An Era of Growth

The societal upheaval of the late 1960s was reflected in the changes at The Bush School during this time. In 1970, under the leadership of Head of School John B. Grant (1967–1972), the school made the decision to go fully co-ed and officially changed its name to The Bush School. Around this time, the school briefly flirted with moving the campus out of the city to Sammamish before ultimately deciding to stay in Seattle. Uniforms were finally discarded under heavy pressure from the student body. The boarding program also ended. 

Teachers were given more flexibility in the way they presented curriculum, and although students continued to be challenged by academic rigor, the definition of such became more holistic in nature and emphasized practical application. With Head of School Les Larsen at the helm (1972–1987), the Wilderness Program was introduced, as were international trip programs and the Action Module Program (AMPs), the precursor to the modern Cascades offerings in the Upper School. By the 1980s, the school had expanded to about 500 students, and a series of capital campaigns and master plans helped fund and build Schuchart Gym, renovate Gracemont into classrooms, and expand the Arnold Art building to meet the needs of the student body. The school emerged from the turmoil of the late 1960s and early 1970s ready to adapt to the next chapter in its history.

Head of School: John Grant, 1967-1972 and Les Larsen, 1972-1987

Enrollment: 350 students in 1967, 370 students in 1974