School Without Walls (Washington, D.C.)

Perkins Eastman | School Without Walls Senior High School

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The School Without Walls Senior High School (SWW) is a small public magnet high school in the Foggy Bottom area of Washington, D.C. It is colloquially referred to by students and faculty as "Walls".

The school was established in 1971 following the model of the Parkway Program in the School District of Philadelphia. The goal was to create a learning environment that offered an alternative to the conventional programs. They started with fifty students, six teachers, and one administrator.

The school is located on the George Washington University (GWU) campus, on G Street intersecting 21st Street NW. Founded in 1971, the School Without Walls was originally located on the 8th floor of 1411 K St., an office building. In the fall of 1973 the school relocated to 10th and H Streets, N.W., where SWW shared space with the Webster Girls School program, a program for pregnant teens.

Today SWW provides an academic curriculum and encourages students to "use the city as a classroom." It is part of the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) and draws students from all parts of the city. Any student interested in applying must follow an entrance procedure, involving a multiple choice test, a written essay, an interview, and a report of the applicant's standardized test scores and grades from previous years. School Without Walls now has approximately 600 students and spans the 9th through 12th grades

In August 2007, Walls was relocated to Capitol Hill in the Logan School building on G Street NE between Second and Third Streets NE (near Union Station and adjacent to the Securities & Exchange Commission headquarters). This temporary home was used for two years while the original building was renovated. The Logan School was renovated--including a new roof and internal work--during the summer of 2007 to accept students. In August 2009, The School Without Walls moved back into the Grant School following an opening ceremony by Mayor Adrian Fenty, DCPS chancellor Michelle Rhee and George Washington University President Steven Knapp.

Video School Without Walls (Washington, D.C.)

Academic achievements

DCPS' school profile for Walls states that "SWW provides a quality student-centered environment that maximizes integrative, interactive, experiential learning within the framework of a humanities approach. This program is achieved by using the city and the world as a classroom. The school is a model of collaboration among students, staff, families, business partners, and the community." Walls was named a National Blue Ribbon School September 9, 2010, one of only 304 schools nationwide. The Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes and honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools whose students achieve at very high levels or have made significant progress and helped close gaps in achievement, especially among disadvantaged and minority students.

The Street Law students recently won a citywide mock trial, and arts students have won numerous awards for their artwork--including 2011's National Cherry Blossom Festival Youth Poster Contest.

SAT scores

School Without Walls consistently has the highest combined SAT scores in DCPS with an average combined score of 1253 in 2017.

Maps School Without Walls (Washington, D.C.)

Historic building

The historic Grant School, the building that houses The School Without Walls, was badly deteriorated. There was extensive water damage throughout the school as well. The brick facade needed to be repainted, and the slate roof was steadily losing its shingles. On February 13, 2006 the D.C. City Council and the George Washington University Board of Trustees approved a deal for $12 million to renovate and expand the school building in exchange for transfer of the school's rear parking lot property to the university.

The old facade was kept intact while the inside was renovated and remodeled. A new building was added as an additional wing to accommodate increasing enrollment.

In August 2011, School Without Walls was forced to temporarily close, because of damage sustained to the building's walls and roof during the earthquake and Hurricane Irene a few days later.

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Sporting achievements

Walls has sports programs including: tennis, soccer, crew, basketball, baseball, girls' volleyball, softball, golf, lacrosse, track and field, skiing, lacrosse, and girls' field hockey. The Track and Field team went to the Penn Relay 2011. The softball team won citywide championships in 2011. They followed with another city-title win in 2012.

A student won Gatorade Player of the Year for Girls Outdoor Track and Field in 2017.

In 2017, The SWW girls' volleyball team went to the DCIAA Championship game.