^{Pictured above is the Flint Hill School, c. 1875, courtesy of the Virginia Room, Fairfax County Public Library}

Introduction

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) was established in 1870. Following the Civil War, Virginia was readmitted to the Union. Included in the new Constitution of Virginia was the Virginia Public Free Schools Act. This created a system of free education for all children in Virginia. Before 1870, education was centered at home or private schools.

Also at this time, a mainly rural and farm-oriented Fairfax County was divided into six magisterial districts. These historic districts included Centreville, Dranesville, Falls Church, Lee, Mount Vernon, and Providence. These districts are the forerunners of the supervisor districts we know today.

Rural Education: 1870 to 1935

Most children at this time attended school in one-room schoolhouses. A single teacher taught several levels of elementary-age boys and girls. 

There were 41 schools in the county during the 1870-71 school year. Most were made of logs and looked similar to a log cabin. Some schools were built as wood frame structures. The school year usually lasted five months and started after the harvest was finished. 

Fairfax County Public Schools operated as one school system with two sets of schools defined by race. In 1870 there were 28 schools for white students and 13 schools for African-American students. FCPS employed 44 teachers. By 1900, there were 99 schools throughout the county.