School Board Reviews Boundaries for New West Ridge High School
TL;DR: Chesterfield County School Board will vote October 13 on which of three boundary options to use for West Ridge High School, opening August 2027.
Quick facts
- Who: Chesterfield County School Board
- What: Evaluating three boundary options for West Ridge High School
- When: Community meeting Sept. 28; vote Oct. 13, 2026
- Where: Chesterfield County
The story
Chesterfield County School Board will vote October 13 on one of three boundary options for West Ridge High School, slated to open in August 2027 with capacity for 2,400 students. The new school is the first in the county since Cosby High School opened in 2006 and is designed to relieve overcrowding at existing high schools, particularly Cosby (currently at 125% capacity) and Midlothian (at 97% capacity).
All three options include students from Magnolia Green (449 students) and Westerleigh/Summer Lake (293 students). The options differ in which additional neighborhoods feed into West Ridge:
Option 1 adds 343 students from Watermill/RounTrey Peninsula and 173 from Wynwood at FoxCreek/Foxfield, keeping all three high schools at roughly 73% capacity. Multiple school board members have favored this option, according to reporting. Option 2 extends further into the Midlothian district by adding 246 from RounTrey Peninsula, 282 from Hallsley/Newmarket, and 246 from west of Woolridge Road, allowing West Ridge to fill to 80.3% capacity immediately but reducing Midlothian to 63.7%. Option 3 is a hybrid approach, adding the students from Option 1 plus 282 from Hallsley/Newmarket, resulting in West Ridge at 78.3% capacity, Cosby at 75.8%, and Midlothian at 63.7%.
Rising high school seniors will be exempt from redistricting and can remain at their current schools. A community meeting is scheduled for September 28 at Deep Creek Middle School for residents to provide input before the October 13 vote.
Key players
- Chesterfield County School Board: Makes final decision on boundary redistricting
- Dr. John Murray: Superintendent of Chesterfield County Public Schools
Key dates
- 2026-09-28: Community meeting on West Ridge High School boundaries at Deep Creek Middle School
- 2026-10-13: School Board vote on final boundary option for West Ridge High School
- 2027-08-01: West Ridge High School scheduled to open
The case for
Option 1 maintains enrollment balance across all three high schools at similar levels, distributing the new capacity equitably and minimizing disruption to existing school communities.
The case against
Options 2 and 3 allow the new school to operate at higher capacity (80.3% and 78.3% respectively), potentially maximizing the use of taxpayer-funded infrastructure, though they significantly reduce enrollment at Midlothian High School, which concerns some board members.
Why it matters: The decision will determine which neighborhoods attend which high school for years to come, affecting student commute times, school enrollments, and how the county manages its growing western population. The choice will also signal whether the county prioritizes balanced enrollment across schools or maximum utilization of the new facility.
Places
- West Ridge High School
- Cosby High School
- Midlothian High School
- Deep Creek Middle School
- Magnolia Green
- Hallsley
- Newmarket
Development timeline
- 2026-09-09School board discusses three boundary options for West Ridge High School: Superintendent Dr. John Murray describes the decision as 'a very complex situation' with three distinct approaches to redistricting [source]
- 2026-09-13Details of three redistricting options made public: WTVR reports specific neighborhoods and enrollment numbers for each of the three boundary proposals [source]
- 2026-09-28Public meeting on West Ridge High School boundaries: Community meeting scheduled at Deep Creek Middle School for residents to provide input on boundary options [source]
- 2026-10-13School Board vote on West Ridge High School boundaries: Board expected to select one of three redistricting options to determine student attendance zones for the new school [source]
- 2027-08-01West Ridge High School opens: New high school with capacity for 2,400 students opens to relieve overcrowding at Cosby and Midlothian high schools [source]
Related links
Read the original at WTVR CBS 6 (YouTube) →
Sources
- West Ridge High School: Which Chesterfield neighborhoods will be rezoned?
- Three proposed redistricting maps would send Cosby, Midlothian High School students to West Ridge
- School leaders deciding how to redraw boundaries for new Chesterfield high school
- Chesterfield Marks Milestone in Construction of New West Ridge High School