schoolsbycounty

State district guide

District of Columbia public school districts

Compare district systems across District of Columbia by enrollment scale, school count, county context, generated guide coverage, and the parent checks that matter before choosing where to live.

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Direct answer for parents

What this district ranking can and cannot tell you

If you are searching for the best school districts in District of Columbia, start with the largest and most data-rich district systems below, then verify the specific school assigned to each address. SchoolsByCounty orders districts by reported enrollment and school count because those fields are consistent in NCES. It does not convert district size into a quality rating.

Start with scale

District of Columbia Public Schools

50,131 reported students

Check county context

Anne Arundel County

66/100 county score

Verify locally

Address fit

Attendance boundaries and transfers are not in NCES

District table

Largest public school districts in District of Columbia

The first 60 rows show the largest district systems by reported enrollment. Open district guides where available, or use the county profile when a detailed district page is not generated yet.

63 districts in state file

District of Columbia public school districts ranked by reported enrollment.
RankDistrictStudents
1
District of Columbia Public Schools

LEA ID 1100030

District of Columbia116 schools
50,131
2
KIPP DC PCS

LEA ID 1100031

District of Columbia20 schools
7,361
3
Friendship PCS

LEA ID 1100008

District of Columbia15 schools
4,609
4
DC Prep PCS

LEA ID 1100048

District of Columbia6 schools
2,128
5
District of Columbia International School

LEA ID 1100097

District of Columbia1 school
1,590
6
Rocketship Education DC PCS

LEA ID 1100106

District of Columbia3 schools
1,493
7
Center City PCS

LEA ID 1100073

District of Columbia6 schools
1,408
8
E.L. Haynes PCS

LEA ID 1100043

District of Columbia3 schools
1,164
9
Two Rivers PCS

LEA ID 1100045

District of Columbia3 schools
1,052
10
Mundo Verde Bilingual PCS

LEA ID 1100086

District of Columbia2 schools
1,007
11
Capital City PCS

LEA ID 1100035

District of Columbia3 schools
1,004
12
Washington Latin PCS

LEA ID 1100019

District of Columbia3 schools
917
13
Ingenuity Prep PCS

LEA ID 1100090

District of Columbia1 school
788
14
Paul PCS

LEA ID 1100039

District of Columbia2 schools
694
15
Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom PCS

LEA ID 1100009

District of Columbia2 schools
673
16
BASIS DC PCS

LEA ID 1100083

District of Columbia1 school
663
17
Meridian PCS

LEA ID 1100015

District of Columbia1 school
627
18
Washington Yu Ying PCS

LEA ID 1100077

District of Columbia1 school
602
19
Creative Minds International PCS

LEA ID 1100084

District of Columbia1 school
587
20
Latin American Montessori Bilingual PCS

LEA ID 1100032

District of Columbia1 school
553
21
DC Scholars PCS

LEA ID 1100085

District of Columbia1 school
532
22
DC Bilingual PCS

LEA ID 1100042

District of Columbia1 school
530
23
Inspired Teaching Demonstration PCS

LEA ID 1100080

District of Columbia1 school
518
24
Digital Pioneers Academy PCS

LEA ID 1100109

District of Columbia2 schools
511
25
AppleTree Early Learning PCS

LEA ID 1100054

District of Columbia6 schools
491
26
Lee Montessori PCS

LEA ID 1100093

District of Columbia2 schools
479
27
Cedar Tree Academy PCS

LEA ID 1100029

District of Columbia1 school
463
28
Perry Street Preparatory PCS

LEA ID 1100011

District of Columbia1 school
451
29
Eagle Academy PCS

LEA ID 1100049

District of Columbia2 schools
412
30
Goodwill Excel Center PCS

LEA ID 1100105

District of Columbia1 school
405
31
Cesar Chavez PCS for Public Policy

LEA ID 1100005

District of Columbia1 school
401
32
Bridges PCS

LEA ID 1100055

District of Columbia1 school
380
33
Washington Leadership Academy PCS

LEA ID 1100103

District of Columbia1 school
377
34
Breakthrough Montessori PCS

LEA ID 1100104

District of Columbia1 school
346
35
Thurgood Marshall Academy PCS

LEA ID 1100034

District of Columbia1 school
318
36
Kingsman Academy PCS

LEA ID 1100099

District of Columbia1 school
315
37
Mary McLeod Bethune Day Academy PCS

LEA ID 1100044

District of Columbia1 school
314
38
IDEA PCS

LEA ID 1100013

District of Columbia1 school
307
39
Richard Wright PCS for Journalism and Media Arts

LEA ID 1100082

District of Columbia1 school
300
40
Howard University Middle School of Math and Science PCS

LEA ID 1100058

District of Columbia1 school
284
41
Sela PCS

LEA ID 1100088

District of Columbia1 school
280
42
Statesmen College Preparatory Academy for Boys PCS

LEA ID 1100110

District of Columbia1 school
270
43
Shining Stars Montessori Academy PCS

LEA ID 1100081

District of Columbia1 school
262
44
Maya Angelou PCS

LEA ID 1100014

District of Columbia2 schools
252
45
Early Childhood Academy PCS

LEA ID 1100057

District of Columbia1 school
250
46
St. Coletta Special Education PCS

LEA ID 1100064

District of Columbia1 school
250
47
SEED PCS

LEA ID 1100022

District of Columbia1 school
248
48
Washington Global PCS

LEA ID 1100102

District of Columbia1 school
240
49
Achievement Preparatory Academy PCS

LEA ID 1100072

District of Columbia1 school
228
50
LEARN DC PCS

LEA ID 1100117

District of Columbia1 school
214
51
The Sojourner Truth School PCS

LEA ID 1100111

District of Columbia1 school
212
52
The Children's Guild DC PCS

LEA ID 1100101

District of Columbia1 school
206
53
Hope Community PCS

LEA ID 1100051

District of Columbia1 school
203
54
Girls Global Academy PCS

LEA ID 1100113

District of Columbia1 school
163
55
Harmony DC PCS

LEA ID 1100096

District of Columbia1 school
159
56
Social Justice PCS

LEA ID 1100115

District of Columbia1 school
152
57
Monument Academy PCS

LEA ID 1100100

District of Columbia1 school
123
58
Global Citizens PCS

LEA ID 1100116

District of Columbia1 school
110
59
Capital Village PCS

LEA ID 1100112

District of Columbia1 school
108
60
Roots PCS

LEA ID 1100020

District of Columbia1 school
89

— = enrollment not reported in the district record. District rows are informational and must be paired with local assignment tools before a housing decision.

Methodology

How to use district rankings without overreading them

District-level data is useful because it shows the operating system around a public school search: how many schools exist, which county record anchors the district, how much enrollment is reported, and whether a detailed district guide is available. It is not enough to decide where a student should enroll.

Ranking basis

Rows are ordered by reported enrollment, then school count. The method favors broad, data-rich systems because those are the districts parents most often need to research before relocation.

County context

Each district is attached to a primary county record when available. County school scores are context signals, not district ratings, and nearby counties can still matter for commute and housing decisions.

Grade pathway

Elementary, middle, and high school counts help parents spot whether a district looks like a full K-12 pathway or a narrower operating unit. Feeder patterns still require local verification.

Address verification

The final decision happens at the address level. Confirm attendance zones, open-enrollment rules, magnet admissions, charter lotteries, and transfer windows with official district sources.

County context

Districts anchored in higher-scoring county contexts

These rows pair district records with the county-level SchoolsByCounty score. Treat this as a shortlist for deeper research, not a district quality ranking.

66

Students
35
Schools
2

District of Columbia Public Schools

District of Columbia

48

Students
50,131
Schools
116
Open district guide

48

Students
7,361
Schools
20
Open district guide

Friendship PCS

District of Columbia

48

Students
4,609
Schools
15
Open district guide

48

Students
2,128
Schools
6

District of Columbia International School

District of Columbia

48

Students
1,590
Schools
1

Parent checklist before relying on a district ranking

Use this page to narrow the field, then answer these local questions before treating any district as a fit for a specific home.

Which school does this address actually feed into?

Use the district address lookup and confirm edge cases near attendance-zone borders.

What happens at transition grades?

A strong elementary fit can split into several middle or high school paths.

Are choice programs realistic for this student?

Magnet, charter, virtual, and transfer options can involve lotteries, applications, or deadlines.

Is the county context aligned with housing tradeoffs?

Pair school research with taxes, commute, home prices, and safety before choosing where to live.

Frequently Asked Questions About District of Columbia School Districts

What are the best school districts in District of Columbia?
District of Columbia Public Schools, KIPP DC PCS, Friendship PCS are the largest District of Columbia district systems by reported enrollment in the NCES file. SchoolsByCounty does not call them the best districts; use this page to find data-rich district systems, then verify assigned schools, program rules, and local fit.
How are District of Columbia districts ranked here?
Districts are ordered by reported student enrollment, then school count, using NCES public school district records. This is a research-priority ranking, not a quality rating.
Why do only 3 District of Columbia districts have district guide links?
SchoolsByCounty statically generates detailed district guides for the largest district systems nationally so the pages stay fast and substantive. Districts without guide links remain represented through county and state context pages.
Do these district pages show attendance boundaries?
No. Attendance zones, transfer rules, magnet eligibility, charter admission, transportation, and program availability must be verified with official district or local assignment tools before choosing a home.
Does a large district mean better schools?
No. Larger districts usually have more school options and more public data, but enrollment size is not a school-quality measure. Compare school-level records and official local sources before treating a district as a fit.
How many districts are included for District of Columbia?
This page includes 63 District of Columbia public school districts from the current NCES district file, alongside county context and generated district-guide availability where available.
By Evan Brooks, Data EditorPublished

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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