Brightwood Education Campus

Brightwood Education Campus
Address
1300 Nicholson Street NW[1] Washington, DC 20011 United States
Coordinates	38°57′38″N 77°01′50″W / 38.96056°N 77.03056°W
Information
School type	Public high school
Opened	1897 (original building)[2]
School district	District of Columbia Public Schools
Principal	Wanda Fox[1]
Grades	pre-school to eighth[1]
Enrollment	563 (as of the 2010-2011 school year)[1]
Campus type	Urban
Feeder schools	Coolidge Senior High School[3]
Website	www.brightwooddc.org

Brightwood Education Campus is a public school located in the Northwest quadrant of the District of Columbia.

History

The original Brightwood School was a two-story brick building^[4] built around 1897 at Brightwood Avenue (now Georgia Avenue) and Peabody Street.^[2] Some of the land was acquired from the Emory Chapel, and some of the land was condemned from numerous heirs of Betsy Butler.^[5] Only white students were allowed to attend the school.^[6] Other children attended the Military Road School nearby.^[6]

Construction of an extension began in mid-1895 and completed in early 1896.^[7][8] The extension increased the size of the school to eight rooms^[7] and cost $11,600.^[4] The sidewalk in front of the school was paved in 1902.^[9]

Two large fires, occurring simultaneously, severely damaged the school building 1912.^[2] The fires were discovered at 8 p.m., and it took several hours to extinguish them.^[2] Students were temporarily reassigned to nearby West School and Brightwood Park School while Brightwood School was repaired.^[2] Upon inspecting the site, the fire marshal suspected arson immediately.^[10] One of the fires started under the teacher's desk in Miss H. K. Berne's classroom,^[10] and the fire marshal and police detectives interviewed each of the thirty students in Berne's class, but they could not determine who set the fire.^[11]

In 1923, the Manor Park Citizens Association passed a resolution requesting the building of a new school in the neighborhood, calling Brightwood Elementary School disgraceful and unsanitary in part because some boys had no other place to eat lunch than the lavatory.^[12] Three years later, Whittier School opened for children living in Manor Park.^[13][14]

In 1925, the House Appropriations Committee budgeted $275,000 to build a new sixteen-room building to replace the original school building.^[15] The plan for the new building included a gymnasium.^[16] Architect Waddy B. Wood designed the school.^[17] Construction bids were accepted in August 1925^[18] and a contract was awarded to the lowest bidder the following month.^[19] The new 16-room school opened in September 1926.^[20] The old school building was converted into a junior high school for students in grades seven and eight.^[21][22]

Further improvements to the school were made in 2003.^[23]

Academics

As of 2011, 31% of the school's students meet or exceed standards in math, and 36% of its students meet or exceed standards in reading.^[3] In comparison, the average for the District of Columbia Public Schools system is 42% for math and 43% for reading.^[3]

The school has a science lab and a computer lab.^[3]

Student body

Most students who live in Brightwood are zoned for the school.^[24] As for other schools in the District of Columbia Public School system, children who live outside Brightwood Education Campus' zone may enter the Out of Boundary Lottery for a chance to attend the school.^[25]

References

1. "Brightwood Education Campus". District of Columbia Public Schools. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
2. "Fire Damages School". The Washington Post. January 12, 1912. p. 2.
3. "2011-12 School Scorecard: Brightwood Education Campus" (pdf). Retrieved June 21, 2012.
4. "No New Schools Yet". The Washington Post. August 26, 1895. p. 8.
5. "Want the Land Condemned". The Washington Post. March 14, 1892. p. 8.
6. Takei, Barbara (May 19, 1977). "Brightwood School Celebrates a Golden Jubilee". The Washington Post. p. DC10.
7. "Bids for Brightwood School Addition". The Washington Post. August 21, 1895. p. 10.
8. "Two School Contracts Awarded". The Washington Post. August 23, 1895. p. 8.
9. "Ordered By Commissioners: Award of Contracts for Sewers and Other Improvements". The Washington Post. September 21, 1902. p. 12.
10. "Lays Fire to Pupils: Nicholson Questions Brightwood School Children". The Washington Post. January 13, 1912. p. 12.
11. "School Incendaries Escape: Authorities Fail to Find Those Who Started the Brightwood Blazes". The Washington Post. January 14, 1912. p. ES4.
12. "Brightwood School Called "Disgraceful, Unsanitary"". The Washington Post. December 6, 1923. p. 1.
13. "Manor Park School Will Honor Whittier". The Washington Post. October 3, 1926. p. M14.
14. "Dedication Meeting at Whittier School". The Washington Post. November 9, 1926. p. 24.
15. "Additional School Estimates Slashed By Budget Bureau". The Washington Post. February 18, 1925. p. 2.
16. "$2,631,500 Is Given to District Schools in Deficiency Bill". The Washington Post. February 27, 1925. p. 1.
17. "12 Named to Aid Harris with Plans for New Schools". The Washington Post. March 18, 1925. p. 2.
18. "Harris Seeks Cut in Building Cost on Three Schools". The Washington Post. August 2, 1925. p. 2.
19. "Brightwood School Contract Awarded". The Washington Post. September 2, 1925. p. 22.
20. "School Additions Will Fair [sic] to Ease Class Congestion". The Washington Post. August 25, 1926. p. 11. (subscription required (help)).
21. "Schools to Open Portals to 65,00 at 9 O'clock Today". The Washington Post. September 20, 1926. p. 16.
22. "School List Still Climbing and May Reach 70,000 Nov. 1". The Washington Post. September 25, 1926. p. 24.
23. "Permit Applications". The Washington Post. April 24, 2003.
24. "Attendance Zones for Neighborhood Elementary and K-8 Schools: Elementary Grades" (PDF). District of Columbia Public Schools. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
25. "DCPS Preschool / Pre‐K and Out‐of‐Boundary Lottery for SY 2012‐2013: Frequently Asked Questions" (PDF). District of Columbia Public Schools. Retrieved June 17, 2012.