We place each student at the center of their own learning experience. Teachers consider learning styles as well as existing knowledge, skills, and understanding to develop lessons and activities that offer personal challenge, growth, and success.
Our approach is based on the latest education research. BISW teachers challenge and stretch students' abilities through teacher-led and student-led learning across individual and group activities. Your child will be inspired to go beyond the books and truly engage with their personal learning journey.
We don’t stop at just academic success. Our approach is designed to develop your child into a socially-confident global citizen. We foster leadership skills, ambition, dedication, respect, cultural awareness, and sensitivity. Our school will prepare your child to succeed anywhere in the world.
Our globally recognized curricula are created by world-leading education experts, and also complemented by our school’s British heritage and international outlook. We organize our learning by six themes.
At the heart of it all, we're developing our students' lifelong love of learning in a place where they feel comfortable and supported to grow into their best selves – and this naturally gives them the motivation and resilience to eventually go on to their first-choice university.
Our strong results in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme – where our school’s average score of 33 is four points higher than the IB global average – prove that we’re confidently ahead of the curve.
Our students also benefit from being in the heart of Washington, DC when they apply their thoughts beyond the classroom – as we can frequently take inspiring morning, afternoon, or full-day trips to amazing sites in the city (like world-class museums or parks), and can easily get involved with community service activities, too.
We want your child to be excited when challenged. We'll support your child through their growing body, mind, and heart with fun opportunities like extended overnight trips. Year 2 students have stayed overnight in Delaware, for example, while Years 7–9 have attended the North Bay Adventure Camp in Maryland. Years 10 and 11 have gone camping in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. And our Year 12 students take a service trip each year to spend ten days helping with local construction projects and other community initiatives.
We provide our teachers with excellent resources at Nord Anglia University to stay current with the newest practices in education – and they also use tools from our collaborations with world-class institutions like MIT and The Juilliard School.
Our internationally experienced teachers are also important for creating a culture that celebrates diversity at BISW – they'll help your child discover new cultures and nurture their global citizenship.
Our parents stay closely in touch with their children’s learning and development and, in turn, our parents also give their helping hands at various opportunities like career days and international holidays, or by providing guided transportation to different facilities around DC.
BISW has a special curriculum for each student to develop their social purpose – that’s what motivates them to become a positive agent of change within the world around them. We collaborate with UNICEF and local impact programs so that your child grows tremendously and recognizes their place in the world.
Because BISW is located in the beautiful neighborhood of Georgetown, we’re right next door to Dumbarton Oaks National Park – our students’ favorite natural space to explore and relax in – and nearby world-class museums that inspire our students with their immersive events, exhibits, and more. We love to take advantage of the city we live in, so we’ll expand on our classroom activities by going to exciting sites in the city. Your child will forget they’re even learning!
Inside our school building, our learning spaces are warm, open, and designed for the future as we’re always looking to encourage seamless connections between students and staff.
We’ll also quickly connect our parents to our students’ success and achievement through our online platforms, such as SeeSaw, where our teachers can communicate with parents and students can showcase what they’re proud of, for both teachers and parents to talk about.
At BISW, our facilities include:
At BISW, we use our active global community and draw upon an exceptional network of world-class teachers to ensure the highest quality in 31 countries, 77 schools.
At BISW, we use our active global community and draw upon an exceptional network of world-class teachers to ensure the highest quality in 31 countries, 77 schools.
At BISW, we use our active global community and draw upon an exceptional network of world-class teachers to ensure the highest quality in 31 countries, 77 schools.
At BISW, we use our active global community and draw upon an exceptional network of world-class teachers to ensure the highest quality in 31 countries, 77 schools.
At BISW, we use our active global community and draw upon an exceptional network of world-class teachers to ensure the highest quality in 31 countries, 77 schools.
Our students realize their talents, make a difference around them, and attend their top-pick university.
MORE ABOUT OUR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCEBritish International School of Washington
