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Thurgood Marshall Academy was founded upon the belief—articulated by US Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall—that all children have the right to a first-class education and the opportunity to reach their full potential.

As the District's first law-themed public charter high school, Thurgood Marshall Academy combines a comprehensive, standards-based curriculum with education about law, democracy, and human rights.

Thurgood Marshall Academy's goal is to help students develop their own voices by teaching them the skills lawyers have—the ability to solve complex problems, think critically, and advocate persuasively for themselves and their communities. We currently serve 360 students in grades nine through twelve.

History

Thurgood Marshall Academy grew out of the experience of law students and professors in the DC Street Law clinical program at Georgetown University Law Center who, while teaching at a neighborhood high school, witnessed how limited opportunities stunted the academic and social development of students. They also saw an opportunity to use legal principles as teaching tools to educate and empower the bright and energetic students they encountered.

The founders collaborated with education experts and community members to create a school that would provide committed students with the academic and youth development resources they need to succeed and become active citizens.

Thurgood Marshall Academy opened in 2001 with 80 9th-graders and added a grade each year until we served grades 9–12. Some of our key achievements include the 100% college acceptance rate of our first three graduating classes; student test scores that have remained six to seven times higher than those of students in surrounding public high schools; the establishment of a benchmark assessment system that allows teachers to use data to drive instruction; the expansion of our professional development program; and the renovation of a landmark facility in Historic Anacostia into our permanent home.