Springfield Estates Elementary School
GPS Coordinates: 38.7840046, -77.1639695
Closest Address: 6200 Charles C. Goff Drive, Springfield, VA 22150

Here follows a history of the school as published on the Fairfax County Public Schools website:
Springfield Estates Elementary School opened its doors on March 10, 1958, welcoming 239 students and eight teachers. Exactly three years later, the Fairfax County Public Schools Bulletin recorded that student enrollment had grown to 583 students educated by a staff of 19 teachers. A ten room expansion was added to our school in 1968, and an additional new wing was added in 2013. In 2017, the entire school underwent a renovation, resulting in a new library, art rooms, office space and a revamped cafeteria.
Today the school serves a diverse population of more than 600 students with programs such as English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Family and Early Childhood Education program (FECEP), and an Advanced Academic Center. We use an inclusive practices service delivery model for special education students, and provide exciting opportunities for problem-solving and using critical thinking skills for all students through our Strategies Lab. A strong character education program and school-wide morning meetings support the development of positive and responsible behavior.
All classrooms are equipped with SmartBoards. All students are one:one with either an ipad (PK-K) or a laptop (1st-6th), We are fortunate that teachers are able to infuse technology to create dynamic and rigorous lessons.
Family Nights and various cultural events promote student involvement in learning. Dedicated teachers and parents sponsor fun after-school activities such as Chess Club, Electronics Club and GEMS that challenge students to develop creative, critical, and strategic thinking skills. An active PTA and dedicated volunteers are valued partners in providing a quality education for all students.
School Mascot: Golden the Eagle. Through Golden we foster an attitude of helping everyone to S.O.A.R by being Supportive, Optimistic, Accepting, and Responsible. We show our school spirit through a variety of activities initiated by our SCA representatives and officers.
We maintain a strong and collaborative partnership with our parents and PTA. Also our community provides resources and support for our program and our students.
Design & Construction
Springfield Estates Elementary School was originally designed by the architecture firm of Willgoes and Chase of Alexandria in 1956. The bidding process for our school was unusual because in October 1956, when the Fairfax County School Board advertised for bids, the neighborhood around the Springfield Estates school site was still largely undeveloped. This led to problems as construction of our school neared completion because the developer still hadn’t built, as promised, the neighborhood streets around our school or installed the water or sewer lines to our building. The School Board responded by purchasing additional land on which they constructed a gravel driveway and ran underground utility lines to connect the school to the county water and sewer system.
Springfield Estates Elementary School originally had 20 classrooms and was built by the Reid Construction Company of Alexandria for $499,916. When Springfield Estates first opened, 255 students were enrolled in grades one through seven. The students had previously been housed in classrooms at Garfield and Lynbrook elementary schools, and transferred to Springfield Estates, along with their respective teachers, in March 1958. Our first principal was Charles C. Goff. Our school driveway, Charles C. Goff Drive, was officially named in his honor at a ceremony in December 1978. The street was named as a farewell gift to Goff, who retired in January 1979.
What's in a Name?
Learn about the origin of our school's name in this video produced for Fairfax County Public Schools’ cable television channel Red Apple 21.
Springfield Estates Elementary School opened in March 1958. When it came time to name the building, the neighborhood surrounding the school had yet to be constructed, so it was given the name of the Springfield Estates subdivision, which is located west of the school. Springfield Estates Elementary School was built on farmland owned at various times by the Cooke, Janney, Ogden, and Talbert families. During the period of the Talbert’s ownership, in 1851, an adjacent piece of property that had been part of the Fitzhugh family’s Ravensworth estate was purchased by Henry Daingerfield of Alexandria. Daingerfield named this property “Springfield Farm,” perhaps for a spring where groundwater flowed to the surface in a field. Springfield Farm once encompassed all the land which now lies between Braddock Road on the north, Backlick Road on the west, Essex Avenue on the south, and Frontier Drive on the east. After Daingerfield’s death in 1866, Springfield Farm was divided and sold, however the area retained the name Springfield due to the existence of a post office and railroad station by that name. After World War II, the construction of Shirley Highway south from Washington, D.C., spurred the development of new suburban communities which catered to the rapidly expanding Federal government workforce. The area around the Springfield post office became the epicenter for new home construction, which led to the opening of six elementary schools and one high school in the immediate vicinity between 1953 and 1958. Among these was Springfield Estates Elementary School, which commemorates the development of the Springfield community, from farmland to a thriving community of young families living the mid-20th century American Dream of owning their own home.