Welcome To Woodlawn Elementary

Woodlawn School traces its history back to about 1846 when many Quaker families settled in this area. Among them were Chalky and Joseph Gillingham who purchased Woodlawn Plantation from an heir of George Washington.The school first met in a large room of the Woodlawn Mansion, but this was unsatisfactory and a new location was sought. The Miller's cottage adjacent to Washington's Grist Mill was chosen as the new school. Mrs. Emily R. Green became the first "Mistress" and held classes in the area's first school in September 1846. Thus, Woodlawn School came into being.Quakers continued to keep the school open although they shifted its location to Gray's Hill Mansion and later to the Quaker's meeting house which still stands at Fort Belvoir.

The first public Woodlawn School was located opposite old Hadden Hall on the Accotink Turnpike (now Richmond Highway). The school was a small building with two rooms and a hallway in between, situated on one half acre of land. Woodlawn School burned in 1917 or 1918. The old stone foundation was used to reconstruct the two room white frame school which was ready for use by the fall of the same year.By the school year 1935-1936, the community had outgrown the school house and a new building was planned for Woodlawn. In November, 1937 the new Woodlawn School was completed at its present site opening its doors to 172 pupils. The new building on over ten acres of land, contained four rooms, a library, clinic, and a principal's office. Woodlawn School has continued to grow since 1937. Additions were made in 1941, 1953, 1957, 1968 and 1988, and 2001. An additional 6.35 acres of land was bought in 1954 to provide adequate play area. Between 1963 and 1965 two additional schools were built in the area to relieve the crowded conditions at Woodlawn when the peak enrollment reached 763 pupils.