Georgetown Prep History

Founded in 1789, Georgetown Preparatory School is an independent, boarding and day school for young men in grades 9-12. Located in North Bethesda, Maryland, the school enjoys the cultural and historic resources of the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area.

Both Georgetown Preparatory School and Georgetown University sprang from the vision of the remarkable John Carroll, the first bishop of Baltimore. Carroll regarded the school as critical to the future of the Catholic Church in the United States. 

The curriculum emphasized study of the classics as a means of disciplining the mind, imbibing the wisdom of the ancients, and developing eloquentia or facility in speaking and writing. Students received a considerable amount of individual attention from their teachers and prefects, whose lives revolved around them. 

Religious and ethnic pluralism also characterized the preparatory school. From its inception, Georgetown Prep accepted students from foreign countries and from religious traditions other than Roman Catholic. Even in the face of adversity or changing currents within American society, it displayed remarkable resilience and adaptability; all the while remaining true to its essential principles-principles grounded in the spiritual insights of St. Ignatius Loyola, and given concrete form on the banks of the “Patowmack” by John Carroll.

At the turn of the 20th century, the Georgetown College Preparatory School made plans to move away from the University’s campus in the District of Columbia. In 1919, it moved to its current location on 90 acres in North Bethesda, Maryland.

In January 2007, Georgetown Prep opened the Hanley Center for Athletic Excellence, a state-of-the-art athletic center that features a 200 meter indoor track, swimming pool with diving area, competition basketball arena, wrestling room,. weight training/cardiovascular room, and a team film room. Joe Hills redesigned the school's golf course. The existing field house was converted into a learning center featuring expanded and modern library facilities, classrooms, meeting rooms, and a recording studio.