Summary:
E.L. Haynes PCS - High School is the only high school in the E.L. Haynes PCS district, serving grades 9–12 with 446 students in Washington, DC.
This school stands out most for its exceptional graduation rate: 94.9% of students graduated in 2024–25, far above the DC state average of 78.7%. It also earned 4 stars and ranked 10th out of 36 DC high schools in 2025–26, a strong rebound from a 3-star year. However, test proficiency tells a more complicated story. On the DC CAPE, only 25.2% of students were proficient in English Language Arts and 15.7% in math, both below state averages. The school invests heavily in students with $32,628 in per-pupil spending and a very low 8.8:1 student-teacher ratio, yet these resources do not clearly translate into higher standardized test scores, possibly reflecting a high-need student population.
Performance across subjects is uneven. Geometry is a clear strength, with 24.7% proficiency versus a 14.7% state average, but Algebra I dropped sharply to just 5.4% proficiency. English II improved dramatically from 25.7% to 36.7%, nearly matching the state average, while English I remains a major concern at 15.4%. The school’s ranking has also been somewhat volatile, moving from 76th percentile in 2023–24 down to 60th in 2024–25 and back up to 72nd in 2025–26. For parents, this is a school that clearly supports students toward graduation and shows real strengths in certain courses, but families should be aware that overall proficiency in core subjects lags DC averages and that math, especially Algebra I, needs attention.
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