At the turn of the 20th century, three Washington, D.C. residents, Edith Draper Blair, Hetty Fairfax Harrison, and Ellen Warder Thoron traveled to New York City to research John Dewey’s teaching model and educational philosophy.

The womens' interest in early childhood education as a joyful and enriching endeavor led them to found The Potomac School in 1904.

In 1906, Potomac relocated to 18th and M Streets NW; a decade later, the school, at that point enrolling students through grade 8, moved to a larger facility at 2144 California Street in Northwest Washington, D.C.[2] Looking toward greater future expansion, Potomac’s board of trustees purchased 55 acres of farmland in McLean, Virginia, in 1948.

The school offers extensive arts programming in during the summer season in partnership with the Handwork Studio.

[5] In addition to the police probe, The Potomac School initiated an independent investigation, which was completed in June 2014.