Mayor, Officials, Family Celebrate Thompson High School on First Day of School
By • August 24, 2026 0 518
Mayor Muriel Bowser joined DC Public Schools, the DC Department of General Services and District leaders, along with community members and Georgetown University officials, to celebrate the first day of school and cut the ribbon on the newly expanded and newly renamed John R. Thompson Jr. High School, formerly known as MacArthur High School.
With a $91-million expansion, the school now serves up to 800 students in grades 9 through 12. The school at 4530 MacArthur Boulevard NW is named in honor of John R. Thompson Jr., the legendary Washingtonian, educator and Georgetown University men’s basketball coach whose impact extended far beyond the basketball court.
Mayor Muriel Bowser leads the ribbon cutting for the newly expanded and newly renamed John R. Thompson Jr. High School, formerly known as MacArthur High School.Photo by Bill Starrels.
“I want to thank all the educators, administrators, school staff, station managers and bus drivers, crossing guards – all the people who are working together to welcome our students to school and make the first day of school a great one,” Bowser said. “John R. Thompson Jr. High School is a beautiful space for our students and teachers. It represents the billions of dollars we have poured into our school facilities over the past two decades, and we are so proud to honor Coach Thompson here.”
Thompson High School has been transformed into a larger school. Over the course of several construction phases, this project expanded the school’s capacity from 200 to 800 students and, in this most recent phase, added a new 33,000-square-foot building. The expansion includes an entire floor of new science classrooms, two new art rooms, two music classrooms, an administrative space, technology-equipped learning spaces and an outdoor classroom. The school also features an indoor courtyard and views of the Potomac River.
Construction at Thompson High will continue with a future expansion that includes a new auditorium and expanded cafeteria space, scheduled for completion in August of 2028.
Eduardo Peñalver is the new president of Georgetown, where John Thompson Jr. was basketball coach from 1972 to 1999. Photo by Bill Starrels.
