History
George Washington Academy Association has been at work bridging cultures and creating opportunities through education since 1994 where it existed as an Association Etrangère à But Non-Lucratif. It was created under the name Global Coopération Universitaire, and the name was changed to Global Education in December 2001. Through innovative new projects and by partnering with businesses, associations and individuals who share our values, new educational opportunities have been provided to a generation of Moroccans and North Americans.
Historically, George Washington Academy Association helped to bring the Internet to Morocco by co-sponsoring the First Internet Days in Morocco conference. It hosted the Semester at Sea visits to Morocco from 1995-2010. Four annual scholarships were created in 1996 which enabled thirteen Moroccan students to participate in the program. Both SHRH King Mohammed VI and HRH Prince Moulay Rachid have visited Semester at Sea ships and met with students.
The George Washington Academy opened its GWA Casablanca campus in 1998, with the objective to serve the Casablanca metropolitan area, equipping minds and building character in a K-12 American school environment. In 2014, the Association’s name was changed to George Washington Academy to reflect it’s largest ongoing project.
GWA PK-12 Casablanca Campus
GWA opened in 1998 with 52 students; today we have more than 800 students from 40 nationalities taught in our purpose-built campus by a majority of North American instructional staff. GWA received full accreditation by Middles States Association in 2009. We were fully re-accredited in 2016. We are the largest American School in Morocco and one of the largest in North Africa. To date, we have more than 350 graduates who have been accepted to more than 170 universities worldwide.
George Washington Academy is a not-for profit institution that is recognized by both the Moroccan and United States governments as an American school.
Our Beginnings
GWA was founded by Jack Rusenko, an American who loved Morocco and its people. His bold vision was to start a private school that would provide not only a well-rounded education but also a school focused on values and respecting beliefs. It was through his vision that GWA was begun with its unique focus on excellence, tri-lingual instruction and character development. George Washington Academy opened its doors in September of 1998 with classes from preschool through 4th grade, plus a combined 7th/8th grade class. After starting the first year in a villa, the school moved to a new school building in the neighborhood of the sports complexes near Anfa airport. In September of 2005, GWA moved to our new five-hectare purpose-built facility, which is located just outside of Casablanca’s city limits. The campus includes two classroom wings with more than sixty classrooms, two science labs, an Art room, a multi-purpose auditorium/cafeteria, a 800 m2 library, the largest in Morocco; computer labs and teacher housing for foreign-hired staff. Sports facilities include: a six lane 400m track, a full-length soccer field, outside basketball courts and locker room/shower facilities.