Renovation of Armstrong Elementary School to begin next year

RestonNow.com June 2, 2023 at 10:17am

The renovation of Reston’s Armstrong Elementary School is expected to begin in the spring of next year, according to Fairfax County Public Schools.

The school system has formally submitted a proposal before the county to add 126,000 square feet and modern amenities to the school.

“The increase in space will accommodate anticipated future enrollment,” FCPS spokesperson Julie Moult said. “Additions will provide a new administration wing with a new main entrance vestibule, a new library, an extension of the classroom wing, and two new pre-K classrooms. Renovations will enhance current classrooms and learning and support spaces, improve the bus and kiss and ride loop, and create new outdoor play areas.”

The project is currently in the design phase and was funded by a 2021 bond, Moult wrote in a statement. Built in 1985, the school’s current enrollment is 360 — well under its design capacity of 786 students — but the school building is in need of “significant” improvements, according to the application.

The renovated building will feature a new one-story administrative suite and a two-story classroom addition along the front of the school building. A one-story library addition is also planned on the west side.

“With the proposed renovations, the existing design capacity will increase by 14 students for a design capacity of 800 students,” the application states.

Three new playgrounds are also planned on the southern portion of the property. The parking lot will also get 36 more spaces on the existing playground area — a number that includes eight ADA spaces.

The project is expected to finish in the summer of 2026.