[4][5] Founded in 1966, the school's namesake is Charles E. Smith,[6] a local Jewish philanthropist and real estate magnate.

The central hallway, the "Cardo", is bracketed by arches modeled on the archways in the ancient Jewish Quarter of Byzantine Jerusalem.

The Beit Midrash features rounded stained glass windows circling a cupola based on Eastern European synagogue design, with each panel representing an essential principle of Judaism, including Torah, Neshamah (Soul), Kavanah (Spirit), Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World) and Rachamim (Compassion).

Spaces for the arts and athletics include the Daniel Pearl Memorial Gym which holds 700 and encompasses full-court basketball and volleyball play.

Students complete their high school studies in late January and graduate in early February, after which they are given the choice to go on a school-sponsored trip that mixes education and tourism.

[11] Throughout the school's history, it had operated in various rented spaces in Maryland, but it had long wanted a permanent location of its own.

[13] In 1974, the Greater Washington Jewish Community Foundation took an option on a $500,000 property located on Montrose Road in Rockville.

[13] The private Webster School's campus was located at 17th Street and Kalmia Road NW in the Washington, D.C. neighborhood of Colonial Village.

[18] In April 2006, three seniors who were participating in the school-sponsored program in Israel through the Alexander Muss High School were arrested by Israeli police for marijuana possession.

[19] The marijuana was discovered by program guides, and the quantity was judged to be large enough to necessitate involving governmental authorities, according to Muss headmaster Chaim Fischgrund.

Led by head coach Jason Belinkie, the JDS track and field and cross country teams often rank among the top private schools in the state, winning four Maryland Private School Cross Country State Championships in 2017, 2021, and 2022 (boys' and girls' teams).