerings include Arabic, Chinese, American Sign Language, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Russian and Vietnamese, according to school board documents. The classes aim to help prepare students for careers in various professional settings after high school.
Referencing a recent school board work session, School Board member Karl Frisch said it’s important to ensure the district is “equitable about the distribution of courses and that people are very clear about why courses are offered and why they’re not at certain schools.”
The county, Frisch said, should consider allowing students who are interested in a class not offered at their school to participate virtually, “to ensure that we have greater access.”
The full list of new classes is available online.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
