Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology opened in 1985, amid Cold War concern about America’s scientific and technological strength. Fairfax County Public Schools and Northern Virginia business leaders, with support from Virginia’s education department, created a regional public school centered on advanced mathematics and laboratory science. Executives from AT&T and defense contractor BDM International helped organize the partnership; companies supplied equipment and technical expertise.
During a February 1986 visit, Ronald Reagan toured TJ’s computer systems laboratory, praised its industry partnerships, and discussed his proposed missile-defense system. For students, those partnerships brought access to working scientists and specialized equipment before college. That connection to professional research remains central: the curriculum culminates in a senior project in science or engineering, carried out in a school laboratory or with researchers at a university, government agency, or company.