School typePublic high school Grades9–12 MascotFederals Founded1963
Closed1985 LanguageEnglish Ceased operations1985
Statusnow Carl Sandburg Middle School School districtFairfax County Public Schools DistrictFairfax County Public Schools HeadquartersAlexandria, Virginia, United States MottoCannon in front of Fort Hunt High School ColorGreen and gold originally green and white
Fort hunt high school band 1974 1975
Fort Hunt High School was a public secondary school near Alexandria, Virginia located at 8428 Fort Hunt Road.
Constructed at a cost of $2.5 million, Fort Hunt High opened its doors toward the end of the post–World War II baby boom in 1963, as part of the Fairfax County Public Schools.
The school suffered $4.5 million in fire damage as the result of arson on December 30, 1978 when three teenagers (two seniors at the school and a 1978 graduate) threw Molotov cocktails into the building. The fire resulted in the forced relocation of 1,700 students who were sent on a split shift to nearby Groveton and Mount Vernon High schools through the remainder of the 1978-79 school year.
In 1985, due to declining enrollment, Fort Hunt and Groveton High School were combined to form West Potomac High School, located on Groveton's campus. The Fort Hunt campus was converted into Carl Sandburg Middle School, which replaced the older Stephen Foster and Bryant Intermediate Schools.
Fort hunt high school fight song
School institutions
The yearbook was called The Fortress. The school paper was called The Frontline. The athletic teams were called the Federals.
Notable alumni
Robert C. Michelson, '69 — American engineer and academic. Recipient of the Pirelli Award for the diffusion of scientific culture, and the first €25,000 Top Pirelli Prize.
Carl C. Perkins, '72 — Member of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky's 7th congressional district, 1983–1993.
Admiral James A. Winnefeld, Jr., "Sandy", '74 — Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Aug. 4, 2011 – Present.
Phoef Sutton, '76 — Emmy Award winning TV writer/producer of Cheers.
Wendy B. Lawrence, '77 — NASA astronaut.
Hoda Kotb, '82 — co-host of the fourth hour of NBC's Today (U.S. TV program).
Rocky Belk, NFL player
J. Timothy Katzen, MD. '83. Son of Jay Kenneth Katzen, (prominent Virginia Republican and House of Delegates Representative). Presently, prominent Beverly Hills plastic surgeon.