District of Columbia Public Schools
Public school district · District of Columbia · District of Columbia · NCES district ID 1100030
District of Columbia Public Schools spent $31,629 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 90% of the other District of Columbia districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $27,018). Its 116 schools enrolled 51,245 students in 2024-25. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $31,529 per student, down 0.3% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 76% (District of Columbia: 76.5%).
NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method
Spending per student among District of Columbia's largest districts
Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. Among the 10 districts shown, District of Columbia Public Schools ranks 2.
Where the money came from
$1,881,552,000 in revenue: not reported state, 89.1% local and 10.9% federal. Total spending including $296,618,000 of capital outlay was $1,943,297,000, or $39,111 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.
- State$0 0%
- Local$1,676,812,000 89%
- Federal$204,740,000 11%
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 11 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).
Enrollment rose from 2022-23 to 2024-25
49,687 students in 2022-23, 50,601 students in 2023-24, 51,245 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.
Teachers and students per teacher
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 49,687 | 4389.2 | 11.3 |
| 2023-24 | 50,601 | 4544.6 | 11.1 |
| 2024-25 | 51,245 | 4714.7 | 10.9 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.
$548,592,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $11,041 per student
District of Columbia Public Schools booked $548,592,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 4,389 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $124,986 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 98 in 100 District of Columbia districts with a figure (state median $84,894, 48 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average District of Columbia teacher salary at $82,523 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
| Program | Teacher salaries | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Regular programs | $427,734,000 | 78.0% |
| Special education | $105,220,000 | 19.2% |
| Vocational | $11,849,000 | 2.2% |
| Other programs | $3,789,000 | 0.7% |
Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23
The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $7,244 in 2018-19, $7,545 in 2019-20, $8,151 in 2020-21, $8,752 in 2021-22, $11,041 in 2022-23.
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).
State test results, 2021-22
In 2021-22, the students tested in District of Columbia Public Schools scored proficient or above: 35% in reading and 22% in math, against 30.6% in reading and 19.3% in math across District of Columbia. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within District of Columbia, not across states.
| Subject | This district | District of Columbia | Students tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and language arts | 35% | 30.6% | 24,313 |
| Math | 22% | 19.3% | 23,907 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.
Graduation rate, class of 2023
76% of the 3,129 students in District of Columbia Public Schools' class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 76.5% across District of Columbia. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.
| This district | District of Columbia | |
|---|---|---|
| Four-year graduation rate | 76% | 76.5% |
| Students in the class | 3,129 | 4,759 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.
79 elementary schools, 30,660 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette Elementary School | 923 | 14.7 | not reported | Not Title I |
| Bancroft Elementary School | 821 | 12.8 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Oyster-Adams Bilingual School | 791 | 13.2 | not reported | Not Title I |
| Janney Elementary School | 717 | 13.5 | not reported | Not Title I |
| Murch Elementary School | 658 | 14.0 | not reported | Not Title I |
| Brightwood Elementary School | 646 | 9.1 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| School Without Walls at Francis-Stevens | 583 | 10.2 | All free (CEP) | Not Title I |
| Barnard Elementary School | 573 | 10.1 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Maury Elementary School | 559 | 14.7 | not reported | Not Title I |
| Tyler Elementary School | 542 | 11.8 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Powell Elementary School | 514 | 10.3 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| John Lewis Elementary School | 509 | 10.6 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
The other 67 elementary schools
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capitol Hill Montessori School at Logan | 503 | 14.0 | All free (CEP) | Not Title I |
| Ludlow-Taylor Elementary School | 489 | 13.6 | All free (CEP) | Not Title I |
| Takoma Elementary School | 483 | 9.9 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| J.O. Wilson Elementary School | 477 | 10.6 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Marie Reed Elementary School | 461 | 10.2 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Turner Elementary School | 461 | 12.3 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Browne Education Campus | 457 | 9.0 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Leckie Education Campus | 453 | 11.8 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Whittier Elementary School | 450 | 10.0 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Bruce-Monroe ES at Park View | 448 | 9.5 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Raymond Elementary School | 439 | 10.2 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Eaton Elementary School | 436 | 13.0 | not reported | Not Title I |
| Miner Elementary School | 433 | 11.2 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Stoddert Elementary School | 425 | 12.1 | not reported | Not Title I |
| Brent Elementary School | 421 | 13.0 | not reported | Not Title I |
| Lawrence E. Boone Elementary School | 416 | 10.8 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Watkins ES (Capitol Hill Cluster) | 415 | 13.8 | All free (CEP) | Not Title I |
| Tubman Elementary School | 415 | 6.0 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Beers Elementary School | 412 | 10.8 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| H.D. Cooke Elementary School | 406 | 9.2 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Van Ness Elementary School | 404 | 13.0 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Hyde-Addison Elementary School | 400 | 12.5 | not reported | Not Title I |
| Dorothy I. Height Elementary School | 400 | 9.4 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Payne Elementary School | 398 | 12.0 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Mann Elementary School | 397 | 12.4 | not reported | Not Title I |
| Garrison Elementary School | 395 | 9.6 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Shepherd Elementary School | 394 | 13.1 | not reported | Not Title I |
| Seaton Elementary School | 390 | 9.2 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Wheatley Education Campus | 390 | 8.7 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Langdon Elementary School | 377 | 10.2 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Amidon-Bowen Elementary School | 374 | 10.4 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Truesdell Elementary School | 370 | 9.3 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Excel Academy | 363 | 10.4 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Hearst Elementary School | 356 | 13.4 | not reported | Schoolwide program |
| Langley Elementary School | 348 | 11.0 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Key Elementary School | 337 | 13.0 | not reported | Not Title I |
| Burroughs Elementary School | 331 | 11.2 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Kimball Elementary School | 330 | 9.6 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| School-Within-School at Goding | 325 | 10.8 | not reported | Not Title I |
| Houston Elementary School | 314 | 9.5 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Randle Highlands Elementary School | 301 | 10.0 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Cleveland Elementary School | 301 | 8.6 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Noyes Elementary School | 293 | 9.8 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Walker-Jones Education Campus | 292 | 8.1 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Stanton Elementary School | 288 | 9.6 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Nalle Elementary School | 287 | 8.6 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| LaSalle-Backus Elementary School | 279 | 8.0 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Hendley Elementary School | 276 | 9.5 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Thomson Elementary School | 259 | 8.2 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Garfield Elementary School | 252 | 10.3 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| C.W. Harris Elementary School | 251 | 8.5 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Smothers Elementary School | 250 | 8.6 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Ketcham Elementary School | 244 | 9.0 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Patterson Elementary School | 238 | 8.2 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Savoy Elementary School | 233 | 9.7 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Plummer Elementary School | 233 | 7.5 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Burrville Elementary School | 232 | 11.6 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Simon Elementary School | 231 | 8.9 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Thomas Elementary School | 228 | 7.9 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Drew Elementary School | 223 | 8.7 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Bunker Hill Elementary School | 219 | 10.4 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Moten Elementary School | 216 | 7.7 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Peabody ES (Capitol Hill Cluster) | 209 | 12.7 | not reported | Schoolwide program |
| King Elementary School | 193 | 7.7 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Ross Elementary School | 171 | 9.0 | not reported | Not Title I |
| Malcolm X ES at Green | 170 | 6.5 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Lorraine H. Whitlock Elementary School | 162 | 8.8 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
14 middle schools, 6,500 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deal Middle School | 1,462 | 13.9 | not reported | Schoolwide program |
| Hardy Middle School | 631 | 13.1 | not reported | Not Title I |
| Ida B. Wells Middle School | 521 | 10.2 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| MacFarland Middle School | 486 | 8.8 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Stuart-Hobson MS (Capitol Hill Cluster) | 460 | 13.5 | All free (CEP) | Targeted program |
| Eliot-Hine Middle School | 432 | 13.1 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Jefferson MS Academy | 409 | 12.4 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Brookland Middle School | 381 | 10.6 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Hart Middle School | 374 | 10.4 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Kelly Miller Middle School | 315 | 10.9 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Johnson Middle School | 307 | 11.8 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| McKinley Middle School | 286 | 12.2 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
The other 2 middle schools
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sousa Middle School | 223 | 9.3 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Kramer Middle School | 213 | 8.5 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
20 high schools, 13,806 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson-Reed High School | 1,855 | 13.6 | not reported | Not Title I |
| Columbia Heights Education Campus | 1,563 | 10.5 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Coolidge High School | 1,029 | 12.6 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Roosevelt High School | 943 | 11.7 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Eastern High School | 909 | 10.7 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Dunbar High School | 892 | 10.3 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| McKinley Technology High School | 723 | 14.4 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Cardozo Education Campus | 710 | 9.1 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Benjamin Banneker High School | 703 | 16.3 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| School Without Walls High School | 606 | 16.2 | not reported | Not Title I |
| Ballou High School | 597 | 9.6 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Duke Ellington School of the Arts | 589 | 28.0 | All free (CEP) | Not Title I |
The other 8 high schools
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H.D. Woodson High School | 579 | 9.3 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Roosevelt STAY High School | 432 | 8.5 | All free (CEP) | Not Title I |
| Phelps Architecture Construction and Engineering High School | 350 | 10.6 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Bard HS Early College DC (Bard DC) | 331 | 10.3 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Ballou STAY High School | 278 | 9.1 | All free (CEP) | Not Title I |
| Luke C. Moore High School | 275 | 12.0 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Anacostia High School | 246 | 7.7 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Ron Brown College Preparatory High School | 196 | 6.8 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
3 other schools, 279 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| River Terrace Education Campus | 125 | 8.6 | All free (CEP) | Schoolwide program |
| Thaddeus Stevens Early Learning Center | 84 | 6.5 | All free (CEP) | Not Title I |
| Military Road Early Learning Center | 70 | 5.8 | All free (CEP) | Not Title I |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
Contact District of Columbia Public Schools
- Website: dcps.dc.gov
- Phone: (202) 727-7377
- Office: 1200 First St NE, Washington, DC 20002
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.
What to look at next about District of Columbia Public Schools
- District of Columbia districts by spending per studentDistrict of Columbia Public Schools ranks 2 of 11 District of Columbia districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($31,629).#2 of 11
- Every school district in District of ColumbiaDistrict of Columbia Public Schools is the largest of 71 District of Columbia districts, with 50,131 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#1 of 71
- KIPP DC Public SchoolsThe next smaller District of Columbia district: 7,361 students in fall 2022, $25,700 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$25,700
- Compare District of Columbia Public Schools with KIPP DC Public SchoolsEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
- Jackson-Reed High School, its largest high school1,855 students in 2024-25, 13.6 per teacher.1,855
- Teacher salary spending across District of ColumbiaDistrict of Columbia Public Schools spent $124,986 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $84,894); spending, not a salary.$124,986
- Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).
Questions about District of Columbia Public Schools
How many schools and students are in District of Columbia Public Schools?
116 schools were open in 2024-25 (79 elementary, 14 middle, 20 high, 3 other), enrolling 51,245 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.How much does District of Columbia Public Schools spend per student?
$31,629 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the District of Columbia median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $27,018 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $31,529 per student, down 0.3% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).Where does District of Columbia Public Schools' money come from?
$1,881,552,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: not reported state, 89.1% local and 10.9% federal (NCES F-33).How many children in District of Columbia Public Schools live in poverty?
The Census Bureau estimates that 22,266 of the 90,393 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 24.6%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.How much does District of Columbia Public Schools spend on teacher salaries?
$548,592,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $11,041 per student. Divided by the 4,389 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $124,986 per teacher, more than 98 in 100 District of Columbia districts (state median $84,894). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average District of Columbia teacher salary at $82,523 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).How do students in District of Columbia Public Schools do on state tests?
In 2021-22, the students tested in District of Columbia Public Schools scored proficient or above: 35% in reading and 22% in math, against 30.6% in reading and 19.3% in math across District of Columbia. District of Columbia's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.What is the graduation rate in District of Columbia Public Schools?
76% of the 3,129 students in District of Columbia Public Schools' class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 76.5% across District of Columbia. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.What is District of Columbia Public Schools' NCES district ID?
1100030. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.
Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.
Sources
Every federal file behind this record
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
- Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
- EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
- EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
- NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25