School of Washington
The British International School of Washington, or shortly School of Washington, is a private coeducational Pre-K2–Grade 12 day school. It was founded in 1998 and joined Nord Anglia Education, an international education provider, in 2013. The School of Washington is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges Commission on International Education and Fieldwork Education as a Learning-Focused School. It is also a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), the Council of British International Schools (COBIS), the European Council of International Schools (ECIS), the British American Business Association (BABA), and the Council for International Schools in the Americas (CISTA).
By the way, the School of Washington has the authority to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. Its academic program combines the best international practice with innovative, highly respected curricula that provides access to the best universities in the world. The invaluable collaborations with world-leading organizations, including The Juilliard School, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and UNICEF, provide opportunities for international students to learn from the best and have experiences beyond the ordinary. Today, the school welcomes 550 students of 70 nationalities.
Location of the School of Washington
Before discussing the study programs of the School of Washington, it may be interesting to learn more about its location. Washington, formally the District of Columbia, also known as D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the US. The city is named for a Founding Father and the first president of the country, George Washington, and the district is named after the female personification of the nation, Columbia. Its total area is 177 km2, and its total population is 670,050 citizens.
According to recent data, there are above 82,000 immigrants living in Washington. Major sources of immigration include El Salvador, Vietnam, Ethiopia, Guatemala, China, Jamaica, India, the U.K., the Dominican Republic, and the Philippines. The most widely spoken language in DC is English, followed by Spanish, French, Chinese, and Arabic.
As the seat of the US federal government and numerous international organizations, Washington is an important world political capital. It is also one of the most visited cities in the US, with over 20 million annual visitors. The city is home to many national museums and monuments. Top-rated tourist attractions are the Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial, the National Mall, the White House, the Washington Monument, the National Air and Space Museum, the National Gallery of Art, and the Library of Congress. During the study at the School of Washington, international students can visit all these places.
School’s Facilities
School of Washington is close to the center of Washington and next door to the Naval Observatory, Dumbarton Oaks Park, and the National Cathedral. It has a unique one-building system that places all year groups under one roof. Each part of the urban campus has been thoughtfully arranged to enhance students’ learning.
The School of Washington has a specialist pre-nursery and nursery environments, specialist facilities for the sciences, visual arts, music, dance, computer science, and design technology, as well as a learning support center, primary school learning hub for collaborative, project-based learning, library with learning spaces, International Baccalaureate (IB) lounge, café, on-site kitchen for school lunches, counseling space for college and university applications, outdoor playgrounds, and an indoor gym.
Moreover, the School of Washington provides international students with all the tools they need to create imaginative and innovative projects, making their ideas come to reality. Cutting-edge technologies not only support students’ projects but also help accelerate their creation process. For instance, the school has wireless access for students to research from anywhere, iPads, tablets, or laptops in Primary School, apps to share assignments, receive feedback, track progress, laser cutters, engravers, 3D printers, and robotics tools in the Technology and Computer Science labs.
The collaboration with The Juilliard School, the world-renowned performing arts school, combined with the outstanding dance, drama, and music programs of the School of Washington, inspires students’ creativity, teamwork, and resilience. To inspire students of the Performing Arts program, the school offers a modern music suite with a recording studio, a theater, an art studio, and a dance studio.
The School of Washington has a wide range of after-school activities that help students explore their interests. Some of the extracurricular sports are basketball, cross-country running, soccer, track and field, swimming, and volleyball. The clubs, such as the green team, Model UN, and the newspaper club, also inspire them to develop their future goals or careers. Moreover, the School of Washington regularly organizes educational excursions to enhance learning experiences in the classroom and residential trips to enhance the physical, emotional, and social development of the students.
Overview of the Programs in the School of Washington
Now, it is time to learn more about the study programs of the School of Washington. In collaboration with MIT, the School of Washington incorporates the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) program into academic excellence that inspires international students to look beyond subjects and provides them with an interdisciplinary and practical approach to learning.
The Primary School, which includes Pre-K2–Grade 5, offers the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) and the National Curriculum for England. The Middle School, which includes Grades 6-8, follows the International Middle Years Curriculum and the National Curriculum for England.
In Grades 9 and 10 of High School, international students complete the two-year Cambridge IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) program, which involves a world-class curriculum that culminates in the external examinations developed by Cambridge University Press and Assessment.
The School of Washington offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme for students in Grades 11 and 12 of High School. The IB is a challenging two-year course of study that prepares international students for success in the world’s leading universities. IB students ought to study three subjects at a higher level and three at a standard level.
They must choose from the following options: a conversationally based second language course (French or Spanish), a literature-based language course (English Language and Literature), a social science course (Geography, Economics, History, or Global Politics), a science course (Chemistry, Biology, Environmental Systems, or Physics), a mathematics course, and an elective course (a third language, visual arts, or a second science course). At the end of Grade 12, IB students take external examinations.
The School of Washington also has a full-time college counselor who works with international students to prepare them for entry into universities and colleges throughout the world. Hence, students receive offers from top universities in the US, Canada, the UK, and Europe. Some of them are the University of Chicago, Harvard University, Stanford University, the University of Nottingham, England, and Schweizerische Hotelfachschule Luzern.
Admission Requirements
To apply to the School of Washington at any time of the year, parents and international students need to complete several steps.
- They ought to send an online inquiry form to the admission team.
- Parents should visit the school in person or virtually.
- They must submit an online application form and pay the non-refundable application fee of $190.
- Parents need to ask teachers of English and Math and a school counselor from the student’s current school to complete student evaluations using the online nomination form.
- They ought to submit end-of-year reports from the applicant’s two most recent school years.
- Parents should complete a CAT4 online assessment.
The admissions decision is generally completed within 3-5 business days after all the documents are submitted.
Tuition Fees for International Students
Parents also need to know the tuition fees at the School of Washington. Preschool and Junior Kindergarten cost from $17,013 to $32,198 per year. Kindergarten to Grade 5 costs from $34,592 to $35,358 per year. Grades 6 to Grade 8 cost $39,070 per year. Grades 9 and 10 cost $40,534 per year. Grades 11 and 12 cost $41,398 per year.
The tuition fees cover academics, meal plans, assessment costs, trips, supplies, and resources. Additional costs include a one-time non-refundable new enrolment fee of $2,500. It is used for capital enhancements at the School of Washington.
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