OUR HISTORY

The Mount Washington School is located in the northern section of Baltimore City in a community with a rich history and noted for its politically and culturally active members.

The story of the Mount Washington School began in September 1867, when Perley Lovejoy convinced community members that there was a need for a public school. This elementary school housed in Saffell Hall was entitled “School No.8” by Baltimore County in 1877. The school became a success, with a new four-room building constructed at the corner of Lochlea and Sulgrave in 1882, and a second floor was added in 1908.

In 1918, Baltimore City annexed Mount Washington and renamed this building School No. #221.

By 1950, the school was so popular that it was quite overcrowded. Even with the use of the old Enoch Pratt Library branch as an annex, there still was not enough room.

In 1961, the former elementary school building on Sulgrave Avenue was completed and the old building was torn down.

In 2010, Baltimore City Schools arranged to lease the Shrine of the Sacred Heart School building from the Archdiocese so that Mount Washington Elementary could expand to a K–8 school. The newly renamed Mount Washington School opened its doors in the Fall of 2011 with students housed in two buildings, the Upper Building (Sulgrave Ave) and the Lower Building (Smith Ave).

In 2020, the pandemic challenged all of us and we pivoted to virtual learning for the 2020-2021 school year. The following 2021-2022 school year, we were able to return with the option of virtual or in-person learning. For those who attended in-person, Baltimore City Schools placed mask mandates and testing took place weekly.

In 2022, the school was able to expand its offerings to include Pre-Kindergarten. Many discussions, meetings, and plans were led by parents and advocates in our community for a new building for the 6-8th grades, and by Fall 2023 our Middle Year students will have all-new facilities, more closely uniting our campuses to centralize on Sulgrave Ave.