Oyster-Adams Bilingual School - Washington, DC

As one 6th grade student states, "I like Oyster Adams because everyone can just be who they actually are." Oyster Adams Bilingual school is a free, public, dual language school where students from across the nation's capital learn in three languages daily: Spanish, English and Chinese. We serve 756 students across 10 grades and two campuses in the heart of Washington, DC. In 2020, despite school interruption due to Covid-19, our 8th graders had a 100 percent passage rate of the AP Spanish Language and Culture exam, earning them college level credit before enrolling in high school. At the heart of Oyster-Adams and the key to our success is undoubtedly our schoolwide two-way dual-language program that has been developed and improved over 50 years of pedagogy, development, and academic success, it is the reason why so many families (and educators) seek out the school. Oyster-Adams is a national flagship for bilingual education that prominent researchers have studied as a leading example of dual-language excellence. We know that all students, regardless of race, class, gender, or circumstance, can achieve bilingually at high levels, and it is our firm (research-based) belief that a high-quality bilingual education can work for any child and help eliminate achievement gaps for our most marginalized populations. We are excited for the wonderful things that are to come, nervous for the things we have yet to discover and optimistic for our community to show resilience as we welcome our 50th class of kindergartners for our first ever bilingual virtual school year.