McNair Elementary School opened on September 4, 2001. Our first principal was Susan Benezra. McNair opened at a time when Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) was experiencing a sharp rise in student population growth. The “Baby Boomlet” of the 1990s had caused significant overcrowding at the schools in the Herndon area. To meet the demand for more classroom space, construction began in the winter of 2000 on a new elementary school in the McNair Farms community. Built at a cost of $10.2 million, McNair Elementary School was designed for a capacity of approximately 900 students. 856 students walked through our doors on opening day, and by January 2002, our enrollment had swelled to 945 pupils. McNair Elementary School was formally dedicated on Saturday, May 18, 2002. The festivities included a tree planting ceremony, tours of the school, and a fun fair featuring carnival games, cakewalks, and face painting.

What’s in a Name?

During the design and construction process, our school was referred to as McNair Farms Elementary School. Learn why in this video produced for the Fairfax County Public Schools cable television channel Red Apple 21.

McNair Today

Throughout the 2010's McNair Elementary developed a reputation as a great place to learn and continued growing into one of the largest elementary schools in Fairfax County. In 2017 it was announced that a new school building would be built on the fields behind McNair to help accommodate our growing community. This new building would be named McNair Upper Elementary School and would house 3rd through 6th grade while the original McNair Elementary would house Pre-K through 2nd grade. McNair Upper opened it's doors for the 2020-2021 school year and both schools now enjoy a beautiful shared campus.