International Schools in Washington, DC

Washington International School (WIS) is the most established international school in DC — private, K–12, in Ward 3, and the city's anchor IB World School with both Primary Years and Diploma Programmes. On the public/tuition-free side, District of Columbia International School (DCI) is the leading public charter international school, offering IB at the high school level. British International School of Washington serves the British and IB tracks.

A representative top-10 international/bilingual list for Washington DC: 1) Washington International School (WIS, IB, private), 2) District of Columbia International School (DCI, IB, charter), 3) British International School of Washington (BISW, private), 4) Mundo Verde Bilingual PCS (Spanish, charter), 5) Washington Yu Ying PCS (Mandarin, charter), 6) Oyster-Adams Bilingual School (Spanish, DCPS), 7) DC Bilingual PCS (Spanish, charter), 8) Latin American Montessori Bilingual PCS (Spanish/Montessori, charter), 9) Stokes School (charter), 10) French Maternal School / Lycée Rochambeau (French, private). Apply via the DC school lottery for charters; private schools have their own admissions cycles.

In DC, "international school" usually refers to one of two things: (1) a school offering international curricula like the International Baccalaureate (IB) or Cambridge — examples include Washington International School and the British International School of Washington; or (2) bilingual or language-immersion schools where instruction is delivered in two languages, such as Mundo Verde (Spanish) or Washington Yu Ying (Mandarin).

No. They are two different schools. District of Columbia International School (DCI) is a public charter school in Ward 4 serving grades 6-12, with a tuition-free language immersion program. Washington International School (WIS) is a private K-12 school in Ward 3, with two campuses (Primary and Tregaron), offering the International Baccalaureate curriculum and tuition over $50,000/year.

Public charter Spanish immersion includes Mundo Verde Bilingual PCS (two campuses in Ward 5), DC Bilingual PCS, and Latin American Montessori Bilingual. The DCPS option is Oyster-Adams Bilingual School in Ward 3. Each follows a different immersion model — some are 50/50 Spanish/English, others lead with Spanish in the early grades.

Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School in Ward 5 is the primary Mandarin immersion option in DC, serving PK3 through grade 5. Other DC schools offer Mandarin as a foreign language but not full immersion.

The French Maternal School (private, Ward 2) serves PK through grade 3 with French immersion. Several public charter schools offer French as a language of study, and some private schools include French in their curriculum from elementary onward. Lycée Rochambeau, located in Bethesda MD just outside DC, serves many DC families seeking the French national curriculum.

District of Columbia International School (DCI) offers IB programming for grades 6-12. A few DCPS schools also offer IB pathways. Washington International School is the most established IB-authorized school in DC, but it is private with significant tuition.

For DC public charter schools (including DCI, Mundo Verde, Yu Ying, Bridges, Stokes), apply through the DC school lottery between November and late January. For DCPS schools like Oyster-Adams, in-boundary students are guaranteed a seat; out-of-boundary students apply through the lottery. Private international schools (WIS, BISW) have their own application processes, typically with December-January deadlines.

It depends. Public charter schools (DCI, Mundo Verde, Yu Ying, etc.) are tuition-free for DC residents. DCPS bilingual programs (Oyster-Adams) are also tuition-free. Private international schools — Washington International School, British International School of Washington, Rock Creek International School, French Maternal School — charge tuition, often in the $35,000-$55,000 range per year, with some financial aid available.