Stevens School, School Without Walls to Expand

A long and twisting history of openings and closures for Stevens School at 2425 N St. NW in the West End has now concluded. Founded in 1868 for African American children, the school, which has stood abandoned since 2008, will reopen as a public school focusing on early-childhood education, Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office announced. No opening date has been released.

At the same time, DC Public Schools Chancellor Atwan Wilson announced “the expansion of the School Without Walls at Francis-Stevens to the Thaddeus Stevens Elementary School, located at 1050 21st St. NW. “It is a rigorous, high-performing school that has in a relatively short time, increased student enrollment; made gains on the 2016 PARCC assessment; offered high-quality coursework including art, music, and Latin; and built strong community partnerships,” Wilson wrote in an Aug. 17 letter to parents. Currently it has a student body of 471, with a waiting list of more than 900. 

Stevens was the oldest surviving public elementary school in the city until it was closed in 2008 due to low enrollment. It was combined with the pre-K-to-8th-grade Francis Stevens Education Campus. Several charter schools and commercial enterprises, including a condominium development, were all interested in the site in the booming West End neighborhood. But the boom of the area brought unexpected enrollment pressures on the public schools there.

Ward 2 Council member Jack Evans originally opposed the idea of commercializing the site. Now he says he is excited about the new plans for an early-learning center, which he considers critical.  

Plans still include a 10-story office and retail building at 2100 L St. NW, on the former playgrounds of Stevens. But that commercial building may be altered now that enrollment plans for the refurbished schools have expanded.