School Board Set to Vote on West Ridge Redistricting Plan
TL;DR: The Chesterfield County School Board will vote Oct. 13 on which neighborhoods to assign to West Ridge High School when it opens in 2027, shifting students from overcrowded Cosby and Midlothian high schools.
Quick facts
- Who: Chesterfield County School Board
- What: Vote on redistricting plan to assign neighborhoods to West Ridge High School
- When: Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026 at 6:30 p.m.
- Where: Chesterfield County, Virginia
The story
The Chesterfield County School Board will vote Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 6:30 p.m. on which neighborhoods should feed into West Ridge High School, the district's first new high school in more than two decades. The decision will determine which students currently at Cosby and Midlothian high schools will be reassigned when West Ridge opens in summer 2027.
West Ridge, a $135 million facility at 17500 Duval Road in the western Route 360 corridor, was built to relieve overcrowding at existing high schools. Cosby High School is currently at 125 percent of capacity, while Midlothian operates at 97 percent. The new school will have space for 2,400 students and includes two gymnasiums, a 3,500-seat stadium, baseball and softball fields, and specialized classrooms for arts and career education.
The School Board is considering three redistricting options. Option 1 would move students from Watermill, RounTrey Peninsula, Wynwood at FoxCreek, and Foxfield to West Ridge, bringing all three high schools to approximately 73 percent capacity. Option 2 would add students from RounTrey, Hallsley, Newmarket, and west of Woolridge Road, resulting in West Ridge at 80.3 percent, Midlothian at 63.7 percent, and Cosby at a lower utilization. Option 3 is a hybrid approach balancing capacity across all three schools.
School Board Chief Operations Officer Reid Wodicka said the redistricting decisions were driven by "the reality" of current overcrowding and anticipated future development in the county. A community meeting was held Sept. 28 at Deep Creek Middle School to present the three options. Parents who attended raised concerns about uprooting students from established communities and asked school staff to invest effort in building community at the new facility.
Rising high school seniors will be exempt from the redistricting and can remain at their current schools. A separate redistricting proposal affecting elementary schools, specifically Curtis Elementary, will be voted on Nov. 10, with changes to take effect the following school year.
Key players
- Chesterfield County School Board: Voting body deciding redistricting plan
- Reid Wodicka: Chief Operations Officer, Chesterfield County Schools
Key dates
- 2026-10-13: School Board votes on West Ridge High School redistricting plan at 6:30 p.m.
- 2026-11-10: School Board votes on elementary school redistricting proposal affecting Curtis Elementary
- 2027-08: West Ridge High School opens
The case for
Redistricting relieves severe overcrowding at Cosby High School (currently 125 percent of capacity) and creates balanced enrollment across all three high school campuses, improving conditions for learning and resource allocation while making efficient use of the new $135 million facility.
The case against
Redistricting uproots established students from their current schools and communities, disrupting friendships and school connections, and some neighborhoods would see longer commutes to West Ridge's location on the western side of the county.
Why it matters: This redistricting will directly affect hundreds of Chesterfield County students and families, determining which schools they attend and whether they stay with their peers, while also shaping the foundation for how the district manages growth and capacity as West Ridge begins operations.
Places
Development timeline
- 2026-09-28Community meeting on West Ridge redistricting: School district presented three redistricting options to parents and community members at Deep Creek Middle School [source]
- 2026-10-13School Board vote on West Ridge redistricting: Board will select one of three options to determine which neighborhoods assign students to West Ridge High School when it opens in 2027 [source]
Related links
Read the original at WTVR CBS 6 Local →