School History

Churchill Road Elementary School opened its doors to students for the first time on September 3, 1958. Originally a 16-classroom building, Churchill Road was built at a cost of $363,591 by contractor Earl K. Rosti, Inc., of Falls Church, Virginia. Our school’s first principal was Ruby F. Dunkum.

Photograph of a newspaper clipping that has a picture of a student. The photo caption reads: Work for School Library - Empty Shelves – Beth Burner, third grade pupil at Churchill Road Elementary School in Fairfax County, picks a book off the sparsely filled, but gradually growing bookshelves of her new school. The Churchill Road PTA and school staff hope to fill these shelves through money earned from their book fair which ended Friday and from book donations from parents and school patrons.
Northern Virginia Sun, November 24, 1958

In January 1961, construction began on a four-classroom addition to Churchill Road Elementary School to increase the capacity of the building from 480 to 600 students. The addition was completed in time for the opening of schools in September 1961.

Black and white photograph of Churchill Road Elementary School. Two students are parking their bicycles next to the building.
Churchill Road Elementary School, Circa 1968. Churchill Road was designed by the architecture firm of Bailey and Patton.

What's in a Name?

Did you know that during the planning process, Churchill Road was called Langley Forest Elementary School? The school was given the name Churchill Road by the Fairfax County School Board on November 19, 1957. Have you ever wondered why the road is called Churchill Road? Was it named in honor of Winston Churchill? Did the road lead to a church on a hill? Watch the following video to find out. The answer will surprise you.