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Shirley Chisholm Elementary School

Q: Is Shirley Chisholm Elementary School a good school?

Shirley Chisholm Elementary School ranks 26 th of 124 District Of Columbia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

26^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 124 District Of Columbia Elementary Schools

Better than 79% of District Of Columbia elementary schools

Summary

Shirley Chisholm Elementary School is a PK–5 public elementary school in Washington, DC's Capitol Hill/Navy Yard area, serving 542 students as part of District of Columbia Public Schools. The school has earned a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger for four consecutive years, ranking 26th out of 124 DC elementary schools in the 2025–2026 school year — placing it in the 79th percentile. This marks a remarkable climb from the 38th percentile in 2017–2018, when the school held just a 2-star rating. Academically, Shirley Chisholm outpaces district averages in both reading and math: 49% of students scored proficient in English Language Arts versus 44.1% districtwide, while 48.5% scored proficient in math compared to the DCPS average of 33.3% — a gap of more than 15 percentage points.

The school's math performance is especially notable when compared with nearby schools. Within a mile of Shirley Chisholm, only Maury Elementary School (80.6%) and Brent Elementary School (72.8%) post higher math proficiency, while Shirley Chisholm's 48.5% easily outpaces neighbors like Watkins Elementary School (41.7%), Van Ness Elementary School (24.7%), Boone Elementary School (16.0%), and Ketcham Elementary School (2.4%). The school also stands out for its work with historically underserved students: African American students rank in the 88th percentile statewide, and low-income students rank similarly high. With a student–teacher ratio of 11.7, Shirley Chisholm offers smaller class sizes than nearby high-performing schools like Brent (12.9) and Maury (14.7).

Parents should be aware of a few areas where the school is still growing. While 3rd and 4th grade scores are strong, 5th grade performance drops noticeably — math proficiency falls from 56.4% in 3rd grade to 35.9% in 5th grade, and 5th grade reading falls slightly below the district average. Science is also a relative weakness at 17.5% proficiency, trailing the DCPS average of 23.7%. On the spending side, Shirley Chisholm's per-pupil expenditure of $23,960 is moderate for the area — higher than Brent and Maury but lower than several lower-performing schools that spend over $30,000 per student, suggesting the school uses its resources efficiently.

542

Students ?

11.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,960

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1001 G St. SE
Washington, DC 20003

(202) 939-4810

District: District of Columbia Public Schools

Students who attend Shirley Chisholm Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Jefferson Middle School Academy
High:	Eastern High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

55.0%

White:

22.5%

Hispanic:

15.9%

See top rated District Of Columbia elementary schools

Compare Shirley Chisholm Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 56th percentile in 2015 → 79th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the District Of Columbia average (49% vs 34% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 21% of District Of Columbia elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 23 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school49%

District avg39%

District Of Columbia avg34%

26^th of 124

District Of Columbia public elementary schools ?

Top 21%▲ up 33 pts since 2016

From bottom 46% (2016) to top 21% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of District Of Columbia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

20^th of 74Elementary Schools in the District of Columbia Public Schools

19^th of 46District of Columbia Public Schools among District Of Columbia districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2026	71.5	26 of 124	79.0%	★★★★☆
2025	68.1	28 of 128	78.1%	★★★★☆
2024	60.3	35 of 126	72.2%	★★★★☆
2023	57.0	38 of 128	70.3%	★★★★☆
2022	40.6	49 of 97	49.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.0	65 of 122	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.5	74 of 120	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	39.6	58 of 108	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	37.5	53 of 99	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	44.2	43 of 97	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	38.1	62 of 109	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	28.9	82 of 112	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	28.0	88 of 111	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	14.1	105 of 111	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2026	80.6	12 of 96	87.5%	★★★★☆
2025	73.2	15 of 108	86.1%	★★★★☆
2024	58.4	19 of 63	69.8%	★★★★☆
2023	61.6	16 of 60	73.3%	★★★★☆
2022	48.6	17 of 35	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.3	46 of 106	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	31.9	71 of 100	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2022	39.2	17 of 27	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.7	50 of 91	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.0	66 of 90	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	42.9	64 of 117	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.1	67 of 110	39.1%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2025	68.8	11 of 92	88.0%	★★★★☆
2024	51.6	21 of 55	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.1	14 of 53	73.6%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	40.8	62 of 113	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.3	77 of 113	31.9%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2023	35.9	5 of 8	37.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	77.6	7 of 45	84.4%	★★★★☆
2018	44.0	16 of 35	54.3%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)88th percentile+10 vs school

African American (2026)88th percentile+8 vs school

Female (2019)45th percentile~ school

Male (2019)45th percentile~ school

Special Education (2023)38th percentile-33 vs school

At Risk (2022)37th percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs District Of Columbia (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts49%+9 vs state

Mathematics48%+20 vs state

3.0

3 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★0

4★2

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, January 18, 2018

Great school if you are in the dual-language program, the biggest challenge this school is that DCPS still maintains a "traditional" strand within the school, so at times it feels like two school within one building.
It seems they do this only because about half of the staff of the school could not teach in a dual-language program- however the only draw to this school is dual-language, and if the school was all dual-language the demand would increase 10 fold. At open houses no one asks about the traditional program, which is under-attended in upper grades, every person is there for dual-language, yet there are still two programs here for some reason.
This would be a 5 star school if all children here were taught to the dual-language program. Close Quote

by a parent on FaceBook
Saturday, September 5, 2015

We have been students here for two years now. I had doubts intiially, but I see lots of effort on both the administrative, PTA, parents, and teachers parts to make this a good school. The children are safe and for the numbers of kids enrolled here most all of them are known by name!
We are part of the Spanish Immersion program and could not have done better for language. I am hopeful, optimistic, and in Tyler Elementary's corner. I hope they continue to grow, continue to keep all ethnicities at home in their school, and challenge themselves to really service SE/SW DC. Close Quote

Schools Near Shirley Chisholm Elementary School

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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	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 5th Grade	DC CAPE English Language Arts 6th Grade	DC CAPE English Language Arts 7th 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
Shirley Chisholm Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1001 G St. SE	Washington	20003	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 939-4810	542	46	11.7		122 (22.5%)	298 (55.0%)	86 (15.9%)	5 (0.9%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (5.4%)	71.5	26^th of 124 public elementary schools	79.0%		68.1	28^th of 128 public elementary schools	78.1%	2	49.1	54.6	43.4			49.0	56.4	52.7	35.9				48.5	$23,960	$4,186	$19,774
Watkins Elementary School (Capitol Hill Cluster)	Public	1-5	420 12th St. SE	Washington	20003	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	No	(202) 698-3355	415	30	13.8		94 (22.7%)	273 (65.8%)	22 (5.3%)	6 (1.4%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (3.9%)	64.2	36^th of 124 public elementary schools	71.0%		61.2	33^rd of 128 public elementary schools	74.2%	3	35.2	51.5	51.8			46.9	47.9	50.5	26.0				41.7	$22,162	$4,326	$17,836
Friendship PCS - Chamberlain Elementary	Public, Charter	PK, KG-3	1345 Potomac Avenue SE	Washington	20003	District Of Columbia	Friendship PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 547-5800	256	26	9.7		1 (0.4%)	246 (96.1%)	9 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)	29.6						37.1							$32,715	$4,887	$27,828
Van Ness Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1150 5th St SE	Washington	20003	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 727-4314	404	31	13.0		71 (17.6%)	274 (67.8%)	21 (5.2%)	5 (1.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (7.7%)	30	74^th of 124 public elementary schools	40.3%		34.1	75^th of 128 public elementary schools	41.4%	1		24.5	16.4			26.1	42.6	20.7	7.0				24.7	$22,839	$4,977	$17,863
Payne Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1445 C St. SE	Washington	20003	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 698-3262	398	33	12.0		143 (35.9%)	205 (51.5%)	23 (5.8%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (6.0%)	70.5	27^th of 124 public elementary schools	78.2%		68.5	27^th of 128 public elementary schools	78.9%		54.2	42.5	42.8			46.7	65.9	42.5	42.8				50.7	$26,338	$4,363	$21,975
Brent Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	301 North Carolina Ave. SE	Washington	20003	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	No	(202) 698-3363	421	33	12.9		280 (66.5%)	48 (11.4%)	37 (8.8%)	15 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (9.5%)	86.7	17^th of 124 public elementary schools	86.3%		97.7	5^th of 128 public elementary schools	96.1%	12	60.3	74.4	47.4			63.2	82.5	67.4	52.6				72.8	$23,091	$3,856	$19,235
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		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
Maury Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1250 Constitution Ave. NE	Washington	20002	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	No	(202) 698-3838	559	38	14.7		332 (59.4%)	113 (20.2%)	51 (9.1%)	18 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	44 (7.9%)	97.1	5^th of 124 public elementary schools	96.0%		92.3	15^th of 128 public elementary schools	88.3%	10	74.7	86.7	81.1			80.6	88.0	77.9	75.4				80.6	$20,859	$3,899	$16,960
Peabody Elementary School (Capitol Hill Cluster)	Public	PK-K	425 C St. NE	Washington	20002	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 698-3277	209	17	12.6		125 (59.8%)	56 (26.8%)	13 (6.2%)	6 (2.9%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.8%)								(n/a)														$23,701	$4,145	$19,556
Ketcham Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1919 15th St. SE	Washington	20020	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 698-1122	244	27	9.0		0 (0.0%)	229 (93.9%)	13 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	12.1	120^th of 124 public elementary schools	3.2%		15.2	121^st of 128 public elementary schools	5.5%	1	4.2		7.5			9.7		6.5					2.4	$30,532	$4,943	$25,589

Frequently Asked Questions about Shirley Chisholm Elementary School

Is Shirley Chisholm Elementary School a good school?

Shirley Chisholm Elementary School ranks 26^th of 124 District Of Columbia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Shirley Chisholm Elementary School?

Students at Shirley Chisholm Elementary School are 55% African American, 23% White, 16% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

What district is Shirley Chisholm Elementary School in?

District of Columbia Public Schools

How many students attend Shirley Chisholm Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 542 students attended Shirley Chisholm Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Shirley Chisholm Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Shirley Chisholm Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Jefferson Middle School Academy
High : Eastern High School

Rate Shirley Chisholm Elementary School!

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Latest District Of Columbia data All new data »

2025–26 DC CAPE test scoresNewAug 20, 2026

2024–25 DC Science test scoresDec 5, 2025

2024–25 graduation ratesDec 4, 2025

2024–25 DC CAPE test scoresAug 21, 2025

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.