Francis C. Hammond Middle School, 4646 Seminary Road: grades 6-8, 1,592 students in fall 2025, fully accredited. Hours 8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.

Last checked Oct. 19, 2026. Sources: Francis C. Hammond Middle School, Alexandria City Public Schools, the Virginia Department of Education’s School Quality Profile and the federal NCES school directory.

Francis C. Hammond Middle School is the larger of Alexandria City Public Schools’ (ACPS) two middle schools. It serves grades 6 to 8 on Seminary Road, and its students go on to Alexandria City High School. The school is named for Francis C. Hammond, a Navy medical corpsman who graduated from George Washington High School in 1949 and received the Medal of Honor for his actions in Korea in March 1953; his medal and other memorabilia are displayed in the school’s front hall, according to its history page.

Who to call

  • Front office: 703-461-4100
  • Registrar (new students): LaQuisha Bates, 703-461-4117, per the registrars list
  • ACPS central office: 703-619-8000, 1340 Braddock Place; questions to ask@acps.k12.va.us
  • Buses: ACPS Office of Pupil Transportation, 703-461-4169
Address 4646 Seminary Road, Alexandria, VA 22304
Phone 703-461-4100
Grades 6 to 8
School hours 8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
Website fchs.acps.k12.va.us
Division Alexandria City Public Schools

Principal

Principal Anika Buster-Singleton, according to the school’s website, which says she was named acting principal during the 2022-23 school year. The school also has grade-level academic principals and an academic principal for its International Academy, Tim Brannon.

Enrollment and teachers

  • State count: 1,592 students in fall 2025, about level with 1,597 in 2024 and up from 1,511 in 2023, in the School Quality Profile. Fall 2025 broke down as 494 sixth graders, 556 seventh graders and 542 eighth graders.
  • Federal count: 1,510 students in the 2023-24 school year, with 113 full-time-equivalent teachers, according to the NCES directory. That works out to about 13 students per teacher.

State report card

Virginia rates each school two ways on its School Quality Profile. Accreditation shows whether the school has submitted, and the state has approved, the evidence the Standards of Accreditation require. The School Performance and Support Framework gives each school a score and one of four performance levels: Distinguished, Meets Expectations, Approaching Expectations or Needs Intensive Support.

  • Accreditation, 2025-26: Fully Accredited
  • Framework score: 79.27, rated Needs Intensive Support, in the division summary. Hammond and William Ramsay Elementary are the two ACPS schools at that level.

Standards of Learning pass rates (share of tested students who passed):

Subject 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26
English reading 50% 49% 53%
Math 46% 37% 44%
Science 42% 40% 45%

All three rose in 2025-26 after falling the year before. The full profile also reports attendance, spending and teacher data, and the school posts its school improvement plan on its website.

Attendance zone and feeder schools

Look up an address in the ACPS Attendance Zone Locator, which shows its elementary, middle and high school for 2026-27 and whether a student qualifies for a bus. ACPS publishes its elementary-to-middle feeder patterns as maps on the redistricting page instead of as a list, so the locator is the reliable check for a single address. After eighth grade, every Hammond student goes to Alexandria City High School.

Rezoning: under the boundaries the School Board approved June 12, 2025, some neighborhoods moved from Patrick Henry K-8 School to Hammond starting this school year. Patrick Henry students in those areas who were in sixth grade in 2025-26 could defer the move for two years, and seventh graders for one year, according to the boundaries page. Students within one mile of Hammond are expected to walk; see the Hammond walk zone map. Our Alexandria schools guide covers the change.

Programs

Hammond is one of two middle schools with the ACPS Spanish-English two-way dual language program for grades 6 to 8. It also runs an International Academy, with its own academic principal.

Calendar and bell times

From the ACPS 2026-27 traditional calendar:

  • Friday, Oct. 30: end of first quarter
  • Monday, Nov. 2, and Tuesday, Nov. 3: no school (teacher work day, then Election Day)
  • Wednesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day, no school
  • Nov. 25-27: Thanksgiving break
  • Dec. 21 to Jan. 1: winter break
  • Thursday, June 17, 2027: last day of school

School hours are 8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., according to the school’s schedules page, which posts block bell schedules by grade.

More on Alexandria schools

Frequently asked questions

What grades does Francis C. Hammond Middle School serve?

Grades 6 through 8. It is one of two Alexandria City Public Schools middle schools, with George Washington Middle School.

How is Francis C. Hammond Middle School rated by the state?

It is fully accredited for 2025-26. In Virginia’s School Performance and Support Framework it scored 79.27 and is rated Needs Intensive Support.

What time does Francis C. Hammond Middle School start?

The school’s posted hours are 8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.

Which high school does Francis C. Hammond Middle School feed into?

Alexandria City High School, the city’s only public high school. Ninth graders start at its Minnie Howard campus.