Founded in 1945 by anthropologists Philleo and Edith R. Nash, as Washington's first racially integrated school, it is known for its progressive climate and dedication to social justice.

[3] Students call teachers by their first names, and the high school allows students to leave the campus during school hours.

[4] The school has educated the children of several high-ranking government officials, including Justice Thurgood Marshall, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, United States Attorney General Eric Holder, United States Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen, United States Deputy Secretary of Education Jim Shelton III, Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, Texas Senator Phil Gramm, Oregon Senator Ron Wyden, Florida Congressman Kendrick Meek, Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin, Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu,[3][5] Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, as well as Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

The project raised over fifty-two million dollars from more than 2,000 donors, surpassing the fifty-million dollar fundraising goal.

[6] Each year the school sponsors the Ben Cooper Lecture in memory of a student killed in a car accident in 1997.