The Edmund Burke School is a private college preparatory school in Washington, D.C. Located on Connecticut Avenue, NW, near the Van Ness metro station. It covers 6th through 12th grades, and it currently enrolls about 300 students. Founded in 1968 by Jean Mooskin and Dick Roth, the school practices progressive education: teachers are called by their first names and classes are small. In 2003, after years of contentious negotiations with neighbors, Burke gained city approval to expand its facilities with a new building which would increase both size and capacity. New computer labs, offices, classrooms, athletic facilities, a theater, and a large parking garage were built. The school was named for British parliamentarian and philosopher Edmund Burke, a founder of modern Conservatism. The quote, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing," of which is disputed, hangs in the main hallway adorned with statues of the school's founders, Roth and Mooskin.
History
Edmund Burke School was founded in 1968 by Roth and Mooskin, who met while teaching at another Washington private school, the Hawthorne School, which would close in 1982. Burke first opened in a building at 2107 Wyoming Avenue NW and initially enrolled 17 students. Elizabeth Ely, a teacher at Burke when it opened, left to found The Field School in 1972; the two schools later became athletic rivals. In 1971, Burke's growth prompted a move to 2120 Wyoming Avenue NW, and then in 1973 the school purchased 2955 Upton Street NW, which it later expanded to add a gymnasium and other facilities. Mooskin and Roth retired in 1999, and David Shapiro became the head of school. A new building, adjacent to and connected with the school's longtime home, opened in 2006. Shapiro retired in 2011 and was succeeded by Andrew Slater, who was succeeded by Damian Jones in 2014.
Current profile
As of 2019, 305 students were enrolled, 80 in the middle school and 225 in the high school. Some 39% were students of color and 31% received some form of financial assistance. The school employed 48 teachers, with two-thirds holding advanced degrees. The average high school class size was 11 students. Tuition for the 2019–2020 school year was $40,665 for middle school and $43,130 for high school.
Facilities
The school has two buildings, dubbed "Calvin" and "Hobbes." The buildings occupy the corner of Connecticut Avenue and Upton Street. The school, while small in comparison to others in the area, still has all of the essential educational facilities, including a black box theater, a gym, a library, one computer lab, and a music room. Future plans for a pool have been rebuffed. In 2011, Burke refurnished Howard field, an athletic field on Upton Street used by Burke for general athletic use.
Athletics
Burke's sports teams are known as the Bengals; their color is burgundy. The Bengals compete in the Potomac Valley Athletic Conference. Burke offers varsity teams in Volleyball, Cross Country, Soccer, Basketball, Swimming, Baseball, Track and Field, Ultimate Frisbee, Golf, and Softball, which has won three consecutive championship titles. Several sports have junior varsity and middle school level teams. The Burke athletics program is no-cut, meaning that all interested students may participate in any sport, regardless of ability. Sports where there are both varsity and junior varsity teams do conduct tryouts.
