W.T. Sampson Elementary/High School



W.T. Sampson Elementary/High School is a K-12 school on two campuses located in Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. As of 2010 the school has 331 students in two campuses that are 2 mi apart. As of 2010, 227 (Sure Start-6th Grade) are in the elementary campus, and 104 (7-12) are located at the secondary school campus.

The school, the oldest continually-operating Department of Defense school opened in 1931, operated by the United States Navy. At the time of the opening, the sole staff member was Guantanamo Bay's Protestant chaplain, and the school facility was the chaplain's office. By 1932 the school had over 30 students. When a faculty was assembled, it taught elementary school on mornings and high schools in afternoons. In 1941 the high school moved to a building on Chapel Hill. In 1956 the school was named after Rear Admiral William Thomas Sampson. In 1976 the school was incorporated into the United States Department of Defense Education Activity and was no longer directly operated by the Navy. In 1985 the high school moved to its current location.