Welcome to Francis Scott Key Elementary School located in Arlington, Virginia. We are a dual English/Spanish immersion school for grades K-5.

Francis Scott Key History

Key School is named after Francis Scott Key (1790-1843), author of our national anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner.” Key School or Escuela Key was one of the pioneers in the United States in two-way immersion programs. The immersion program was established at Key School in 1986 with a first grade class, and one grade was added each year as the initial cohort advanced. Full day kindergarten was added in 1991. In keeping with the two-way model, each class includes both native Spanish speakers and native English speakers. Key School ~ Escuela Key was renovated in SY1998-1999 while we were temporarily housed in the Wilson School and we were able to move into the wonderful new building for SY1999-2000.

Our Mission

The mission of Key School/Escuela Key is to teach our students to be biliterate and bilingual in Spanish and English, and to provide rich academic and social experiences that emphasize cooperation, personal integrity, creativity and community in order to help all of our students reach their full potential. We celebrate all of our diverse cultures and backgrounds with the vision that students can become respectful, responsible, trustworthy and kind members of the school, their community, and the world.

Our Goals

Key School/Escuela Key is committed to:
collaborating with our families to help each child further develop the concepts and skills necessary to become a respectful, responsible, trustworthy, kind and contributing member of our school, community, and the world.
integrating instruction, based on biliteracy and bilingualism in Spanish and English, with core academic areas mandated by state and federal entities.
planning and providing opportunities for our families and staff to share cultural heritages and diverse backgrounds in meaningful ways.
Academic achievement and Language Gains of students in the Dual Language (Two-Way Immersion) Program