The Prince William County School Board approved Potomac Shores Elementary School as the name of the division’s newest elementary school at its October 21 meeting.
Opening for the 2027-28 school year, the school at 1720 Thoroughgood Drive in Dumfries will serve about 1,050 students. It is a three-story LEED Silver-certified facility with classrooms, a gymnasium, STEAM and art classrooms, a media center, learning stairs, and rooftop photovoltaic panels.
Potomac District School Board Representative Justin Wilk said community feedback was overwhelmingly supportive of the name.
“The goal of this process was to be as proactive and engaged with the community as possible,” Wilk said. “We know that when a new school is built, the name will eventually come to fruition, but my goal has been to speak with residents as much as I could about their thoughts about the school, and the insight given to me by the community was overwhelmingly supportive of naming this school Potomac Shores Elementary.”
The board waived provisions of Policy 854 on naming facilities. As part of the site acquisition agreement, the developer prepared the land for construction at a cost of about $1 million, a corresponding savings to the division.
The school will add capacity in the southern Route 1 corridor. The attendance area approved in February 2026 takes effect with the 2027-28 opening and provides relief for several nearby elementary schools.
Subscribe to our FREE email newsletter to get local news you can trust.
