When International Baccalaureate evaluators walked through the halls of Annunciation Catholic School in Washington, D.C., they weren’t just checking boxes, they saw a community already living the IB mission.
At Annunciation, becoming a faith-filled, empathetic citizen is as central as mastering math or science, and that mission has now been recognized globally. The school has been named an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, authorized to deliver the Primary Years Programme, making it one of only five Catholic elementary schools in the nation with that distinction.
Laying a foundation for lifelong learning
Richard Kightlinger, Annunciation’s IB coordinator and art teacher, said the International Baccalaureate began as a rigorous high school diploma recognized worldwide. The Primary Years Programme, he explained, lays the foundation by fostering critical thinking, curiosity, and students’ actions and accomplishments. Annunciation began the accreditation process in 2019 and earned designation as an IB World School on June 16, 2025.
Faith remains interwoven with academics at Annunciation. Each day begins with Town Hall, a community gathering for prayer, reflection, and global awareness. Students pray for current events and highlight the lives of saints, civil rights leaders, artists, and other role models.
“Our mission is to help students become faith-filled, empathetic citizens,” Principal Nicole Peltier-Lewis said.
She explained that Annunciation Catholic School’s practices are rooted in Catholic teaching, and that the IB program builds on the school’s founding charism of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, the religious order that staffed Annunciation when it opened in 1954. Cornelia Connelly, the foundress of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, taught that every subject helps form the child, with art valued as highly as math.
“Sometimes when a school adds something new, people think the old goes away,” Peltier-Lewis said. “Really, IB has amplified our legacy.”
How the program works
The program of inquiry is built around six transdisciplinary themes: Who We Are, Where We Are in Place and Time, How We Express Ourselves, How the World Works, How We Organize Ourselves, and Sharing the Planet. These broad concepts highlight universal aspects of human experience, cutting across cultures and grade levels while drawing on knowledge and skills from every subject. Students revisit the themes each year, building on prior knowledge and exploring them in greater depth.
Father Scott Hahn, the pastor of Annunciation Parish, called it “the genius of the program.”
“It brings all the subjects together. The great challenge of education is to see the connections, but here the program politely forces the structure to make sure all the units are connected,” he said.
A daily 90-minute block is devoted to IB learning, which Father Hahn said “synthesizes math, reading, your core academics, and there’s interplay.” Spanish is taught at every grade level, with Latin added in upper grades.
Kightlinger pointed to a sixth-grade unit on How We Express Ourselves, where students explored holiday traditions at home and abroad, then asked, “How does culture affect communication?” Their work led to family history projects and anti-bullying presentations promoting respect for cultural differences.
Peltier-Lewis said the IB program also supports students with learning differences without lowering expectations. Each unit emphasizes inquiry, reflection, collaboration, and social justice, allowing children to contribute according to their strengths.
“It’s very much a strength-based type of program,” she explained. “A creative student might design visuals for a group project, while another who loves research can contribute through writing or analysis.”
Administrators said parents praise the program for shaping children into thoughtful, confident learners. Students echoed that enthusiasm, citing everything from science experiments to favorite book series. Third graders Yodahe Muluken and Asher Storey summed it up best: Muluken said he likes math because he “gets to do hard things,” and Storey said he loves science because “you get surprised by stuff.”
Annunciation Catholic School continues to welcome new students and has space available across grade levels. For more information about the school please visit: https://annunciationschool.net
