Out of the Hood, Into Study Hall

This morning, 320 inner-city middle and high school students woke up in a different world. Yesterday many were sitting on neighborhood stoops or playing basketball in DC’s urban parks. Today they’re putting on pressed khakis and going to physics class. The SEED School of Washington, DC is the first inner-city public boarding school in the country.

Students spend the week living and learning behind the school’s eight-foot-tall metal fence. They adhere to strict curfews, dress codes, and are prohibited from watching TV or using Facebook. Every weekend, they return to their isolated and often dangerous urban neighborhoods. Some SEED students are the first in their families to graduate high school or attend college.

Maggie Jones profiled the SEED School for The New York Times Sunday Magazine. She is a contributing writer for the magazine and joins from her home in Newton, Massachusetts.

New York Times Sunday Magazine: The Inner-City Prep School Experience

(Photo courtesy of the SEED School)