Fox Mill Elementary School was established in September 1979. Construction of our school was not complete at that time, so our students were temporarily housed at Floris Elementary School for three months. While at Floris, Fox Mill operated as its own school with separate classes and teachers under the leadership of our first principal, Dr. Judy Nash. 593 children were enrolled at Fox Mill during the 1979-80 school year.

Building a Rainbow 

To foster a sense of school community and a feeling of ownership of our new school building, Fox Mill students were asked to help choose our school colors and our school mascot. Students also got to meet some of the people responsible for building Fox Mill Elementary School. They learned about construction careers and were able to ask questions about what our school would look like when it was finished. All these activities and lessons were given a theme: Building a Rainbow. When students arrived at Fox Mill for the first time on December 12, 1979, they were met by a group of 40 fifth and sixth graders who had trained to serve as tour guides. One little boy got off the bus from Floris with his arms full of bags and said, “Wow, I’ve never walked into a rainbow before.”

Where did the name Fox Mill come from? 

Did you know that Fox Mill was originally going to be called Mumford Park Elementary School? However, before that name became official, parents from our community researched local history and found that during the 1800s there was a family with the last name Fox who operated a mill. Documents from the time period of the American Civil War show that a one-room schoolhouse once operated near the Fox family’s mill. Parents presented this information to the Fairfax County School Board, and in May 1979 the School Board voted to officially name our school the Fox Mill Elementary School.