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New gymnasium at Washington Mill Elementary School (Credit: FCPS)
Three Richmond Highway area schools that are part of the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) system are making steady progress in construction projects that are at least partly designed to reduce overcrowding.
A new addition being built at Washington Mill Elementary School
(ES) is nearly complete, and students will start occupying it after returning from spring break, said Principal Matt Bennink in a recent email update. At that point, the final phase of Washington Mill's renovation project will begin as the main section of the existing building — last updated in 1989 — is closed off and renovated through the end of summer or early fall.
“For more years than I can remember, a significant number of our students have had classes in modular units and trailers, but this new addition will eventually bring us all together as one community in one school,” said Bennink.
Rendering of updated Washington Mill ES (Credit: FCPS)Like Washington Mill, Hybla Valley ES was last renovated in 1989 and is undergoing a complete modernization and two-story classroom addition that will increase the school’s size by about 31,000 square feet. The renovation project — which includes classrooms, administrative offices, kitchen, cafeteria, gym library and site improvements — is scheduled for completion in spring 2023, according to FCPS.
Rendering of updated Hybla Valley ES (Credit: FCPS)Meanwhile, West Potomac High School is getting an addition of about 76,000 square feet, including science classrooms and a cafeteria, to accommodate increasing enrollment at the school. FCPS data shows West Potomac at 119% capacity for the 2021-2022 school year.
In a February 2022 email update, West Potomac's Principal Tanganyika Millard said the school was in the process of ordering furniture for the newly built spaces and was on track for move-in in early August. The overall construction project is scheduled to be complete by the end of the year, according to FCPS.
Rendering of expanded West Potomac HS (Credit: FCPS)Planning and design activities for all three schools were funded by the 2017 school construction bond, while construction work was funded by the 2019 bond.
