Summary:
Thurgood Marshall Academy PCS is the only high school in this area, serving grades 9 through 12 with an enrollment of 373 students in Washington, DC; because it is the sole school, it functions as its own district, making comparisons only possible against state averages and prior-year performance. Thurgood Marshall Academy PCS has a very favorable student-teacher ratio of 10.9 to 1 and per-pupil spending of $38,343, yet its academic outcomes are far below state averages. The school’s star rating has been volatile, going from 3 stars in 2024-2025 to just 1 star in 2025-2026, with its state percentile dropping from 49th to 19th out of roughly 35-36 high schools.
Test scores show major challenges. Math proficiency is extremely low: only 4.8% of students were proficient in 2025-2026, and the figures were similar the prior year at 3.4%, meaning roughly 1 in 20 students meets state math standards. Algebra I and Geometry proficiency rates are also in the single digits. English Language Arts proficiency dropped from 24.9% to 15.9% in one year, with English II falling dramatically from 30.4% to 12.9%. The graduation rate stands at 74.4%, slightly better than the district rate of 73.4% but 4.3 points behind the state average of 78.7%, meaning about one in four students does not graduate on time.
The most striking finding is the paradox of high resources and low performance. Despite generous spending and small class sizes, the school lags state averages by roughly 23 percentage points in both math and ELA. The major area of concern is mathematics, where proficiency has remained in single digits for two straight years. The ELA decline, especially in English II, suggests the problem may be concentrated in specific cohorts. Free and reduced lunch data is not reported, which limits a full understanding of student needs. For parents considering this school, the data points to a need for strong academic intervention, particularly in math and upper-level English coursework, even though the school offers favorable class sizes and per-pupil investment.
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