You Voted – We Listened! Mountain Run Elementary School Coming Soon to CCPS!
Culpeper County Public Schools is pleased to announce that Mountain Run Elementary School will be the official name of the division’s newest elementary school, following the results of a community-wide naming survey and a formal vote by the School Board during its September 22, 2025 work session.
The survey, which received nearly 1,400 responses, invited community members to rank three finalist names for the school, formerly referred to as “Elementary School #7.” Finalist names were generated based on local geography, natural landmarks, and topographical features—a deliberate decision to avoid naming the school after individuals. Naming schools after people, while traditional, can present long-term challenges related to historical context, inclusivity, and potential controversy. CCPS opted instead to choose a name rooted in the identity of the place it serves.
Participants in the survey represented a cross-section of the Culpeper community. Of those who took part, 34% were CCPS employees, 31% were parents of elementary school students, 29% were parents of middle or high school students, and 6% were community members without children currently enrolled in school.
Respondents could select more than one category if applicable, for example, an employee might also be an elementary parent and/or a secondary parent.
Mountain Run Elementary School emerged as the clear favorite among survey respondents, receiving 54% of all first-choice votes. Longview Elementary School followed with 24%, while Mount Pony Elementary School received 22%. The results demonstrated strong support for Mountain Run as the top community preference for the name of Elementary School #7
Since the survey asked respondents to rank their choices, in addition to calculating first-choice results, a weighted ranking system captured overall preferences. In that calculation, Mountain Run Elementary School again emerged as the clear favorite with a top weighted score of 2.39, followed by Longview (1.86) and Mount Pony (1.75).
Based on these results, the School Board officially voted to name the new school Mountain Run Elementary School during the action items portion of its September 22 meeting.
The name pays homage to Mountain Run, a small tributary of the Rappahannock River that begins and ends within the borders of Culpeper County and runs directly through the property where the new school is being built. It is a name that reflects the school’s natural surroundings and deep connection to the land.
CCPS currently expects to break ground on Mountain Run Elementary School before the end of 2025, with a goal of welcoming students to the new building in Fall 2027.
Culpeper County Public Schools extends a sincere thank you to all who participated in the naming survey and helped shape the future identity of Mountain Run Elementary School.