Can I use District of Columbia's school score to choose a house?

No. Use the District of Columbia school score as a first-pass county screen, then verify the exact district, attendance boundary, transfer rules, and grade pathway for any address you are considering.

Does SchoolsByCounty confirm school attendance boundaries in District of Columbia?

No. SchoolsByCounty publishes NCES and Census-backed public-school records. Attendance zones, magnet eligibility, charter lotteries, transportation, and transfer rules must be confirmed with local districts.

How should parents compare public schools in District of Columbia?

Start with the 243 listed public schools and 62 district entries, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

District of Columbia Schools & Education

Name: District of Columbia, District of Columbia Education Data
Creator: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

District of Columbia, District of Columbia

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

School Score

48/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Midrange Signal

Graduation Rate

73.3%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

73.3%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 73.3%

Per-Pupil Spending

$11,959

National avg $13,239

State avg $11,959

School Score

48/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 48/100

State Score Position

of 1 counties by score

Education Data Brief: District of Columbia

Measured School Summary

District of Columbia has midrange measured school signals (score: 48/100) with a graduation rate of 73.3%, which warrants review in official state and district records.

Funding Context

District of Columbia spends $11,959 per student, which is on the lower end of adequate and may require careful resource allocation to maintain quality.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 1% above the District of Columbia average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 0.0 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 0% higher than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read District of Columbia before comparing districts

County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.

Local context that changes the interpretation

243 public schools and 62 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.

Overall screen

48/100

Mixed county signal. Ranks #1 of 1 District of Columbia counties with school score data.

Completion

73.3%

matches the state average

Funding context

$11,959

roughly matches the state average

School coverage

243

62 districts represented in the county school list.

Start with measured county context

This county needs a closer look at district mix, school level, and local context. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.

Check the local school mix

District of Columbia has 243 public schools across 62 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.

Verify local rules

Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.

View Public Schools Compare Counties

Parent decision brief

What District of Columbia school data means before you move

County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.

Choice-program county

District of Columbia has a visible charter, magnet, or virtual-school layer in NCES records. The practical question is eligibility, lottery timing, and transportation, not just whether a school appears nearby.

State position

of 1 District of Columbia counties with school score data. The county score is roughly in line with the state average.

Data confidence

Usable

3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.

K-12 continuity check

These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.

District of Columbia Public Schools

Elementary to high school visible

50,131 students

Elementary 79Middle 14High 20Other 3

116 listed schools in this county slice.

KIPP DC PCS

Elementary to high school visible

7,361 students

Elementary 11Middle 6High 2Other 1

20 listed schools in this county slice.

Friendship PCS

Elementary to high school visible

4,609 students

Elementary 7Middle 6High 2Other 0

15 listed schools in this county slice.

DC Prep PCS

Elementary and middle visible

2,128 students

Elementary 3Middle 3High 0Other 0

6 listed schools in this county slice.

District reality check

District of Columbia Public Schools is the largest listed district slice, with 116 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.

What the data cannot tell you

NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.

Questions to ask before choosing an address

Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in District of Columbia?

Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different District of Columbia district systems?

What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?

Which charter, magnet, or virtual options require a lottery, application window, separate transportation plan, or address eligibility check?

Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?

Data Story

Charter Schools Comprise Over Half of District Public Education Facilities

Education data brief for District of Columbia, District of Columbia.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorPublished Jul 7, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Lead metric:District structure

The District of Columbia features a highly decentralized education landscape where charter schools account for 126 of the 243 total public schools, or 51.9%. This structural mix is managed across 62 different school districts, with the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) serving as the largest entity, enrolling 50,131 students. The second and third largest districts are KIPP DC PCS and Friendship PCS, which operate 20 and 15 schools respectively. Data shows a graduation rate of 73.3%, which matches the state average but remains significantly lower than the national benchmark of 87.0%. Per-pupil expenditure is reported at $11,959, trailing the national average of $13,000. All 243 schools are classified as urban locales, with Jackson-Reed HS serving as the largest individual campus at 2,153 students. The district maintains a composite school score of 48.3, compared to a national median of 50.0. Review the NCES Common Core of Data for detailed records on specific charter networks and individual school facilities.

Sources

NCES Common Core of Data
U.S. Census Bureau ACS

School Overview

Total Schools

243

in District of Columbia

Reported Enrollment

91,306

243 schools reporting

School Districts

districts

Charter Schools

126

52% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary145

Middle43

High41

Other14

62 School Districts in District of Columbia

District of Columbia Public Schools

KIPP DC PCS

Friendship PCS

DC Prep PCS

6 schools

2,128 students

District of Columbia International School

1 school

1,590 students

Rocketship Education DC PCS

3 schools

1,493 students

Center City PCS

6 schools

1,408 students

E.L. Haynes PCS

3 schools

1,164 students

Two Rivers PCS

3 schools

1,052 students

Mundo Verde Bilingual PCS

2 schools

1,007 students

243 Public Schools in District of Columbia

Sorted by reported enrollment. Dedicated profile pages are available for 5 high-enrollment schools; every NCES public school remains listed here.

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

Search schools

Level

Sort

Showing 20 of 243 matching schools

Public schools in District of Columbia, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
Jackson-Reed HS	Profile	District of Columbia Public Schools	Washington, 20016City: Large	9–12	High	2,153
District of Columbia International School	Profile	District of Columbia International School	Washington, 20012City: Large	6–12	Charter	1,590
Columbia Heights Education Campus	Profile	District of Columbia Public Schools	Washington, 20010City: Large	6–12	High	1,567
Deal MS	Profile	District of Columbia Public Schools	Washington, 20016City: Large	6–8	Middle	1,391
Coolidge HS	Profile	District of Columbia Public Schools	Washington, 20011City: Large	9–12	High	1,015
Roosevelt HS	Record	District of Columbia Public Schools	Washington, 20011City: Large	9–12	High	913
Lafayette ES	Record	District of Columbia Public Schools	Washington, 20015City: Large	PK–5	Primary	892
Dunbar HS	Record	District of Columbia Public Schools	Washington, 20001City: Large	9–12	High	868
Eastern HS	Record	District of Columbia Public Schools	Washington, 20003City: Large	9–12	High	865
Ingenuity Prep PCS	Record	Ingenuity Prep PCS	Washington, 20032City: Large	PK–8	Charter	788
KIPP DC - College Preparatory PCS	Record	KIPP DC PCS	Washington, 20002City: Large	9–12	Charter	769
Oyster-Adams Bilingual School	Record	District of Columbia Public Schools	Washington, 20008City: Large	PK–8	Primary	767
Roosevelt STAY HS	Record	District of Columbia Public Schools	Washington, 20001City: Large	9–12	Alternative	740
Bancroft ES	Record	District of Columbia Public Schools	Washington, 20010City: Large	PK–5	Primary	715
McKinley Technology HS	Record	District of Columbia Public Schools	Washington, 20002City: Large	9–12	High	696
Janney ES	Record	District of Columbia Public Schools	Washington, 20016City: Large	PK–5	Primary	688
BASIS DC PCS	Record	BASIS DC PCS	Washington, 20004City: Large	5–12	Charter	663
Friendship PCS - Collegiate Academy	Record	Friendship PCS	Washington, 20019City: Large	9–12	Charter	661
Rocketship PCS - Legacy Prep	Record	Rocketship Education DC PCS	Washington, 20019City: Large	PK–5	Charter	658
Ballou HS	Record	District of Columbia Public Schools	Washington, 20032City: Large	9–12	High	657

Jackson-Reed HS

District of Columbia Public Schools

Washington, 20016 / City: Large

Profile9–12High2,153 students

District of Columbia International School

Washington, 20012 / City: Large

Profile6–12Charter1,590 students

Columbia Heights Education Campus

District of Columbia Public Schools

Washington, 20010 / City: Large

Profile6–12High1,567 students

Deal MS

District of Columbia Public Schools

Washington, 20016 / City: Large

Profile6–8Middle1,391 students

Coolidge HS

District of Columbia Public Schools

Washington, 20011 / City: Large

Profile9–12High1,015 students

Roosevelt HS

District of Columbia Public Schools

Washington, 20011 / City: Large

Record9–12High913 students

Lafayette ES

District of Columbia Public Schools

Washington, 20015 / City: Large

RecordPK–5Primary892 students

Dunbar HS

District of Columbia Public Schools

Washington, 20001 / City: Large

Record9–12High868 students

Eastern HS

District of Columbia Public Schools

Washington, 20003 / City: Large

Record9–12High865 students

Ingenuity Prep PCS

Washington, 20032 / City: Large

RecordPK–8Charter788 students

KIPP DC - College Preparatory PCS

KIPP DC PCS

Washington, 20002 / City: Large

Record9–12Charter769 students

Oyster-Adams Bilingual School

District of Columbia Public Schools

Washington, 20008 / City: Large

RecordPK–8Primary767 students

Roosevelt STAY HS

District of Columbia Public Schools

Washington, 20001 / City: Large

Record9–12Alternative740 students

Bancroft ES

District of Columbia Public Schools

Washington, 20010 / City: Large

RecordPK–5Primary715 students

McKinley Technology HS

District of Columbia Public Schools

Washington, 20002 / City: Large

Record9–12High696 students

Janney ES

District of Columbia Public Schools

Washington, 20016 / City: Large

RecordPK–5Primary688 students

BASIS DC PCS

Washington, 20004 / City: Large

Record5–12Charter663 students

Friendship PCS - Collegiate Academy

Friendship PCS

Washington, 20019 / City: Large

Record9–12Charter661 students

Rocketship PCS - Legacy Prep

Rocketship Education DC PCS

Washington, 20019 / City: Large

RecordPK–5Charter658 students

Ballou HS

District of Columbia Public Schools

Washington, 20032 / City: Large

Record9–12High657 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$11,959

State avg $11,959

Compare Nearby Counties

Review District of Columbia against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.

Open Compare

Browse Public Schools

See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.

View Schools

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the graduation rate in District of Columbia?

District of Columbia reports a 73.3% graduation rate in the available NCES four-year adjusted cohort graduation-rate data. This answer is generated from the same dataset used on the page and can change when federal data refreshes.

What is per-pupil spending like in District of Columbia?

District of Columbia reports $11,959 in per-pupil spending in the available NCES district-finance data. Use this as a broad jurisdiction-level signal, then review local school records for campus-level decisions.

How should I read the school score in District of Columbia?

District of Columbia has a school score of 48/100, which is a midrange measured signal in this county-level index. This score is calculated from available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data, with school-level records shown separately below.

What is the graduation rate in District of Columbia?

The high school graduation rate in District of Columbia is 73.3%, which is below the national average of 87.5%. This figure is based on NCES district-level data for public high schools in the county.

How much does District of Columbia spend per student?

District of Columbia spends $11,959 per pupil annually on public education, based on NCES district finance data. Current operating spending per fall enrollment, including instruction, support services, administration, transportation, and operations. It excludes capital outlays and debt service in the SchoolsByCounty methodology.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Jul 7, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Data Sources

Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.

Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.

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