Best Public Schools in District of Columbia

Top 50 schools ranked by resource quality score. Based on student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted programs & attendance. NCES CCD 2022-23.

72/100
Top Score
Learn Dc Pcs
51/100
Avg Score (Top 50)
50
Schools Ranked
DC
State
# School Score Grade
1. Learn Dc Pcs Washington 72 B
2. Statesmen College Preparatory Academy for Boys Pcs Washington 62 C+
3. Ross Es Washington 60 C+
4. Richard Wright Pcs for Journalism and Media Arts Washington 59 C
5. Mann Es Washington 58 C
6. School-Within-School at Goding Washington 57 C
7. Powell Es Washington 56 C
8. Shepherd Es Washington 56 C
9. Latin American Montessori Bilingual Pcs Washington 55 C
10. Washington Latin Pcs - Anna Julia Cooper Ms Washington 55 C
11. Hearst Es Washington 55 C
12. Key Es Washington 55 C
13. Center City Pcs - Brightwood Washington 55 C
14. Peabody Es (Capitol Hill Cluster) Washington 55 C
15. Military Road Early Learning Center Washington 55 C
16. Watkins Es (Capitol Hill Cluster) Washington 54 C-
17. Columbia Heights Education Campus Washington 53 C-
18. Maury Es Washington 52 C-
19. Ludlow-Taylor Es Washington 52 C-
20. Garrison Es Washington 52 C-
21. Thaddeus Stevens Early Learning Center Washington 52 C-
22. Sela Pcs Washington 51 C-
23. Thomson Es Washington 51 C-
24. Raymond Es Washington 50 C-
25. Hyde-Addison Es Washington 50 C-
26. Burroughs Es Washington 50 C-
27. Benjamin Banneker Hs Washington 49 D
28. Washington Yu Ying Pcs Washington 49 D
29. Eaton Es Washington 49 D
30. Two Rivers Pcs - 4th Street Washington 49 D
31. Lee Montessori Pcs - East End Washington 49 D
32. Bruce-Monroe Es at Park View Washington 48 D
33. Two Rivers Pcs - Young Es Washington 48 D
34. Payne Es Washington 48 D
35. Phelps Architecture Construction and Engineering Hs Washington 48 D
36. The Seed Pcs of Washington Dc Washington 48 D
37. District of Columbia International School Washington 47 D
38. Dorothy I. Height Es Washington 47 D
39. Friendship Pcs - Online Academy Washington 47 D
40. Kipp Dc - Inspire Academy Pcs Washington 47 D
41. Cleveland Es Washington 47 D
42. Ron Brown College Preparatory Hs Washington 47 D
43. Monument Academy Pcs Washington 47 D
44. Bancroft Es Washington 46 D
45. Oyster-Adams Bilingual School Washington 46 D
46. Brightwood Es Washington 46 D
47. School Without Walls at Francis-Stevens Washington 46 D
48. Washington Latin Pcs - Ms Washington 46 D
49. Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom Pcs - Brookland Washington 46 D
50. Capital Village Pcs Washington 46 D

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best public schools in District of Columbia? ▼

The top-rated school in District of Columbia is Learn Dc Pcs in Washington with a quality score of 72/100 (grade B). Rankings are based on student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, gifted programs, and attendance rates from NCES data.

How are school quality scores calculated? ▼

Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES data across 4 metrics: student-teacher ratio (lower is better, national avg ~16:1), counselor availability (ASCA recommends 250:1), gifted program availability, and chronic absenteeism rate (lower is better). This measures school resources, not test scores.

Explore More for District of Columbia

All Schools → Largest Schools → Absenteeism Data → Highest Spending → National Ranking →

Methodology

Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 metrics: student-teacher ratio, school counselor availability, gifted program access, and chronic absenteeism rates. Schools must have at least 50 students and data for one or more metrics. This measures resource quality, not test scores. Higher scores indicate smaller class sizes, better counselor access, and lower absenteeism.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.