School Fit
Decide whether GDS fits your student
Look past selectivity to the daily life of a city day school with an open campus and a block schedule.
Checked against GDS's published admissions pages on November 5, 2026.
School fit
Is GDS a fit?
- The school
- GDS is a Washington, DC preK-12 independent school with a city campus. It was founded in 1945 as the first integrated school in Washington, DC.
- Size and courses
- The High School has 9th to 12th grade students and offers 132 courses and more than 90 student-run clubs and activities.
- Schedule
- The High School runs a block schedule, with four odd or even classes meeting each day.
- Advisory
- On Wednesdays High School students begin in advisory, with an average of 8 members.
- Open Campus
- High School students have Open Campus privileges, and lunch is not provided for them.
- Phones
- The High School is phone-free during school hours.
- Signature programs
- Signature programs include 9th Grade Seminar, DC Connections, Grade-Level Overnights, High School Impact Lab, Minimester, the Patty Abramson Social Venture Lab, Senior Quest and Social Justice Teach-In Day.
- 01
Ask your student what kind of classroom they want, and let them answer honestly.
- 02
Use an open house or the interview tour to ask what a typical week looks like.
- 03
Think through how your student handles unstructured time, since lunch is not provided and the campus is open.