Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology sparked controversy in 2021 after replacing its merit-based admissions system with a more equity-focused admissions process. On September 18, 2024, Fairfax County Public Schools sent out an email that said “191 FCPS students nominated as semifinalists for 2025 national award.” However, the Coalition for TJ announced that this was the lowest number in over a decade and a sharp drop from the previous year, when there were 264. That’s a nearly 38% drop from the previous year.

The Coalition for TJ also announced that in the case of Thomas Jefferson High School, the number of semifinalists had fallen by more than half. In 2024, there were 165 semifinalists. For the 2025 performance semifinalists, that number dropped to 81. The Coalition for TJ stated:

And this despite the fact that class sizes at TJ have increased from around 450 to 550 students per class. So 81 out of 550 compared to 165 out of 450. Quite a decline.