By the Falls Church Education Foundation

Run for the Schools

Every September, the streets around Falls Church City Hall fill with strollers, students, teachers, and neighbors, all lacing up for the same reason: to support the schools that make this Little City what it is. In 2026, the Falls Church Education Foundation’s (FCEF) Run for the Schools returns for its 22nd year, and it remains one of the most anticipated mornings on the community calendar.

How it started

FCEF was founded in 2004 as a 501(c)(3) after receiving startup funding from the Falls Church City Council, with a mission to raise, manage, and distribute supplemental funds for Falls Church City Public Schools (FCCPS). Run for the Schools grew out of that early mission: a simple neighborhood 5K designed to bring the community together while raising money for local classrooms. Two decades later, it has become, in the words of long-time participants, the most family-friendly event in the Little City.

Growth in participation

The race has grown steadily over the years. In 2020, when the event moved to a virtual format during the pandemic, more than 600 runners and walkers still took part on their own routes and schedules. By 2024, the 20th annual race marked that milestone with a special show of hands for anyone who had run all 20 years, and organizers confirmed at least two people had. In 2025, the 21st annual race drew more than 850 runners, walkers, and stroller-pushers, supported by 16 local business sponsors.

What the money has funded

Run for the Schools is one of four core FCEF fundraising events, alongside the Little City Scramble golf tournament (October 7), the biennial Home & Garden Tour (April 11), and the Annual Gala & Auction (May 14). Together, these events enabled FCEF to award $326,579 to FCCPS and an additional $120,000 in scholarships during the 2025–2026 school year alone. Since 2004, FCEF has distributed more than $1 million in grants supporting:

Super Grants: classroom innovation funding, from playground equipment and ukuleles to art installations
Advanced Training Grants: professional development for FCCPS staff
The Family Assistance Fund: grocery gift cards, backpacks, clothing, and other necessities for more than 300 local children each year
Scholarships awarded to graduating Meridian High School seniors

More Than a Race

FCEF run for the schools finish line photo

Race morning includes both a 5K and a 1-Mile Fun Run, with a warm-up led by a sponsor before the race and cool-down stretching provided at the finish. Kids can get their faces painted and play family-friendly games while results are tallied, and the morning wraps with an awards ceremony recognizing the fastest overall finishers, 11 age-group winners, top FCCPS staff runners, and the first stroller across the line. It is equal parts competitive race and community festival, with runners ranging from stroller riders to competitors in the 80-and-over age group.

The goal: fundraising and community, together

Raising money for FCCPS has always been the driving purpose, but organizers and longtime participants describe a second goal that matters just as much: bringing the Little City together. The race is deliberately built as a community event as much as a fundraiser, a morning where the whole city–students, staff, families, and neighbors–shows up en masse for public education.

Course map

Join us: The 2026 Run for the Schools

Mark your calendar for the 22nd Annual Run for the Schools:

When: Sunday, September 20, 2026. Warm-ups at 7:45 a.m., 5K starts at 8:00 a.m., 1-Mile Fun Run starts at 8:05 a.m.
Where: 300 block of Park Avenue, between City Hall and the Mary Riley Styles Public Library
Parking: Kaiser Permanente garage, 201 N. Washington St. (level 2 or above); race streets are closed to parking
Register: runsignup.com/Race/VA/FallsChurch/FCEFRunForTheSchools5KAnd1Mile.
Registration fees are $40 for runners 19 years of age and older for either the 5K or the 1 Mile and $20 for runners 18 years of age and younger for either race. FCCPS staff members also can participate for $20 in the 5K or the 1 Mile.
A variety of race sponsorships range from $500 for the Cash Prize Sponsor to $10,000 for the 5K Title Sponsor.

As always, leave scooters, bikes, skates, and pets at home. Water and granola bars will be waiting at the finish, along with face painting and games for the kids.