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United States, Washington Dc
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Washington International School was founded in 1966 by Dr. Dorothy Bruchholz Goodman to meet the educational needs of Washington's international community and American families seeking a rigorous international education. Goodman started WIS with three preschool students in the basement of her Washington, DC, house, guided by research on the capacity of the brain to learn multiple languages in early childhood and by market research focused on international families. She envisioned an independent school where children could become functionally multilingual and well informed about world history, geography, literature, and cultures. Goodman continued to live in the same house until her death in 2023.
Two campuses serve the school: the Primary School Campus (Preschool–Grade 5) at 1690 36th Street NW and the Tregaron Campus (Grades 6–12) at 3100 Macomb Street NW. The school fosters a strong parent community through WISPA, the WIS Parents Association, whose members are all WIS parents and guardians and which aims to promote communication among parents and between parents and the school, to enhance the educational experience and strengthen the school community. Long-standing traditions such as Founder's Day and the Twenty-One Society foster community; Founder's Day honors the founder and included a 50th anniversary celebration in 2016 with a memorial celebration in 2024, while the Twenty-One Society recognizes faculty and staff who have served 21 years or more. International Dinner is a community event held at the Tregaron Mansion to bring the WIS community together.
WIS has the WIS Parents Association (WISPA). Every WIS father, mother, and guardian is a member of WISPA. WISPA promotes communication among parents and between parents and the school, to enhance the educational experience and strengthen the school community. WISPA also supports the school's goals with respect to international-mindedness, diversity and inclusion (IDI) and sustainability. WISPA organizes lunches for faculty and staff on conference days.
Washington International School is a not-for-profit independent day school for ages 3 to 18 across two DC campuses. It offers the IB program from the Primary Years (PYP) through the Diploma (DP) for grades 11–12, with externally graded exams. In the early years, language immersion runs in French or Spanish; Grades 1–5 follow a dual-language program of English with either English/French or English/Spanish, while Mandarin begins in Grade 6. The school earns LabelFrancÉducation accreditation for high-quality French bilingual education and supports continued study through French or Spanish as Additional Languages. The Primary School includes a library with books in English, French, and Spanish, and the Lasseron Design Lab. The Tregaron Campus houses Middle and Upper Schools; Le Centre Brown, a science-centric facility, is under construction to LEED Gold standards and expected to open in 2025. WIS offers after-school programs and clubs such as Model UN, Amnesty International, and Pride Alliance.
