In 1956, the Fairfax County School Board acquired 25 acres for the construction of Franconia High School on Franconia Road. Construction began the following year, however there was controversy over the high school’s proposed name. Springfield residents opposed the name Franconia High School and demanded that the school board change it since the site was closer in proximity to Springfield rather than Franconia. In October 1957, the school board voted to retain the name. However, in April 1958, FCPS Superintendent Wilbert T. Woodson recommended changing the name to Lee High School. The school board agreed to the name change and Lee High School opened in September 1958.

On July 16, 1963, the school board voted to officially change the name to Robert E. Lee High School. Efforts to rename the school and disassociate from Robert E. Lee gained momentum in 2020, when two Black students at the school, Kimberly Boateng and Kadija Ismali started an online petition to change the name. The school board unanimously voted to change the name to John R. Lewis High School on July 23, 2020. Lewis, a member of the House of Representatives and longtime civil rights leader, had died earlier that month. The high school is located at 6540 Franconia Road, Springfield, Virginia.