Annie Wright Schools

Annie Wright Schools serve students from age three through high school. Annie Wright Lower and Middle Schools offer co-ed programs in Preschool through Grade 8, while separate Upper Schools for boys and girls offer day and boarding options in Grades 9 through 12. Annie Wright is proud to be an International Baccalaureate World School, delivering IB programs in every division.

Founded in 1884, Annie Wright Schools are nestled in the beautiful North End neighborhood of Tacoma, Washington. Our historic campus includes an indoor pool, two gyms, science and technology labs, art and music studios, theater, outdoor gardens, play areas, athletic fields and open spaces.

We offer rich, thoughtful and internationally-recognized programs that welcome students from around the world. While our web site offers a glimpse into what life and learning at Annie Wright are really like, we encourage you to visit our campus, which will give you a stronger sense of our vibrant community.

Tradition meets innovation at Annie Wright Schools, where we honor our rich history and traditions, embrace the present, and continue always to move forward. Inherent in this celebration of past, present and future is Annie Wright's child-centered mission and key characteristics.

While offering a unique educational experience, Annie Wright is affiliated with a number of organizations, including the National Association of Independent Schools and the International Baccalaureate, which represent best practices in education.

Physically, spiritually, emotionally, intellectually and academically, we aim to stretch our students. Our rigorous program does not assign arbitrary hurdles; instead we support our students in their efforts to reach their potential. We believe that within a nurturing atmosphere, students can feel secure in reaching for the appropriately high expectations set for them by their parents and school.

While grounded in our local Tacoma community, we provide our students with a broad perspective on the world. We believe that a thriving community needs institutions of quality, and we aim to play our part in helping to ensure that Tacoma flourishes. At the same time, we believe it is essential that our students understand and appreciate the global society in which they live.

Our student-centered mission is central to every aspect of our schools. At an administrative level, being student-centered means the best interests of our students inform all decisions. In the classroom, being student-centered is concerned with deliberate teaching methodologies. Proactively identifying ourselves as student-centered is important; it is an acknowledgment that we are primarily about the students, not the adults. We greatly value our faculty and staff, as they are the most important resource we have, but our top priority is to develop young people holistically.

Annie Wright was founded before Washington was a state, literally as a pioneering school, and we want to remain as such. We are proud of our history and traditions, while embracing our modern identity as an International Baccalaureate school serving students from Preschool to Grade 12. While we honor our past, we continue to look to the future.

The education at Annie Wright is built on the deep, rich relationships that the faculty have with their students. Our small class sizes enable our faculty to get to know each student as an individual. Interacting with adults is an important component of students’ lives at Annie Wright. We recognize and value the unique characteristics and gifts that each student brings.

We provide a challenging, balanced program that helps our young men and women reach their academic potential. We are proud that, through small class sizes, differentiated instruction and engagement of our faculty, every student at Annie Wright is well-known and treated as an individual. As an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, we aspire to develop in our students a global perspective and understanding of their place in the world.