# James Madison High School (Fairfax County, Virginia)

James Madison High School (JMHS) is a public high school in Vienna, Virginia, United States. It is part of the Fairfax County Public Schools district. According to Newsweek magazine's 2014 list of the top U.S. high schools, Madison was ranked 93. U.S. News & World Report named it a Silver Medal school in 2010. The school has a 98% graduation rate.

## Demographics

In the 2020–21 school year, James Madison High School's student body was 62.71% White, 14.73% Asian, 12.60% Hispanic, 1.86% Black and 8.11% Other.

## Standardized testing

James Madison High School continually surpasses most Virginia schools in statewide and nationwide exams. For the 2023 school year, there was a 93.71% pass rate on English:Reading SOLs, >50% pass rate on English:Writing SOLs, >50% pass rate on History and Social Science, 91.53% pass rate on Mathematics SOLs, and 85.40% pass rate on Science SOLs. In 2022, Madison's average SAT score was 1217/1600.

## Athletics

James Madison's sports teams play in the Concorde District and 6A Northern Region. Their traditional rival schools include nearby schools Oakton, Langley, Marshall, Chantilly, and South Lakes.

### Crew

Founded in 2002, the James Madison Rowing team rows out of Sandy Run Regional Park, which is set on the banks of the Occoquan River. Both the men's and women's teams have had a fair amount of success. The women's team holds multiple state championships and went so far as to win the Stotesbury Cup and SRAA National Championship (1V8) in 2013.

## Extracurricular activities
### Marching Band and Concert Band

The James Madison High School "Pride of Vienna" Marching Band, under the direction of Michael Hackbarth, has won three consecutive Virginia state championships in 2018, 2019 and 2021 as well as being a 4 time Virginia class 5A state champion. They placed 1st at the Bands of America mid-Atlantic regional in 2019 and also attended the 2019 Bands of America Grand National Championships, where they achieved second place in class 3A, placing them at 29th overall in the semifinals. The school is one of the five schools to have earned the Sudler Flag twice. In the 2022 VBODA (Virginia Band & Orchestra Association) assessment, the school's symphonic band achieved perfect grades for grade 4, with its wind symphony achieving the same in grade 6, making it the highest achieving band in the district.

### Newspaper

Madison's resident newspaper is The Hawk Talk, run by students and advised by staff.

## Notable alumni

* John Brenkus, host of ESPN's Sports Science and the podcast "The Brink of Midnight”
* Bob Brower, former professional baseball player, New York Yankees and Texas Rangers
* Valerie Camillo, sports executive, president & CEO of Spectacor Sports & Entertainment
* Dana Coons, long distance runner
* Robert DeProspero, former United States Secret Service special agent
* Greg Duncan, diver
* Jay Franklin, former MLB player, pitcher, selected second overall by the San Diego Padres in the 1971 MLB draft
* Azita Ghanizada, actress
* Alia Abu El Hawa, footballer, member of the Jordan women's national team.
* Julia Leas, soccer player
* Mark Jordan Legan, TV writer, NPR contributor, host of the podcast "Film Freaks Forever"
* Adam Bhala Lough, music video director, screenwriter, documentary filmmaker
* Jim McNamara, former MLB player, catcher for the San Francisco Giants
* Robin Reed, former lead news anchor and chief meteorologist at WDBJ-DT
* Robert Shafer, Grammy Award-winning American conductor, classical composer
* Randy Scott, ESPN sportscaster
* Robb Spewak, radio personality on The Don and Mike Show
* Stephen Swartz, electronic music artist
* James Triantos, professional baseball second baseman in the Chicago Cubs organization
* Robyn Vining, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 14th district
* Mike Wallace, former MLB player, drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 4th round of the 1969 draft
* Natalie Wynn a.k.a. ContraPoints, YouTuber
* Mia Yim, professional wrestler
* Bryce Eldridge, baseball player