From 1870 until the mid-1960s, public schools in Fairfax County and what is today the City of Fairfax were segregated by race. By the late 1940s, rapid population growth in the town of Fairfax had led to overcrowding at the town’s only school for white children – Fairfax Elementary School. In 1950, the Fairfax County School Board purchased land from Mr. W. S. Hoge, developer of the Westmore subdivision, for a school site. Called West Fairfax Elementary School during the planning process, the town’s second school for white children was given the name Westmore Elementary School on August 5, 1952.

Built beginning in April 1952 by the Howard-Mitchell Construction Company of Richmond, Virginia, Westmore Elementary School was completed at a cost of $286,324. The building originally had eight classrooms. Records are unclear as to when the building first opened for use by students, but an Alexandria Gazette article published on September 2, 1952, stated that Westmore Elementary School was incomplete and would open mid-school year. The names and salaries of Westmore’s first staff members were recorded in the meeting minutes of the Fairfax County School Board.

The Challenges of Growth

From 1952 to 1960, the student population of Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) steadily increased from about 20,260 to 59,870. Like other schools built during the 1950s, Westmore Elementary School struggled with overcrowded classrooms for much of the decade. In 1954, a seven-classroom addition was constructed at Westmore.

In September 1955, less than a year after the new addition had been completed, Westmore Elementary School was once again so overcrowded that it became necessary for first graders to attend school on half-day shifts.

In October 1956, construction began on a second addition to Westmore. The four-classroom addition, coupled with the opening of Jermantown Elementary School in September 1957, brought much-needed relief to the overcrowding at Westmore.

May 19 is the big day at Westmore Elementary School. The Westmore PTA fair will be held in the school in Fairfax. The featured event of the day will be the big show starring Smokey, the Fire Prevention Bear, a magician to delight and mystify you, an auction packed with bargains, a dance review, and a talent show by children from the school. There will also be a balloon race with all grades of the school competing for a room prize. The Fairfax Elementary Area School Band will be on hand to entertain you with their very excellent music. ~ The Fairfax Herald, May 11, 1956

Additional relief to overcrowding came in September 1960, when Westmore Elementary School’s seventh-grade classes were assigned to the new Sidney Lanier Intermediate School. Westmore operated with grades 1-6 until 1967.

Westmore in the 1960s

In 1961, the Town of Fairfax incorporated as the City of Fairfax. Shortly thereafter, the city established its own School Board. However, all the public schools within the boundaries of the newly formed city were owned and operated by FCPS. In March 1962, the Fairfax City School Board and the Fairfax County School Board entered into an agreement which stipulated that the city would pay tuition for its students to attend Westmore Elementary School.

By the mid-1960s, Westmore Elementary School was once again faced with overcrowded classrooms. During the 1964-65 school year, six first-grade classes operated on half-day shifts. Relief came in the fall of 1965 with the opening of Fairfax Villa Elementary School. In 1966, when FCPS completed the racial desegregation of the county’s public schools, Westmore received students from the all-Black Eleven Oaks Elementary School in the City of Fairfax.

In July 1967, Westmore Elementary School was designated as one of the seven pilot sites for FCPS’ new kindergarten program. The program proved so successful that kindergarten was adopted county-wide the following school year. Approximately 8,100 children enrolled in kindergarten classes in the fall of 1968.

Becoming a City School

In 1975, in anticipation of the closing of Fairfax Elementary School, the City of Fairfax School Board asked the City Council for approval to hold a school bond referendum. If approved by voters, the bond issue would fund the renovation and modernization of Westmore Elementary School. The proposed renovation would increase the pupil-capacity of the building to approximately 600 students. The project also included the construction of a large addition to Westmore which would house a gymnasium, preschool classrooms, a new library media center, and classrooms for music, fine and practical arts. Also, at the request of teachers, outdoor terraces would be constructed to serve as open-air classroom spaces.

After holding a public hearing, the City Council voted down the School Board’s referendum proposal. One of the primary concerns of the public and city council members was that Westmore Elementary School was owned by Fairfax County, not the City of Fairfax, and as such city taxpayers should not be asked to fund improvements to county-owned facilities.

In May 1976, Frederick Silverthorne, a city councilman, requested that a study be conducted to determine whether the City of Fairfax should buy Lanier Intermediate School and Green Acres, Layton Hall, and Westmore Elementary Schools from the county. A referendum was held in January 1979, and voters approved the purchase of the four school properties. Shortly thereafter, the City of Fairfax School Board began planning a modest renovation and addition to Westmore Elementary School. In 1985, a multi-purpose room was constructed next to the school’s cafeteria.

Memories of Westmore

Former students of Westmore Elementary School describe the school as being a very close-knit community. Alumni recall playing volleyball against the teachers, taking the Presidential Physical Fitness Test, Halloween parties with costume contests in the school cafeteria, and the Westmore Warrior mascot.

A Look Back

In 1987, Westmore Elementary School was the subject of the FCPS cable television channel series “Profile.” The Red Apple 21 crew spent several days at Westmore, gathering interviews with teachers and classroom footage. The resulting 30-minute documentary provides a fascinating snapshot of Westmore in the late 1980s.

Westmore Closes

In 1997, Fairfax City voters approved a $25.6 million school bond issue to improve the city’s schools. Most of the money was earmarked to consolidate the city’s four elementary schools into two renovated and expanded buildings, namely Jermantown and Layton Hall. As a result, the City of Fairfax School Board closed Green Acres and Westmore elementary schools at the end of the 1999-2000 school year. City students formerly assigned to Westmore were reassigned to the campus of Jermantown Elementary School, which had been given a new name – Providence Elementary School. After it closed, Westmore Elementary School was later used for administrative offices and briefly housed a private school. The building was demolished in the summer of 2012, and the school site is presently home to the Fairfax City Dog Park.

The Principals

The principals of Westmore Elementary School were Nellie M. Brown (1952-66), Sarina Genovese Watts (1966-74), Franklin D. Freeman (1974-79), Alan R. “Al” Manor (1979-82), Kenneth R. Buterbaugh (1982-94), and Joyce Dantzler (1994-2000).