Public schools in Washington, DC
Washington has 239 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 42 high, 42 middle, 144 elementary, 11 other, enrolling 92,875 students. They are run by 61 districts and agencies; District of Columbia Public Schools runs 116 of them.
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method
The 61 districts and agencies that run Washington's public schools
Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.
| District | Schools in Washington | District students, fall 2022 | Spending per student, FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia Public Schools | 116 | 50,131 | $31,629 |
| KIPP DC Public Schools | 20 | 7,361 | $25,700 |
| Friendship Public Charter School | 15 | 4,609 | $23,955 |
| DC Prep PCS | 6 | 2,128 | $29,080 |
| Center City PCS | 6 | 1,408 | $27,018 |
| AppleTree Early Learning PCS | 6 | 491 | $31,644 |
| Rocketship Education DC PCS | 3 | 1,493 | $31,705 |
| E.L. Haynes Public Charter School | 3 | 1,164 | $31,176 |
| Two Rivers Public Charter School | 3 | 1,052 | $24,862 |
| Washington Latin Public Charter Schools | 3 | 917 | $24,650 |
| Capital City PCS | 3 | 1,004 | $31,189 |
| Mundo Verde Bilingual PCS | 2 | 1,007 | $25,625 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: school location city and operating agency; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: district fall membership and current spending per student. Schools on a city's edge can serve students from outside it.
42 high schools in Washington, 23,970 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson-Reed High School | 1,855 | 13.6 | not reported | District of Columbia Public Schools |
| District of Columbia International School | 1,654 | 10.3 | not reported | District of Columbia International School |
| Columbia Heights Education Campus | 1,563 | 10.5 | All free (CEP) | District of Columbia Public Schools |
| Coolidge High School | 1,029 | 12.6 | All free (CEP) | District of Columbia Public Schools |
| Roosevelt High School | 943 | 11.7 | All free (CEP) | District of Columbia Public Schools |
| Eastern High School | 909 | 10.7 | All free (CEP) | District of Columbia Public Schools |
| Dunbar High School | 892 | 10.3 | All free (CEP) | District of Columbia Public Schools |
| Friendship PCS - Collegiate Academy | 745 | 11.0 | All free (CEP) | Friendship Public Charter School |
| McKinley Technology High School | 723 | 14.4 | All free (CEP) | District of Columbia Public Schools |
| Cardozo Education Campus | 710 | 9.1 | All free (CEP) | District of Columbia Public Schools |
The other 32 high schools
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
42 middle schools in Washington, 14,482 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deal Middle School | 1,462 | 13.9 | not reported | District of Columbia Public Schools |
| Hardy Middle School | 631 | 13.1 | not reported | District of Columbia Public Schools |
| Ida B. Wells Middle School | 521 | 10.2 | All free (CEP) | District of Columbia Public Schools |
| MacFarland Middle School | 486 | 8.8 | All free (CEP) | District of Columbia Public Schools |
| Stuart-Hobson MS (Capitol Hill Cluster) | 460 | 13.5 | All free (CEP) | District of Columbia Public Schools |
| KIPP DC - AIM Academy PCS | 435 | 11.7 | All free (CEP) | KIPP DC Public Schools |
| Eliot-Hine Middle School | 432 | 13.1 | All free (CEP) | District of Columbia Public Schools |
| KIPP DC - KEY Academy PCS | 422 | 12.3 | All free (CEP) | KIPP DC Public Schools |
| Jefferson MS Academy | 409 | 12.4 | All free (CEP) | District of Columbia Public Schools |
| Washington Latin PCS - Middle School | 389 | 15.0 | not reported | Washington Latin Public Charter Schools |
The other 32 middle schools
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
144 elementary schools in Washington, 53,218 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette Elementary School | 923 | 14.7 | not reported | District of Columbia Public Schools |
| Bancroft Elementary School | 821 | 12.8 | All free (CEP) | District of Columbia Public Schools |
| Ingenuity Prep PCS | 797 | 8.3 | All free (CEP) | Ingenuity Prep PCS |
| Oyster-Adams Bilingual School | 791 | 13.2 | not reported | District of Columbia Public Schools |
| Janney Elementary School | 717 | 13.5 | not reported | District of Columbia Public Schools |
| Washington Yu Ying PCS | 701 | 10.0 | not reported | Washington Yu Ying PCS |
| Murch Elementary School | 658 | 14.0 | not reported | District of Columbia Public Schools |
| Brightwood Elementary School | 646 | 9.1 | All free (CEP) | District of Columbia Public Schools |
| DC Bilingual PCS | 622 | 8.0 | not reported | DC Bilingual Public Charter School |
| KIPP DC - Promise Academy PCS | 614 | 14.3 | All free (CEP) | KIPP DC Public Schools |
The other 134 elementary schools
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
11 other schools in Washington, 1,205 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Coletta Special Education PCS | 250 | 8.3 | not reported | St. Coletta Special Education PCS |
| KIPP DC - LEAP Academy PCS | 221 | 14.4 | All free (CEP) | KIPP DC Public Schools |
| River Terrace Education Campus | 125 | 8.6 | All free (CEP) | District of Columbia Public Schools |
| AppleTree Early Learning Center PCS - Columbia Heights | 119 | 10.7 | All free (CEP) | AppleTree Early Learning PCS |
| AppleTree Early Learning Center PCS - Parklands at THEARC | 98 | 12.9 | All free (CEP) | AppleTree Early Learning PCS |
| Thaddeus Stevens Early Learning Center | 84 | 6.5 | All free (CEP) | District of Columbia Public Schools |
| AppleTree Early Learning Center PCS - Oklahoma Avenue | 84 | 6.5 | All free (CEP) | AppleTree Early Learning PCS |
| Military Road Early Learning Center | 70 | 5.8 | All free (CEP) | District of Columbia Public Schools |
| AppleTree Early Learning Center PCS - Lincoln Park | 61 | 9.8 | not reported | AppleTree Early Learning PCS |
| AppleTree Early Learning Center PCS - Southwest | 54 | 7.7 | All free (CEP) | AppleTree Early Learning PCS |
One more other school
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AppleTree Early Learning Center PCS - Douglas Knoll | 39 | 7.8 | All free (CEP) | AppleTree Early Learning PCS |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
How Washington's public schools compare with District of Columbia's
The median Washington school has 10.6 students per full-time teacher, about the same as the District of Columbia median of 10.6. 80% of its schools ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22, against 80% across the state. Its median school enrolls 348 students (state 347).
| Washington | District of Columbia | |
|---|---|---|
| Median students per teacher | 10.6 | 10.6 |
| Median school size (students) | 348 | 347 |
| Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22) | 80% | 80% |
| Schools where every student eats free (CEP) | 78% | 78% |
| Charter schools | 51% | 51% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 239 Washington schools and the 240 District of Columbia schools open that year with students); Title I status CCD 2021-22. Students per teacher counts 2024-25 teachers and ratios from 3 to 99.
What to look at next in Washington
- District of Columbia Public SchoolsRuns 116 of Washington's 239 public schools and spent $31,629 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$31,629
- Jackson-Reed High School, the largest high school in Washington1,855 students in 2024-25, 13.6 per teacher.1,855
- Compare District of Columbia Public Schools with KIPP DC Public SchoolsWashington's two largest operators side by side: enrollment, spending and schools.
- The largest public schools in District of ColumbiaDistrict of Columbia's 50 largest schools open in 2024-25, by enrollment.
- Find the school district for a Washington addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools and their operating agencies); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student).
Choosing among them: how to choose a school district with the federal data, and what a Title I school is.
Questions about schools in Washington
How many public schools are in Washington, DC?
239 public schools with an address in Washington were open in 2024-25: 42 high, 42 middle, 144 elementary, 11 other, enrolling 92,875 students. 123 are charter schools.What is the largest high school in Washington?
Jackson-Reed High School, with 1,855 students in 2024-25 (District of Columbia Public Schools).Which districts run Washington's schools?
District of Columbia Public Schools (116 schools), KIPP DC Public Schools (20 schools), Friendship Public Charter School (15 schools), DC Prep PCS (6 schools), and 57 more. A school's district, not its city, decides who can enroll.
These figures are for information and are not a substitute for the district's enrollment office, which confirms the school a home is assigned to.
Sources
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Public school search (the official record of each school) · 2024-25