School History
The history of Floris Elementary School dates back to the founding of Fairfax County Public Schools in 1870. At that time, the Floris community went by a different name - Frying Pan. For the first 76 years of its history, the public school system in Fairfax County was segregated by race. School system records indicate that a one-room schoolhouse for white children in the Frying Pan community was in operation that very first school year with Calista Baker as its teacher. A schoolhouse for African-American children was also in operation, but the earliest surviving record of teachers for this school begin in 1886 when Thornton W. Hyson was named its teacher. The current Floris Elementary School building opened on September 6, 1955, but only white children from the surrounding community were admitted. At that time, African-American children from our area attended school at Oak Grove Elementary School near Herndon. All racially segregated public schools in Fairfax County were closed at the end of the 1965-66 school year, marking the beginnings of the ethnically and culturally diverse Floris Elementary school community we know today.