Markham Elementary School opened on September 6, 1960. Originally designated Post School No. 4, the school was named in honor of Major General Edward M. Markham, who was Commandant of the Engineer School from 1925 to 1929, and Chief of Engineers from 1933 to 1937. Edward Markham served in the Philippines and Cuba, and was Assistant Engineer Commissioner at Washington, D.C. He also served in Europe in 1918 and was chief of the Third Army in Germany.

At first a school for children in kindergarten through the sixth grade, Markham was changed in the 1980s to grades kindergarten through third. Markham Elementary School was operated by the United States Department of Defense until 1969, when the school became part of the Fairfax County public school system. The building was located adjacent to Dogue Creek Village and Mount Vernon Road.

The people and children here are very warm and friendly, accommodating and affirming as a person and to your profession. I think the whole Dogue Creek area here has special meaning for the whole faculty. ~ Helen Crawford, 3rd Grade Teacher, Markham Elementary School, 1977-1998

Markham Elementary School closed in 1998 and its students were consolidated into the new Fort Belvoir Elementary School which opened in September of that year. After its closure, Markham was converted into an after-school activities center.

Some former principals of Markham Elementary School are John F. Spataro (1969-1971), William O. Dudgeon, Jr. (1971-1976), Rufus B. Cooley (1976-1980), Maryanne B. Roesch (1980-1981), Myrna Smith Mayo (1981-1987), and Robert F. Sisson, Jr. (1987-1998).