George Washington Middle School is located at 1005 Mount Vernon Avenue in the city of Alexandria, Virginia

Alexandria, Virginia

Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...

. It first opened in 1935 as a merger of two prior high schools named Alexandria and George Mason. It was converted to a middle school in 1971, as part of a reorganization of the Alexandria City Public Schools

Alexandria City Public Schools

Alexandria City Public Schools is a school division which is funded by the government of Alexandria, Virginia, United States.-Elementary schools:*Samuel Tucker Elementary School*Patrick Henry Elementary School*John Adams Elementary School...

 System's secondary schools.

Notable alumni of the high school include: Jim Morrison

Jim Morrison

James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American musician, singer, and poet, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band The Doors...

 of The Doors

The Doors

The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...

, Willard Scott

Willard Scott

Willard Herman Scott, Jr. is an American media personality and author best known for his television work on NBC's The Today Show and as the creator of the Ronald McDonald character.-Early years:...

 of NBC

NBC

The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

's The Today Show, and John Phillips

John Phillips (musician)

John Edmund Andrew Phillips , was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter and promoter . Known as Papa John, Phillips was a member and leader of the singing group The Mamas & the Papas...

 and Cass Elliot

Cass Elliot

Cass Elliot , born Ellen Naomi Cohen and also known as Mama Cass, was an American singer and member of The Mamas & the Papas. After the group broke up, she released five solo albums. Elliot was found dead in her room in London, England, from an apparent heart attack after two weeks of sold-out...

, both of The Mamas & the Papas

The Mamas & the Papas

The Mamas & the Papas were a Canadian/American vocal group of the 1960s . The group recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968 with a short reunion in 1971, releasing five albums and 11 Top 40 hit singles...

.

In 2009, both George Washington Middle School and Francis C. Hammond Middle School were split into several smaller schools (two and three respectively). Superintendent

Superintendent (education)

In education in the United States, a superintendent is an individual who has executive oversight and administration rights, usually within an educational entity or organization....

 Morton Sherman believes that smaller schools will provide, "...personalization, engagement,
and customization for higher levels of achievement for all students." Both middle schools also began to follow the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme

IB Middle Years Programme

The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme is an educational programme intended for students aged approximately 11 to 16 . Thus, in the United States the programme is often taught throughout the middle school years and the first two years of high school...

curriculum.

Demographics

• African American-36%
• White-31%
• Hispanic-30%
• Asian/Pacific Islander-3%
• Other/Unspecified-1%