Crossfield Elementary School plans $31 million renovation and addition

Crossfield Elementary School in Herndon is in the early stages of planning a $31 million renovation and addition.

The project will include renovations of the existing building, plus library and main office additions, a Fairfax County Public School spokesperson told Reston Now in an email.

In total, the renovations and additions will encompass 101,000 square feet of space and is estimated to cost about $31 million. It’s expected to be completed late 2024 or early 2025.

The project is currently in the design phase, with this portion of the project being funded by the 2019 School Bond referendum.

It’s likely to remain in this phase for at least a while longer. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved an extension of the review period for the project’s submitted 2232 application during its meeting on Tuesday (July 13).

The 2232 process is required for public facility projects to ensure they are in line with the Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan.

Since the application hadn’t been approved within the 60 days of its submission, an extension was needed. This is a standard practice for a public facility project, according to a county official.

After the design phase, it will head to permitting before construction begins.

The elementary school on Fox Mill Road opened in 1988 and is named after A. Scott Crossfield, an aeronautical pioneer who lived nearby the school.

A test pilot in the years leading up to space exploration, Crossfield made history in 1953 when he became the first pilot to break Mach 2, flying twice the speed of sound.

After his retirement, he lived in Herndon and down the street from the elementary school that bore his name. Nearly every year, he attended the school’s sixth-grade graduation. In 2006, at the age of 84, Crossfield was killed when the plane he was flying crashed.

Via Fairfax County/YouTube