Keene Mill Elementary School opened its doors, under the principalship of Mrs. Arthurea B. Rubinowitz on December 6, 1961. By January 1st,  our school held 269 of its 480-pupil capacity, with new students arriving almost daily. The school was built at a cost of $376,100.

The Keene Mill PTA held its first meeting on Tuesday, September 11, 1962. In 1963, there was a problem with soil erosion on the playground so the science teacher in cooperation with the State Forest Service, set up a project for the students to plant 1,000 white pine seedlings in the schoolyard. Due to the various stages of renovation to Keene Mill, all that remains of those seedlings are about a dozen pine trees on the school playground. The first computer lab was Mrs. Avery's office. The cafetorium was the combination cafeteria and auditorium as productions were presented on a platform in the cafeteria. Keene Mill Elementary School was originally called Keene Mill Road School. Every Saturday afternoon a PTA-sponsored movie was shown in the cafetorium. Admission was 30 cents and candy was available for 10 cents. Movies shown included "Lassie Come Home" and Jerry Lewis in "The Bellboy." Keene Mill's first mascot was a cougar and the school colors were blue and silver. The present gym and music rooms were added on in the mid-1980's. Keene Mill underwent a major renovation in the 1989-90 school year. The old library was the present site of the computer lab. The new library was added along with the SACC/ preschool/MOD/SD wing.

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.