How equitable is school funding in District of Columbia?

The average funding equity score for District of Columbia school districts is 38 out of 100, compared to the national average of 49. This score considers per-pupil spending, need-adjusted spending, funding source diversity, and student-teacher ratios.

What does the equity score measure?

The equity score (0-100) measures four dimensions: per-pupil spending level, need-adjusted spending (rewarding districts that spend more where poverty is higher), funding diversity (less reliance on local property taxes), and resource access (lower student-teacher ratios).

District of Columbia · NCES F-33 finance data

School Funding Equity in District of Columbia

52 districts ranked by how equitably school funding is distributed, scored from NCES F-33 school finance data covering districts in all 50 states.

Compiled by PlainSchools, Education-data publisher · August 26, 2026

The equity picture in one line

Cesar Chavez Pcs for Public Policy ranks first in District of Columbia for funding equity at 64/100, in a state whose districts average 38 against a national average of 49.

64/100
top score (Cesar Chavez Pcs for Public Policy): $36,080
per-pupil spending in the top district: 0
districts scoring 70 or higher: 17
districts below 30

#	District	Enrollment	$/Pupil	Free Lunch	Local Rev %	Score
1	Cesar Chavez Pcs for Public Policy	401	$36,080	-	78.5%	64
2	Seed Pcs	248	$60,794	-	85.0%	64
3	Eagle Academy Pcs	412	$46,000	-	72.7%	63
4	Hope Community Pcs	203	$41,251	-	78.1%	63
5	Mary Mcleod Bethune Day Academy Pcs	314	$36,159	-	82.1%	62
6	Idea Pcs	307	$36,919	-	78.0%	62
7	Bridges Pcs	380	$36,237	-	85.4%	61
8	The Children's Guild Dc Pcs	206	$43,107	-	74.8%	60
9	Howard University Middle School of Math and Science Pcs	284	$35,039	-	83.0%	58
10	Meridian Pcs	627	$31,325	-	80.6%	55
11	Washington Leadership Academy Pcs	377	$35,626	-	88.4%	55
12	Thurgood Marshall Academy Pcs	318	$38,858	-	85.6%	55
13	Ingenuity Prep Pcs	788	$29,173	-	83.5%	54
14	Perry Street Preparatory Pcs	451	$27,674	-	75.4%	54
15	Maya Angelou Pcs	539	$73,361	-	91.9%	52
16	Sela Pcs	280	$28,300	-	83.8%	52
17	Paul Pcs	694	$31,321	-	84.9%	50
18	Capital City Pcs	1,004	$31,189	-	89.0%	48
19	Appletree Early Learning Pcs	491	$31,644	-	87.6%	44
20	Digital Pioneers Academy Pcs	511	$35,597	-	82.5%	43
21	Rocketship Education Dc Pcs	1,493	$31,705	-	84.4%	41
22	District of Columbia Public Schools	50,131	$31,629	-	86.2%	40
23	Statesmen College Preparatory Academy for Boys Pcs	270	$36,256	-	88.5%	40
24	Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom Pcs	673	$22,837	-	74.8%	39
25	E.L. Haynes Pcs	1,164	$31,176	-	91.2%	38
26	Dc Scholars Pcs	532	$22,477	-	82.6%	38
27	Richard Wright Pcs for Journalism and Media Arts	300	$30,493	-	85.1%	38
28	Achievement Preparatory Academy Pcs	228	$36,061	-	84.8%	38
29	Dc Bilingual Pcs	530	$28,725	-	91.2%	37
30	Washington Global Pcs	240	$25,142	-	79.9%	36
31	The Sojourner Truth School Pcs	212	$28,778	-	86.4%	36
32	Creative Minds International Pcs	587	$28,944	-	92.8%	35
33	Center City Pcs	1,408	$27,018	-	87.8%	34
34	Two Rivers Pcs	1,052	$24,862	-	86.1%	33
35	Friendship Pcs	4,609	$23,955	-	87.7%	30
36	Learn Dc Pcs	214	$35,271	-	89.8%	28
37	Kipp Dc Pcs	7,361	$25,700	-	88.5%	27
38	District of Columbia International School	1,590	$24,063	-	89.4%	26
39	Kingsman Academy Pcs	315	$33,603	-	89.7%	26
40	Dc Prep Pcs	2,128	$29,080	-	93.5%	25
41	Cedar Tree Academy Pcs	463	$24,060	-	85.2%	25
42	Latin American Montessori Bilingual Pcs	553	$24,438	-	91.9%	24
43	Lee Montessori Pcs	479	$27,791	-	90.7%	21
44	Shining Stars Montessori Academy Pcs	262	$21,015	-	87.4%	18
45	Early Childhood Academy Pcs	250	$27,064	-	92.2%	18
46	Mundo Verde Bilingual Pcs	1,007	$25,625	-	91.4%	16
47	Washington Yu Ying Pcs	602	$22,576	-	92.7%	16
48	Washington Latin Pcs	917	$24,650	-	95.0%	13
49	Inspired Teaching Demonstration Pcs	518	$23,799	-	92.9%	13
50	Breakthrough Montessori Pcs	346	$25,731	-	94.1%	12
51	Basis Dc Pcs	663	$21,175	-	96.1%	8
52	Goodwill Excel Center Pcs	405	$24,242	-	95.6%	7

How the Equity Score Works

The equity score (0-100) evaluates four dimensions of school funding fairness. According to the National Center for Education Statistics F-33 Finance Survey (FY 2022-23), which covers more than 17,000 districts nationwide, local property wealth drives most of the spending differences the score captures; our methodology documents each weight:

Per-Pupil Spending (0-25)

Higher spending relative to peers

Need-Adjusted Spending (0-25)

Spending weighted by poverty level, rewards districts that spend more where need is greatest

Funding Diversity (0-25)

Less reliance on local property taxes, more state/federal support

Resource Access (0-25)

Lower student-teacher ratios = more individualized attention

National Equity Rankings → ← Back to District of Columbia

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