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A Dunn Loring building that has served Fairfax County families for nearly nine decades will begin closing in phases in May, clearing the way for a new four-story elementary school.
The Dunn Loring Administrative Center at 2334 Gallows Road first opened as a school during the Great Depression and later became an administrative hub. Its Family Resource Center will close May 4, followed by student registration appointments on May 8 and early childhood testing appointments on May 15.
Those services, along with the student registration welcome center and multilingual language programs, are scheduled to reopen June 1 at the Pimmit Hills Center, 7510 Lisle Avenue. During the transition, families can seek assistance at centers in Herndon, at 455 Springpark Place, or Virginia Hills, at 6520 Diana Lane in Rose Hill.
The Dunn Loring programs serve an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 families annually. Fairfax County Public Schools said it recognizes that families rely on them and intends to make the move as predictable and seamless as possible.
A school site with deep roots
Although the existing building will disappear, the planned redevelopment will return the approximately 9.3-acre property to its original educational use.
Dunn Loring School opened in September 1939 after community members pressed the Fairfax County School Board for a facility serving the growing Dunn Loring and Idylwood areas. It cost about $41,948 and was financed with a federal Public Works Administration grant.
The school board acquired the property from the family of Joseph B. Taylor, a formerly enslaved man. The original design included five classrooms and an auditorium with seating for 250 people.
Demand immediately exceeded expectations. The school enrolled 256 students on its first day, forcing some children to transfer to schools in Vienna and Oakton. Several additions followed as the region’s population surged after World War II.
Enrollment later declined, and the school board voted to close the school permanently in the 1970s. The building was leased to the Islamic Saudi Academy for two years before becoming an administrative center in 1988.
The private academy later moved to Herndon and operated as King Abdullah Academy until its unexpected closure last year. That site is now slated to become Skyview High School, which FCPS hopes to open this fall.
New campus will hold 900 students
The replacement Dunn Loring Elementary School will span 127,926 square feet and accommodate 900 students and 100 employees. Its $36.8 million budget comes from bond funding originally designated for a school in the Oakton area.
Plans include a combined soccer and softball field replacing the current soccer field, along with basketball courts, playgrounds and paved recreation areas.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved the development plan in February 2025 despite objections from some residents and the Fairfax County History Commission. Critics raised concerns about the new building’s size, the demolition of the historic structure and the need for another school while enrollment is declining and facility costs are rising.
FCPS says the new campus could ease crowding at as many as 10 elementary schools across Dunn Loring, Falls Church and Tysons.
The current building appears on Fairfax County’s inventory of historic sites, but FCPS says that designation does not restrict alterations or demolition. Following discussions with the history commission, the school system agreed to incorporate pieces of the old structure into the replacement.
Planned preserved elements include the entranceway, exterior bricks and the historic Public Works Administration plaque.
Construction is expected to begin this summer, although FCPS has not selected a contractor. Bidding is scheduled to open May 6.