Academics
Curriculum
Edmund Burke School offers a rigorous, college preparatory program, with ample space for exploration.
Designed for ongoing inquiry, our program enables students to pursue their passions and explore brand-new fields. Experiential learning, hands-on projects, and progressive pedagogy are hallmarks of the Burke experience.
Designed for ongoing inquiry, our program enables students to pursue their passions and explore brand-new fields. Experiential learning, hands-on projects, and progressive pedagogy are hallmarks of the Burke experience.
List of 8 items.
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1:1 iPad Program
Read MoreSeeking to integrate technology into classrooms and improve teaching and learning equitably, Burke launched the mission-driven 1:1 iPad program in 2012.The goal is to equip every student with appropriate technology for learning and ensure that access to technology is equitable. Providing all students with the same device allows the faculty and the Academic Tech Team to manage the devices, including the apps installed on them. Burke also trains and supports teachers in taking advantage of the iPads' strengths: creativity, mobility, and interactivity.
Note: high school students may bring their iPads home, while middle school iPads remain on campus. -
Civic Engagement
Every year, Burke students experience an integrated civics, equity, and leadership curriculum, grounded in social justice pedagogy. Learn more. -
Computer Science Program
Explore Burke CS - Mastery Learning ProgramStudents in the program progress through three levels of proficiency in five domains adapted from the Computer Science Teachers Association. The domains are:
1. Ethics of Computing: how Computing affects individuals, communities, and the world; the social implications and issues of equality, justice, and access.
2. Algorithms and Programming: creating instructions, sequences, procedures, loops, modules, variables, and controls to power computing devices.
3. Data and Analysis: effectively collecting, organizing, storing, analyzing, and utilizing data.
4. Networks and the Internet: communications, connectivity, and security between devices.
5. Computing Systems: physical components (hardware) and instructions (software) that power them.
> Browse elective courses and sample student projects. -
Field Trips
Located one block from the Metro and within walking distance to Rock Creek Park, the Smithsonian National Zoo, and numerous embassies, Burke is an optimal starting place for exploration. All students have a double period from 11:10 AM to 12:40 PM (followed by lunch), enabling faculty to include travel into their curriculum.
Just a few examples include:- 12th grade Art History visits a different museum or gallery each month, from the National Gallery to Dumbarton Oaks to the Phillips Collection.
- 11th grade US History connects curriculum to exhibits at the Capital Jewish Museum, Japanese American Memorial, National Museum of African American History & Culture, National Museum of the American Indian, and the Portrait Gallery.
- 9th grade Earth Systems Science spends nearly every double period in Rock Creek Park, including conducting a biodiversity index.
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Independent Study
In the High School, the Independent Study option enables students to pursue interests and explore personal passions, with support from a faculty member. Students frequently pursue independent studies in computer science, as well as specific areas of interest in the humanities, sciences, and arts.
The Independent Study in PE (ISPE) option allows students to earn credit for sports pursued outside of school. Learn more. -
Learning Support
Our Learning Support Department assists students in meeting the demands of Burke's challenging academic program. Full-time learning specialists provide support with organization, note and test-taking strategy, and self-advocacy. Learn more. -
Senior Projects
The Senior Project gives 12th grade students an opportunity to pursue interests and passions beyond the classroom and allows them to contribute to local communities and workplaces.
Learn more:
> https://www.burkeschool.org/academics/curriculum/senior-projects -
Teaching Assistants
High School students who are capable of independent work in a subject can also serve as Teaching Assistants at Burke: assisting the teacher, working with students during in-class exercises, or teaching short lessons. Other responsibilities might include peer tutoring or helping to organize field trips.
Field Trips & Travel - 2024-25
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Humanities Spotlight - June 2025
Inspecting the InsectsRead More"When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin," reads the opening line of Franz Kafka's 1915 seminal novella The Metamorphosis. The protagonist's exact form remains ambiguous, especially when translated from the original German, so 10th graders Nathan's Modern World Literature class headed to the O. Orkin Insect Zoo at the Museum of Natural History to explore the possibilities. -
Science Spotlight - June 2025
First Responder Field TripRead More7th graders in Life Science recently combined their study of anatomy and physiology with an exploration of First Aid and CPR. To practice those skills in a real world context, they headed up the street to DCFD Station 31 and met with the firefighters. As a bonus, they came back with some stylish helmets! -
Bioethics and Beyond
High school students in Morgan's Bioethics class have welcomed incredible guest speakers this trimester, including:Read More -
Class Spotlight - HS History & Social Science
Memorial ConsiderationRead More10th graders in Curtis' Modern World History class headed to the World War I Memorial on April 1. He shared, "after learning about World War I in class, we analyzed the memorial using three big questions: 1) What story is the memorial telling? 2) What story is it not telling? and 3) What story should it tell?" -
Ready to Roll in Robotics
Read More"Conceived in 2016 as a graduate class at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology," the Duckietown ecosystem was "originally designed to provide an answer to the question: what is the least hardware we need for deploying single- and multi-robot advanced autonomy solutions?" -
Class Spotlight - HS History & Science
Yes, They RuleRead More
In Constitutional Law, 11th and 12th graders have been researching cases currently before (or recently decided by) the US Supreme Court. In a series of gallery walk-style presentations last week, students discussed their predictions on how the court will rule and how they think the court should rule.
Pictured: Perttu v. Richards (Lillie E. '26), Catholic Charities Bureau, Inc. v. Wisconsin Labor & Industry Review Commission (Ethan F. '26), and Glossip v. Oklahoma (Chaeyoon M. '26). -
Class Spotlight - February 2025
Read MoreIf you haven't recently, stroll up the Hobbes stairs, through the 2nds floor Commons, and around the 1st floor of Calvin and peruse works from Advanced Ceramics, Art Explorations 6, Ceramics 9/10, Digital Art 7, Digital Media 9/10, and Drawing 9/10, among others.Pictured (clockwise from top left): works by Ashli J. '26, Margot G. '27, Elsa H. '27, Noelle T. '25, and Henry S. '30. -
Trials & Manners
Gothic TrialsRead More
While reading Frankenstein, 9th graders in Nate D.'s class held a mock trial to determine responsibility for the death of William Frankenstein. Nate reports, "Victor Frankenstein and the Creature were charged with the crime, and students were cast as attorneys, clients, and judges. Evidence from Mary Shelley's text was crucial in building a case. Attorneys delivered opening and closing statements in the trial, while each client answered questions in direct and cross examination. Judges presided over the trial and issued a final verdict at the end. All had a chance to practice public speaking, and they even dressed up for the occasion." -
Music and Movements
8th grade:Read More
The grade's leadership group reached out to Matthew Whittaker '04, inviting him to speak with the full grade in advance of their week-long trip to Alabama next month. Matthew talked about his favorite musicians and how music of the 1950s and 1960s played a role in the Civil Rights Movement in America. -
Dispatch from the Court
Read MoreA hearty group of Constitutional Law students endured a 14 degree, 7 AM start to the day to stand in line outside the Supreme Court of the United States with the hope of getting a seat in the courtroom. We succeeded, and were there to witness the first oral argument that day. Barnes v. Felix involves the tragic death of a young man, Ashtian Barnes, at the hands of Sgt. Roberto Felix, Jr. a police officer in Harris County. -
Combustion Engine Grants 2024-25
Read MoreEach summer, Burke's Professional Development Committee awards Combustion Engine Grants, which enable faculty to enrich teaching and curricula in innovative ways during the summer months. Before the recent winter break, the Summer 2024 grant recipients presented on their work. -
Class & Club Spotlight - December 2024 - Part 2
Read MoreNow in its 9th season, Evolutionary Ideas is a culminating project for 11th and 12th graders in the Social Psychology elective. Working in small groups, students research a large-scale topic and distill their work into a 15-minute episode. This year, they debuted their episodes with classes in the Middle School and then led a short discussion or activity on the topic, extending their learning across divisions.🔊 Listen to Episode 1: "Regret" by Max F. C. '25, Nora S. '25, and Camilla T. '25. -
Class & Club Spotlight - December 2024
From DNA to PCRRead More
To wrap up the fall trimester, Advanced Research in Molecular Biology students hosted a poster presentation for peers and parents. While investigating the distribution of Wolbachia (common bacterium) in insect populations, students learned molecular biology techniques, including DNA extraction, gel electrophoresis, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and DNA sequencing. Pictured, center: research by Sam H. '25, Paul G. '25, and Sydney W. '25. -
Space Farming Report
7th grade Life Science has been studying the effects of cosmic radiation on plant seeds.Read More -
Class & Club Spotlight - October 2024
Class on ConservationRead MoreClaire Helmke, a wildlife biologist with nonprofit conservation group Quail Forever, visited the 9th and 10th grade Environmental Science classes last week to share her experience in wildlife research and habitat restoration. Students then crafted research questions based on their study spots in Rock Creek Park, which the classes will work towards answering in the coming months. -
At the Molecular Level
Morgan (HS Science) reports, "Students in Advanced Research in Molecular Biology are off to an excellent start on their research journey."Read More -
Burke On The Road - October 2024
Read MoreExperiential learning abounds this fall. On a given day, you might spot numerous classes leaving campus during the double period for exploration and research. For example: -
Class & Club Spotlight - September 2024
Squash & StretchRead More
First among the twelve basic principles of animation, "squash and stretch" gives objects flexibility and weight when in motion. In Kay's Animation 11/12 course, students have been exploring this principle in the context of computer animation. Throughout the trimester, they will build on previous digital media skills to create 2-dimensional animations and motion graphics in Procreate and Adobe Animate. -
Burke On The Road - September 2024
In progressive schools, we expect learning to be hands-on, active, and experiential. Thanks to our Metro-accessible location, DC's vast cultural and historical resources can support just such learning.Read More
Co-ed, progressive, college prep school in Washington, DC featuring a challenging curriculum in an inclusive environment for grades 6-12.
4101 Connecticut Ave NW Washington, DC 20008 | Phone: 202-362-8882 | Fax: 202-362-1914