Thurgood Marshall Academy

Thurgood Marshall Academy was founded on US Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall’s belief that all children have the right to a first-class education. Thurgood Marshall Academy’s mission is to prepare students to succeed in college and to actively engage in our democratic society. As the first and only law-related charter school in Washington, DC, the school’s goal is to help students develop their own voice by teaching them the skills lawyers have—the ability to solve complex problems, think critically, and advocate persuasively for themselves and their communities.

We opened our doors to 80 freshman in 2001 and added a grade each following year.  Today, we have 390 students in grades 9-12 and 302 alumni. Over 90% of our students live East of the River in Wards 7 and 8; over 75% qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch; and 99% are African-American. Over 80% of our alumni are either currently enrolled in college or have earned a college degree.

In order to acheive our mission, we offer a college-preparatory curriculum rich in electives and advanced courses, but since the majority of its students enter the 9th grade with 5th or 6th grade reading and math skills, the college preparatory coursework must also be coupled with intense remediation.

We also offer engaging after-school programs, like clubs, tutoring, and competitive athletics, and a mentor program that connects students to young professionals in DC.

Our programs have measurable success. For the third consecutive year, Thurgood Marshall Academy was among the highest-performing open-enrollment high schools in the District of Columbia. On the state standardized assessment, Thurgood Marshall Academy students scored over thirty percentage points higher than the average of all public high schools in DC and more than three times the scores of neighborhood DC Public Schools.

One hundred percent of students in all seven graduating classes were accepted to college. Additionally, scholarship awards to students in the Class of 2011 totaled over $3.3 million.

 

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