WASHINGTON, D.C. — Mayor Muriel Bowser is scheduled to join District education leaders and community members Monday to celebrate the first day of the 2026–27 school year and formally dedicate the expanded John R. Thompson, Jr. High School in Ward 3.
The campus, previously known as MacArthur High School, now honors John R. Thompson Jr., the Washington native and legendary Georgetown basketball coach who was also an advocate for racial justice. District officials are expected to welcome students and cut the ribbon on the school’s latest addition during an 11 a.m. event.
The expansion raises the school’s capacity to as many as 800 students in grades nine through 12. According to the mayor’s office, the addition includes a full floor of science classrooms, two art rooms, two music classrooms, administrative space, technology-equipped learning areas and an outdoor classroom.
District officials said the project is part of a broader effort to modernize public-school facilities and create learning spaces that support students and neighborhoods. The District has invested nearly $5 billion in school facilities since 2015, according to the official announcement.
The ceremony is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 24, at the school at 4530 MacArthur Boulevard NW. Mayor Bowser is expected to appear with Ward 3 Councilmember Matt Frumin, education officials, school leaders and Georgetown University President Eduardo M. Peñalver.
Official source: Executive Office of the Mayor of the District of Columbia
Featured image: A representative modern public high school science classroom in the United States. Photo by Harrison Keely, licensed under CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The Washington Herald
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Washington, D.C.
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