Aldie Elementary may be the oldest school in Loudoun County. The original school building was put up in 1916, but the school had been around for a number of years before that.

Much of the current brick building was built in 1929. A number of rooms were added through the years; the latest addition was completed in 1963.

Through much of its history, Aldie maintained the one-room schoolhouse mindset from its early days, educating all of the children from the surrounding rural area from kindergarten through 12th grade.

In 1971, Aldie became strictly an elementary school, educating children in kindergarten through fifth grade.

Today, there are 110 Aldie Elementary Bobcats. Though the chalk and blackboards in Aldie’s classrooms have largely been replaced by Smart Boards and computer labs, Principal Jennifer Rueckert said the school still has that one-room classroom feel.

The school is a small community where parents and teachers are heavily involved in each child’s education, she said.

“Even if you’re in the first grade, the fifth grade teacher knows who you are,” Rueckert said. “Everybody knows everybody else, every student is held accountable for themselves.”

Rueckert said the strength of the community and the support the community shows for the school helps make Aldie an exceptional school. She pointed to the sponsorships given to a number of outstanding fifth-graders each year by local community organizations.

Rueckert, who just finished her first year as principal at Aldie after a number of years at other Loudoun schools, said many local churches help students who might not be able to pay for school supplies.

“This is a strong community,” Rueckert said. “They support the school and so that makes it a very strong school.”