Beta You're viewing our redesigned school list. Prefer the classic layout?

Center City PCS

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its District Of Columbia rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

Be the first to know when we post new rankings!

Test scores delayed: 2025-2026 science scores will be released by the DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education in October, at which point rankings will be updated.

At a glance

30^thof 46 District Of Columbia districts▼ 9

Better than 34% of District Of Columbia districts

Elementary 6Grades PK, KG-8

301 N Street NE Suite 200
Washington, DC 20002·(202) 562-7070·All District Of Columbia district rankings →

Statewide performance 2017–2026

2026: better than 34.8% of districts

Schools

1,446

Students

Top rankedCenter City PCS - Petworth65^th of 124 District Of Columbia elementary schools

▲

Biggest riser

Center City PCS - Petworth up 14 spots statewide this year

◉

Smallest classes

Center City PCS - Shaw 8.2 students per teacher

Compare District Of Columbia districts →See the top-ranked District Of Columbia schools →

Summary:

Center City PCS is a network of six elementary campuses in Washington, DC, serving grades PK through 8 with a combined enrollment of 1,446 students, and the district ranks 30th out of 46 DC districts. The Center City PCS network spans neighborhoods from Brightwood and Petworth in the north to Congress Heights in the south, with individual enrollments ranging from 202 to 269 students per campus.

There is a stark divide between the network's strongest and weakest schools. Center City PCS - Congress Heights is the standout, with 54.3% ELA and 36.2% math proficiency — one of only two campuses to beat state averages in both subjects alongside Center City PCS - Brightwood (43% ELA, 38% math). Brightwood also has the network's lowest per-student spending at $27,658, making it the most cost-effective option. At the other end, Center City PCS - Capitol Hill (13% ELA, 10.3% math) and Center City PCS - Shaw (11.5% ELA, 11.5% math) have dropped to 0-star ratings after ranking solidly just two years ago.

Spending clearly does not predict outcomes: Center City PCS - Trinidad spends the most at $32,380 per student yet posts some of the lowest scores, while Congress Heights has the highest student-teacher ratio (12.4) and the best results. Math is the network's biggest weakness, averaging just 21.7% proficiency versus the state's 28.2%, with Capitol Hill, Shaw, and Trinidad in the 10–13% range. Still, there are bright spots: Brightwood's 7th-grade ELA proficiency reaches 82.6% and its 3rd-grade math hits 53.9%, while Center City PCS - Petworth shows strong middle-school ELA results. Parents should evaluate campuses individually, as academic outcomes vary dramatically across this single network.

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				DC CAPE English Language Arts (2026)						DC CAPE Mathematics (2026)							Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2016)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	DC CAPE English Language Arts 3rd Grade	DC CAPE English Language Arts 4th Grade	DC CAPE English Language Arts 6th Grade	DC CAPE English Language Arts 7th Grade	DC CAPE English Language Arts 8th Grade	DC CAPE English Language Arts All Grades	DC CAPE Mathematics 3rd Grade	DC CAPE Mathematics 4th Grade	DC CAPE Mathematics 5th Grade	DC CAPE Mathematics 6th Grade	DC CAPE Mathematics 7th Grade	DC CAPE Mathematics 8th Grade	DC CAPE Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Center City PCS - Capitol Hill	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	1503 East Capitol Street SE	Washington	20003	District Of Columbia	Center City PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 547-7556	257	25	10.2	99.2%	0 (0.0%)	231 (89.9%)	7 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (7.0%)	13.9	117^th of 124 public elementary schools	5.6%		22	101^st of 128 public elementary schools	21.1%	16	4.4	10.7	14.2	11.2		13.0	8.7	10.7	4.6	3.6	11.2	27.8	10.3	$28,984	$4,846	$24,138
Center City PCS - Petworth	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	510 Webster Street NW	Washington	20011	District Of Columbia	Center City PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 554-9212	255	26	9.8	80.9%	0 (0.0%)	151 (59.2%)	98 (38.4%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.2%)	37.2	65^th of 124 public elementary schools	47.6%		33.1	79^th of 128 public elementary schools	38.3%	14	13.7			50.0	48.1	35.8	45.5		7.7	19.0	11.6	20.0	21.5	$27,934	$4,846	$23,087
Center City PCS - Brightwood	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	6008 Georgia Avenue NW	Washington	20011	District Of Columbia	Center City PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 723-3322	269	29	9.4	74.6%	1 (0.4%)	157 (58.4%)	103 (38.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.6%)								(n/a)				82.6	55.6	43.0	53.9	45.9				33.4	38.0	$27,658	$4,846	$22,812
Center City PCS - NoMa	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	1217 West Virginia Avenue NE	Washington	20002	District Of Columbia	Center City PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 397-1614	212	22	9.5	57.8%	1 (0.5%)	190 (89.6%)	13 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	6 (2.8%)	27.7	78^th of 124 public elementary schools	37.1%		39.4	62^nd of 128 public elementary schools	51.6%	16			33.3	33.3		25.8		9.5	8.8		13.1	4.3	12.9	$32,380	$4,846	$27,534
Center City PCS - Shaw	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	711 N Street NW	Washington	20001	District Of Columbia	Center City PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 234-1093	202	25	8.2	84.0%	2 (1.0%)	133 (65.8%)	61 (30.2%)	1 (0.5%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.5%)	14.9	115^th of 124 public elementary schools	7.3%		23.6	98^th of 128 public elementary schools	23.4%	17	6.2	8.3	14.9	13.6	18.6	11.5	6.1	8.3	14.3		13.6	11.2	11.5	$29,970	$4,846	$25,124
Center City PCS - Congress Heights	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	220 Highview Place SE	Washington	20032	District Of Columbia	Center City PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 562-7070	251	20	12.4	88.9%	5 (2.0%)	223 (88.8%)	11 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.4%)								(n/a)						54.3							36.2	$28,266	$4,846	$23,419

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
District of Columbia Public Schools	0.21 mi	122	19^th
St. Coletta Special Education PCS	0.39 mi	1
AppleTree Early Learning PCS	0.43 mi	8
Options PCS	0.47 mi	1
Kingsman Academy PCS	0.47 mi	1

See the top DC District Of Columbia districts

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.