Concord Hill School was founded in 1965 by local educators Olivia Chappell, Nancy Israel, deVismes Lee and Katherine Shorb as a nondenominational, nonprofit, pre-elementary school.
Originally located in Satterlee Hall at St. Alban’s Parish Church in Washington, DC, the school began with 20 students in Primary (pre-kindergarten) and Kindergarten classes.
Concord Hill moved to Bradley Hills Presbyterian Church in 1967 and added grades one through three. In 1972, the school relocated to St. John’s Church in Chevy Chase and added a Preprimary class. Concord Hill rented space in both of these early locations.
In July 1987, the school acquired a home of its own by purchasing the former Bethesda Christian Church at 6050 Wisconsin Avenue, Chevy Chase, MD. The facility had been built in 1954, with an educational wing added in 1959. Concord Hill welcomed students to their new classrooms for the 1988-89 school year after completing extensive renovations to the building.
Eleanor Chatfield-Taylor began her tenure as Director of Concord Hill School in 1967. She oversaw the move to St. John’s Church and the ultimate relocation to the new Wisconsin Avenue address. Chatfield-Taylor retired in 1991.
French McConnaughey assumed the role of school Director in July 1991 and continued in that post until her retirement in July 2002. In 1996, under her direction, Concord Hill developed its first strategic long-range plan. The process reaffirmed the school’s strengths and mapped a solid plan for the future. Building renovations completed during the summer of 1998 improved the school library and music room and added a new computer lab. Renovations undertaken in the summer of 1999 targeted the playground and school grounds.
Denise Gershowitz is the current Director of Concord Hill School. She assumed her duties in July 2002.