Beginning in 1865, Woodfield Elementary School in Gaithersburg, close to Damascus, has a long and diverse history. Nowadays, most Woodfield Elementary School graduates continue their education at Damascus High School and John T. Baker Middle School.
The first Woodfield Elementary School was a one-room schoolhouse called Duvalls School, which was situated close to the intersection of Sweepstakes Road and Woodfield Road, according to the school’s website. Following damage from a fire in 1884, the school relocated to the present-day school building. This new school opened in 1884 and was also a one-room building.
In 1920, a new structure at the northern intersection of Woodfield Road and Woodfield School Road became the school’s third location. At first, there was only one room in this new structure, which could house pupils in the first through seventh grades. In 1928, a second room was added. But in 1935, Woodfield School was shut down and demolished because of dwindling enrollment, and the pupils were sent to Damascus Elementary School.
Returning to the second school location, the new Woodfield Elementary School—home of the Eagles—was constructed and inaugurated in 1962. This new structure, which was notable for being the country’s first all-electric school, began with eight classrooms and could accommodate 240 pupils. In 1967, it expanded even further by adding a library and six more rooms, bringing its total enrollment to 380 students. The school’s facilities were significantly improved in 1984 when it underwent a significant extension and renovation.
With 23 classrooms, a media center, a computer lab, a gymnasium, and an all-purpose room, Woodfield Elementary can now accommodate 538 kids from a variety of backgrounds.
