“[This Program was] designed for intelligent students whose needs are such that the program of a regular high school will not suffice.”
Leon Eberhard, Founder
Our Story
Our school’s journey has been anything but ordinary. Since 1964, we’ve been through four names and seven Heads of School, but throughout we’ve devoted ourselves to being the type of place where anyone can be comfortable, where everyone can get what they need from their teenage years, and where all kinds of students can learn to exceed their dreams.
1964
The Founding
Leon Eberhard was a Swiss educator who moved to Washington, DC to establish a new type of school for, in his words, “intelligent students whose needs are such that the program of a regular high school will not suffice.” Mr. Eberhard knew early that intelligence isn’t always worn on one’s sleeve, and everyone expresses themselves differently.
The Eberhard School was founded at 5217 Wisconsin Ave., in Friendship Heights.
1968
The First Move
The search for a new school building drew Mr. Eberhard to the Washington Ethical Society, on 16th St NW.
1975
A New Name
Upon Mr. Eberhard’s retirement, the Washington Ethical Society took over control of the school and renamed it The Washington Ethical Society School.
1988
More Specificity Required
As the school coalesced in its new location, the adminisration realized that clarity could only help - since they only served grades 9-12, they changed the name to The Washington Ethical High School.
1991
Mara Nicastro Hired
The High School needed a new English teacher in 1991, and found Mara Nicastro - who would soon learn every role in the school and assume most of them.
2000
The Nora School
A gracious gift from Beau & Linda Kaplan in honor of their daughter Nora allowed the school to search for a new home, one that could grow with the student body and flow with the passage of time. We broke ground in 1998, and the first floor of the school was finished in time for the 2000-2001 school year.
2016
A Second Story
For two years, Nora moved to a nearby church facility so we could add a second floor to our building! We nearly doubled our space and added 20 new students by the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For more than 60 years, our school community has been driven by a mission that’s deeper than academic success, in order to empower students of as many backgrounds as possible.