As the pioneers of I.B. and the only I.B. schools in the division for 15 years, George Moody M.S. and Henrico H.S. had to build the capacity to host every I.B. student across the county. They started small, but their seats increased over time to meet demand. George Moody accepts up to 225 new I.B. sixth graders annually, and Henrico H.S. can host up to 100 new I.B. freshman each year.
Continued growth in the county’s population and the success of the I.B. program generated continued interest and more applicants. Nine new elementary schools were built between 1995 and 2010. To meet these needs, HCPS worked with the I.B. Organization to authorize two additional middle schools and one high school. The county factored in residential proximity, transportation and building capacity to determine how students would be zoned to the three I.B. middle schools,
Prior to the expansion, a significant number of students attending I.B. from the Near West End went to Moody. However, Tuckahoe’s capacity at the time of its I.B. authorization was an opportunity to accommodate that same set of students (and more), and the fact that they were already in Tuckahoe Middle School’s neighborhood feeder pattern helped with transportation needs as well. For the 2023-24 school year, Tuckahoe will expand it’s capacity to 130 seats.
Fairfield’s I.B. zone encompasses the north-central and eastern portions of the county. The school’s location and the availability of 100 I.B. seats allowed more students from within its neighborhood feeder pattern, as well as students from the other 11 schools in the area, to participate in the program. It also cut the travel time in half for many students who had once traveled an hour or more each way by bus to go to Moody. For the 2023-24 school year, Fairfield will expand it’s capacity to 135 seats.
