George Mason Elementary Rebuild Reaches Halfway Mark as Final Top Beam Is Signed
ALEXANDRIA, VA — A signed steel beam now marks a major milestone in the rebuilding of George Mason Elementary School: the project has officially reached its halfway point.
Alexandria City Public Schools and City leaders gathered Sept. 2 inside the new school’s rising frame at 2601 Cameron Mills Road to sign the final structural steel beam before it was installed. The moment—often called a topping-off ceremony—signals that the building’s steel frame is complete and the work can move into its next phase.
“This is an important step forward in the construction of the new school,” ACPS said in announcing the event. School Board Chair Christopher Harris, Acting Superintendent Dr. Grace Taylor and Chief Operating Officer Dr. Anthony Peña were among those scheduled to offer remarks.
The project is far more than a cosmetic renovation. George Mason’s original building dates to 1939 and had been expanded several times over the decades. City and school officials determined that the aging facility needed full system upgrades or replacement and no longer adequately met modern learning needs or student capacity demands.
The approved plan preserves the historic original 1939 building while removing later additions and constructing a new two-story school around it. When it opens for the 2027-28 school year, the modernized campus is designed to serve 670 students in pre-K through fifth grade, along with approximately 80 teachers and staff. It will include a cafeteria with a stage, gymnasium, media center, and art classrooms.
Planning for the work has been years in the making. ACPS began a feasibility study in summer 2019, with the School Board selecting the “Open Heart” design concept in October 2024. Alexandria City Council approved the site plan in May 2025, and construction began that summer. In April, ACPS reported that major site work, foundation installation, and concrete work were underway; by late summer, the building had begun to rise above ground.
The approximately $87 million project is also intended to be a greener, more usable neighborhood campus. The design calls for energy-efficient windows and building systems, rooftop space for solar panels and geothermal wells, with a goal of LEED Gold certification and net-zero energy performance. Planned site improvements include outdoor classroom courtyards, two playgrounds, an artificial-turf field, a multi-use court, a reconfigured grass baseball field, walking paths, and additional landscaping. The recreational amenities will be available to the public outside school hours.
While their home school is rebuilt, George Mason students and staff are attending classes at the George Mason Swing Space, 1703 N. Beauregard St., for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 school years. ACPS bought the former office building in 2022 and converted it into a functioning school, complete with classroom space and services including meals, counseling, special education, and extracurricular programming.
If construction remains on schedule, George Mason’s students will return to a transformed Cameron Mills Road campus in fall 2027.
Photo caption: ACPS and City of Alexandria leaders pose with the final signed structural steel beam during the Sept. 2 topping-off ceremony for the new George Mason Elementary School. The beam’s installation marks the halfway point in construction of the modernized Cameron Mills Road campus, expected to open in fall 2027. Photo: ACPS
