Swanson Middle School, 5800 Washington Blvd.: grades 6-8, 904 students on Sept. 30, 2026, framework score 90.6, Distinguished. Office: 703-228-5500.

Last checked Oct. 19, 2026. Sources: Swanson Middle School, Arlington Public Schools, the Virginia Department of Education’s School Quality Profile and the federal NCES school directory.

Swanson Middle School is an Arlington Public Schools (APS) neighborhood middle school for west-central Arlington. It sits at 5800 Washington Blvd. and serves grades 6 to 8.

Who to call

  • Main office: 703-228-5500 (fax 703-536-2775)
  • New to APS (registration): APS Welcome Center, 703-228-8000, option 1; 2110 Washington Blvd., first floor
  • Buses and general questions: APS main line, 703-228-8000
  • Which school serves an address: School and Community Relations, 703-228-6005
Address 5800 Washington Blvd., Arlington, VA 22205
Grades 6 to 8
School day 7:50 a.m. to 2:35 p.m. (early release 12:05 p.m.)
Website swanson.apsva.us
Division Arlington Public Schools

Principal

Interim Principal Katie Madigan, according to the school’s website, which also posts the timeline for the principal selection.

Enrollment and teachers

  • APS count: 904 students on Sept. 30, 2026: 288 sixth graders, 307 in seventh grade and 309 in eighth, in APS’s official membership summary (PDF).
  • State count: 968 students in fall 2025, down from 994 in 2024 and up from 965 in 2023, in the School Quality Profile.
  • Federal count: 964 students in the 2023-24 school year, with 68 full-time-equivalent teachers, according to the NCES directory. That works out to about 14 students per teacher.

State report card

Virginia’s School Performance and Support Framework scores each school on mastery on state tests, growth, readiness and graduation, according to APS’s framework page. Schools scoring 90 or more are Distinguished, 80 to 89 Meets Expectations, 65 to 79 Approaching Expectations and below 65 Needs Intensive Support.

  • 2026-27 framework score: 90.6, rated Distinguished, with no federal identification, in the division summary (PDF).
  • Accreditation: Fully Accredited

Standards of Learning pass rates (share of tested students who passed), from the School Quality Profile:

Subject 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26
English reading 81% 85% 83%
Math 81% 82% 83%
Science 79% 82% 80%

Attendance zone

APS assigns neighborhood schools by home address. Check an address in the APS boundary locator or on the 2026-27 middle school boundary map (PDF).

Feeder elementary schools: on APS’s boundary maps, all of the Cardinal zone lies inside the Swanson zone, along with about half of the Glebe and Ashlawn zones and parts of Tuckahoe, Barrett, Arlington Science Focus and Nottingham.

High school: about three-fifths of the Swanson zone lies in the Yorktown High School zone and the rest in the Washington-Liberty zone.

Calendar and bell times

From the APS 2026-27 calendar:

  • Wednesday, Oct. 28: early release, all schools
  • Monday, Nov. 2: end of first quarter
  • Tuesday, Nov. 3: no school for students (Election Day)
  • Wednesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day, no school
  • Nov. 25-27: Thanksgiving break
  • Dec. 23 to Jan. 1: winter break
  • Thursday, March 18, 2027: early release; Friday, March 19: no school (parent-teacher conferences)
  • March 22-26, 2027: spring break
  • Thursday, June 17, 2027: last day of school, early release

The school day runs 7:50 a.m. to 2:35 p.m., with early release at 12:05 p.m., according to APS.

More on Arlington schools

Frequently asked questions

What grades does Swanson Middle School serve?

Grades 6 through 8. APS counted 904 students there on Sept. 30, 2026.

How is Swanson Middle School rated by the state?

It is fully accredited. In Virginia’s 2026-27 School Performance and Support Framework it scored 90.6 and is rated Distinguished, with no federal identification.

Which high school does Swanson Middle School feed into?

It depends on the address. About three-fifths of the Swanson zone lies in the Yorktown High School zone and the rest in the Washington-Liberty zone, on APS’s boundary maps.

What time does Swanson Middle School start?

7:50 a.m. to 2:35 p.m., with early release at 12:05 p.m., according to Arlington Public Schools.