Coming off their Christmas break Jan. 7, students at the Washington School for Girls in Southeast Washington, D.C., returned to classes at an expanded, state-of-the-art campus that has been called “an investment in the girls east of the river.”
“This is not the finish line, but the foundation of what we can do for our girls,” Beth Reaves, president of the independent Catholic school, said during a ribbon-cutting ceremony and blessing last month.
The $27.5 million expanded campus at the Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus (THEARC) on Mississippi Avenue, S.E. was built in partnership with Building Bridges Across the River, a non-profit organization that provides access to arts and culture, economic opportunity, education, recreation, health and well-being to Washington residents east of the Anacostia River.
“This (new school building) is the result of hard work, persistence and vision,” Scott Kratz, president and CEO of Building Bridges Across the River, said at the dedication and blessing ceremony last month. “This is more than just a building of brick and steel – it is a promise that our girls deserve the best.”
He encouraged the students at the school to “dream boldly here and push boundaries here.”
In blessing the new facility, Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the archbishop emeritus of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, also thanked God for the “bright eyes and open hearts” of the young students who will study there.
“This is the moment when we bless the future, and the future can be found in these young women,” the cardinal said.
The Washington School for Girls, an all-scholarship Catholic school serving students primarily from Wards 7 and 8 in the District of Columbia, was founded in 1997 by women from the Religious of Jesus and Mary, the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, and the National Council of Negro Women to provide an equitable education for girls in the city.
The new building will now serve all 120 current students in grades three through eight. Previously, WSG's middle school and younger grades were split between two separate campuses.
The students now attend classes in a 33,000 square-foot state-of-the-art facility that includes 14 classrooms, a multipurpose space used as a cafeteria and auditorium; a library and media lab; a science lab; a makerspace/STEM lab; and an art-music-dance area.
Reaves said completion of the new school building “marks the realization of our dream to create a unified, intentional space for all of our girls.”
“Bringing all our students under one roof will deepen our sense of community, foster cross-grade connections, and allow us to better prepare our young women for success in high school and equip them with the confidence to thrive for years beyond,” she said.
During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, D.C. At-Large Councilmember Robert White Jr. presented school officials with a commemorative City Council resolution.
“I know how pivotal and important this school is,” he said in presenting the resolution. “This school is the type of investment you will never see the end of.”
WC Smith, a Washington-based real estate firm specializing in integrated property development and management, was instrumental in developing the new school building, which was designed by by Sanchez Palmer and built by WCS Construction.
Chris Smith, chairman of WC Smith and co-founder and board chair of Building Bridges, said that “we’re so excited to welcome all the girls to their new home” which will provide “first-in-class services and resources for D.C. residents living east of the Anacostia River.”
Susan Rockwell, WSG’s communications director, said that while the school currently has 120 students enrolled there, school officials have a goal to expand to 150 students over the next five years.
During their time at the school, students are aided by learning specialists and student support teams providing high school preparation and post graduate support.
“All of that support is offered to our students so they can put their best foot forward and be successful,” Rockwell said.
The school has an impressive academic record: More than 99 percent of its alumni go on to graduate from either a Catholic, or independent or public high school, and of those, 80 percent go on to post-high school education.
Beth Reaves, who has served as the president of the Washington School for Girls since 2017, was presented with the John Carroll Society Medal at that group’s annual dinner in May 2025, where she was honored for inspiring a new generation of girls in Washington to reach their potential. Reaves, who has a master’s degree in business administration from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, previously worked as a school administrator in the Philadelphia area and in corporate marketing for a Fortune 500 company.
