| Briar Woods High School | |
| Pushpin Map: | USA Virginia Northern#USA Virginia#USA |
| Streetaddress: | 22525 Belmont Ridge Road |
| Zipcode: | 20148 |
| Country: | United States |
| Principal: | Sheila Alzate |
| Teaching Staff: | 126.00 |
| Ratio: | 13.94 |
| Enrollment: | 1,757[1] |
| Enrollment As Of: | 20222023 |
| Grades: | 9 - 12 |
| Campus: | Suburban |
| Nickname: | Briar |
| Colors: | Navy Blue & Orange |
| Founded: | 2005 |
| Athletics Conference: | Potomac District VHSL Class 5 - Region D |
Briar Woods High School is a public secondary school located in Ashburn, an unincorporated area in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States, and is part of Loudoun County Public Schools. The school serves students who live in the Broadlands, Brambleton, and Waxpool communities.
Briar Woods High School opened on August 29, 2005 with its student body coming from Stone Bridge High School, Loudoun County High School, and Eagle Ridge Middle School.[2] The first Principal was Edward Starzenski, who served as principal of Loudoun County High School from 1989 to 2004. The school was officially dedicated on October 14, 2005 at a ceremony presided over by school district superintendent Edgar B. Hatrick III.[3] In 2006, Briar Woods celebrated its first Homecoming, despite the lack of a returning class.
During the summer before the 2011-2012 school year, ten trailers were installed due to an increased enrollment for the year. The following school year, a new order of lockers were put in the school in order to accommodate the rising number of students attending the school. In the 2014-2015 school year, Students living in Loudoun Valley Estates and most of Brambleton were shifted to Rock Ridge High School to relieve overcrowding. This dropped Briar's enrollment by about 500 students.
In 2023, a new addition was put on the back of the building. This eliminated the need for the ten trailers.
In 2006-2007 Briar Woods High School's student population was 67% White; 16% Asian; 10% Black; and 7% Hispanic.
As of 2018, the student population was 53.6% White, 26.4% Asian, 8.5% Hispanic, 5.8% two or more races, and 5.7% Black.
As of 2019. the student population was 52.1% White, 28.3% Asian, 7.9% Hispanic, 6.5% two or more races, and 5.0% Black.
As of the 2021-2022 school year, the student population was 48.6% White, 31.4% Asian, 8.3% Hispanic, 5.8% two or more races, and 5.5% Black.[1]
See Main Discussion: Loudoun County Public Schools – Curriculum
Briar Woods is a fully accredited high school by the Virginia Department of Education.
In 2011, Briar Woods was recognized by Newsweek as one of America's best high schools. It was ranked 1st in Loudoun County, 4th in the state of Virginia and 112th in the country. In 2016, it was ranked the 10th best school in Virginia and is currently unranked in the National Ranking.
Briar Woods is a member of Conference 14 and competes in Division 5A North.[4]
| Year | Winning Team | Losing Team | Location (all in Virginia) | Class | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Briar Woods | 41 | Harrisonburg | 21 | Liberty University, Lynchburg | AA Div. 4 | |
| 2011 | Briar Woods | 28 | Christiansburg | 26 | Liberty University, Lynchburg | AA Div. 4 | |
| 2012 | Briar Woods | 52 | Heritage High School (Lynchburg, Virginia) | 0 | Liberty University, Lynchburg | AA Div. 4 |
| Year | Winning Team | Losing Team | Class | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Briar Woods | 261 | Brentsville | 255 | AA |
| 2010 | Briar Woods | 282 | William Byrd | 274 | AA |
| 2011 | Briar Woods | 259 | Tabb High School | 245 | AA |
| 2012 | Briar Woods | 279 | Grafton High School (Virginia) | 277 | AA |
In 2017, the men's Briar Woods High School soccer team won the State Championship (Briar Woods 1 - Mills Godwin 0).
for the 2021-2022 school year:[5]