Summary:
Shining Stars Montessori Academy PCS is the only elementary school in the Shining Stars Montessori Academy PCS district, serving 199 students in grades PK through 6 on Randolph Street NE in Washington, DC. Since the school is its own district, district-level results are identical to school-level results. The school is notable for its small size, a favorable 10.2 student-teacher ratio, and high per-pupil spending of $27,722, yet it currently holds a 1-star rating.
Academically, the school trails DC state averages in both tested subjects for 2025–2026. English language arts proficiency is 24.5% versus the state's 39.6%, while math proficiency is just 12.6% compared to the state's 28.2%. Grade-level data reveal particular challenges in early literacy and upper-elementary math: 3rd grade ELA proficiency is only 7.7%, and 5th grade math proficiency is 9.0%. Encouragingly, the school made significant one-year gains, improving from 14.6% to 24.5% in ELA and from 6.4% to 12.6% in math. These gains cut the achievement gap with the state roughly in half, from 23 points to 15 points in ELA and from 20 points to about 16 points in math.
Despite this progress, the school's statewide ranking has fallen sharply — from the 52nd percentile in 2022–2023 to the 15th percentile in 2025–2026 — indicating that other DC schools are advancing even faster. Because enrollment is small, proficiency percentages can swing dramatically based on the performance of a handful of students, so targeted interventions, especially in early-grade reading and math, could have an outsized impact. The school's low student-teacher ratio and strong funding are definite assets, but without data such as free/reduced lunch rates, there is limited context for understanding the challenges students may bring to the classroom.
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