History

In 1896, four Baltimore families hired a German woman to conduct traditional German kindergarten classes for their children. That winter the parents began searching for the best primary-school methods, teachers who could implement them, and an adequate facility to house a new primary school. In 1897, 15 students in kindergarten, first, and second grades began classes in their new school, called “Boys’ and Girls’ Primary School,” located above a pharmacy in Baltimore City. Within two years the school had grown to 79 students and 12 teachers, and it became known as “Calvert Primary School.” The school hired its first Head Master, Harvard graduate Virgil M. Hillyer, who went on to gain a national and international reputation as an innovator in primary and elementary education, an author of children’s books, and the founder of Calvert’s Home Instruction Department in 1906.

In 1901, the school moved into a new building on West Chase Street and, in 1924, to its present location in Roland Park, one of the earliest “planned communities” in the country. The library, art, and science rooms were added in 1974, and the Luetkemeyer Planetarium was built in 1979.

Under Head Master Merrill S. Hall III, the school conducted its first capital campaign, raising $5.2 million in 1986. With these funds, the Luetkemeyer Wing was constructed, housing the primary classes, a new cafeteria, a second gymnasium, locker rooms, the After School Care facility, and small-group instruction rooms. In 2000, the Board of Trustees took a significant step forward in approving a plan to expand the school to include two additional grades and create a middle school. Property was purchased across Tuscany Road and a new state-of-the-art middle school facility was designed and built to house 5th through 8th grades.