Funkstown – Grant School Without Walls

By Frank Leone

Foggy Bottom is home to D.C.’s School Without Walls – a highly regarded humanities-based public magnet high school. The school (2130 G St. NW) was so named because it offers an alternative to conventional instructional programs in which students develop “methods of learning outside the traditional classroom” and “use the city as a classroom.”  It is housed in the historic Ulysses S. Grant School, a three-story, red brick public school building constructed in 1882. The school is affiliated with neighboring George Washington University and has received support from the Foggy Bottom community, including through a scholarship fund established by Foggy Bottom activist and school supporter Ellie Becker.

Grant School today - The original school building contains a central tower and connecting wings. The tower, which projects slightly beyond the plane of the main block, rises four stories in height and is capped by a pyramidal roof, sheathed in slate shingles. The design also includes a corbelled cornice and unusual pointed arch window surrounds. The 2009 glass addition is to the right of the building entrance. (F. Leone, April 2021)

The robust Victorian Era building was originally named the Analostan School, in recognition of the Native Americans who once inhabited the area (more commonly known as the Anacostin tribe) and for nearby Analostan Island (now Theodore Roosevelt Island). It was renamed in 1890 in honor of General Ulysses S. Grant, leader of the Union forces during the Civil War and the 18th President of the United States. Grant earned respect as the general who won the war to preserve the Union and free enslaved people. His presidency was clouded by his friends’ financial improprieties, but his commitment to reconstruction of the south has won respect. (Grant’s writing desk and other possessions are maintained at the F Street House.)

The building was designed by noted D.C. architect John B. Brady as a three story, 12-classroom elementary school for white children. It remained an elementary school for most of its life.  It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007 and is a contributing property to the George Washington University/Old West End Historic District.

Grant school viewed from the east on G Street in 1950. The building in the foreground, the “Hotel Hawthorne” (1941-1962) was originally built as an apartment building in 1901, designed by T.F. Schneider. The building (2134 G St. NW) now houses the George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development. (John P. Wymer photograph collection, July 1950, available through the DC History Center)

The School Without Walls Senior High School (SWW or “WALLS”) opened in March 1971, starting with 50 students, six teachers, and one administrator. It occupied four different locations before settling at Grant School in August 2009. To get the school building ready, in February 2006 GWU paid D.C. $12 million to renovate and expand the school building, in exchange for transfer of the school’s rear parking lot property to the university. GWU then constructed the South Hall dormitory on the site. The old facade was kept intact while the interior was renovated. A new building was added as an additional wing to accommodate increasing enrollment.

SWW is “a demanding alternative college preparatory program that seeks to foster independence and creativity.” It now has over 600 students in grades 9 through 12. All students who reside in the District of Columbia are eligible to apply for admission. Admission is based on previous school records, a minimum 3.0 GPA, recommendations, an interview, and an essay. Each year, roughly 1,400 students apply to the freshman class for 150 seats.

The George Washington University Early College Program, established in 2011, allows a limited number of SWW students to enroll full-time at GWU during their junior and senior years of high school and earn both their high school diploma and a GWU Associate of Arts degree. The George Washington University Exposure Program also allows students to earn university-level academic credits. In addition to challenging academic programs, students participate in community service, internships, as well as extra-curricular athletics and clubs. SWW has both 100% graduation and 100% college acceptance rates. D.C.’s next Mayor Janeese Lewis George was a 2006 graduate.

FBA activist Ellie Becker funded a scholarship for SWS students and donated the majority of her vast penguin collection to the school.

As stated in the Ellie Becker scholarship page, Ellie Becker, a Foggy Bottom Historic District resident from 1963 to 2015, was a longtime editor of the Foggy Bottom News and a devoted community activist. She volunteered regularly at SWW; she liked being around young people and championed the value and importance of education. Among her bequests were the majority of her extensive penguin collection, now prominently displayed in cases at SWW, and funding for college scholarships for SWW students. Learn more about Ellie and eligibility requirements for the Ellie Becker Scholarship here.

You can read about other Foggy Bottom schools that were originally built for African-American students – Stevens School, Francis School, and the closed Briggs and Briggs-Montgomery Elementary schools.

Sources: National Register of Historic Places Nomination, Ulysses S. Grant School, 2007; Ron Chernow, Grant, Penguin Press, 2017; John Clagett Proctor, “Public Schools of the Old First Ward,” Evening Star, April 3, 1932; “Loyal Boosters Celebrate Grant School’s 75^th Year,” Evening Star, April 7, 1957; “Grant School is ‘Saved’ Again; Briggs-Montgomery May Close,” Evening Star, June 18, 1959; “University finalizes deal with School Without Walls," GW Hatchet, February 13, 2006; Mike DeBonis, “Why it’s called the ‘School Without Walls’” The Washington Post, August 25, 2011; John Kelly, “So Long, Ellie,” The Washington Post, Aug. 4, 2015; School Without Walls website; SWWHS FY2025-26 School Profile; School Without Walls Senior High School Student Handbook (2025-2026); FBA History Project;

Addendum: "Amirah Bunn is the School Without Walls Ellie Becker 2026 Scholarship Recipient

Her poem won first place in the 2025 D.C. Statehood Poetry Contest and has been published here with her permission.  Amirah is a recipient of several scholarships including one from the Ellie Becker Fund and will be attending the University of Michigan." Foggy Bottom News, June 26, 2026.