In 2001, it became evident that a new school would be needed in southern Fairfax County, Virginia years before the budgeted funding would be available to alleviate the problem; the lengthy commutes faced by students were becoming an unbearable hardship. As the project predated the adaptation of the Public-Private Educational Facilities and Infrastructure Act of 2002 and publication of the implementation guidelines, Fairfax County Public Schools solicited proposals for public-private partnerships to provide a new school on a portion of the former prison site in Lorton, Virginia. Clark Education submitted a proposal that called for monetizing certain parcels of unused Fairfax County land assets, thereby lowering the overall net cost of the school project to the County. In addition, through this land sale, value engineering and their creative tools, Clark was able to offer the County the opportunity to save over $25 million on this school project, against the school's budget and get other desired public and private infrastructure into this fast growing community. Clark Education's proposal was selected and the two parties entered an agreement for the development, design, financing and construction of the first K-12 public school system in Virginia to try this alternative, turn-key approach to procuring a school. If not for the work of the Lorton community and the efforts of Clark, the South County Secondary School would be nothing more than a dream until 2008. Today over 2,000 students call themselves South County Stallions.

The 386,000 SF building is based on the designs of a neighboring high school, but with a few adjustments, such as larger hallways and more natural light in classrooms. By using existing plans, this helped the school open its doors as much as a year earlier than expected. South County Secondary School is a state-of-the-art school housing both middle and high school programs, featuring a two-story media center, state-of-the-art classrooms and a gymnasium that seats 2,500 spectators. The school's technology exceeds that of any previous school in Northern Virginia. Wireless connector points allow laptops to access the Internet from anywhere in the building. In all, the school has more than 800 computers - roughly one computer for every three students. It also includes a state-of-the-art gymnasium floor designed to prevent injuries. The desks in each classroom are unusually large for a Fairfax County school, allowing students to spread out instructional material more than on a traditional desk. And students sit on ultra-modern chairs hand-picked for comfort and style. South County is subtly designed to be a safe school, with very few blinds spots. Also, several points in the school allow teachers and security officers to monitor multiple hallways simultaneously; ensuring students are headed toward class and staying out of trouble.

The addition of South County Secondary School was hailed by the community. Residents were thrilled that a secondary school was finally opened in the South County area; a community center where they can watch football games, orchestra performances, theater and more. Clark was happy to participate in delivering a school residents had been waiting nearly 20 years for.

The drawings provided for slab to ceiling CMU partitions at locations in the building that sometimes conflicted with bar joists that ran parallel to the partition. These partitions were designed as CMU to control noise below and above the ceiling, and to maintain fire separation between the spaces. Cutting CMU masonry and infilling the bar joists on each side would have not met Clark's quality standards, and would have increased the schedule and cost for the masonry work. By working with the Architect, Clark was able to design an alternative partition type above the ceiling that met the necessary fire rating and also provided the noise abatement the client desired.

This school was originally budgeted to open in 2008, yet a few citizen volunteers, in conjunction with forward thinking members of school staff, school board, and selected County staff and supervisors, led a campaign to make this school project a priority for the County, as they recognized the value in accelerating the delivery of the school to 2005. Clark Education provided the financial structuring that allowed the school to be built three years ahead of schedule. Fairfax County Public Schools and Clark worked together to ensure that the school would be completed as scheduled in August 2005.