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

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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.

Ballou High School

Public Grades 9-12

33^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 36 District Of Columbia High Schools

Better than 8% of District Of Columbia high schools

Summary

Ballou High School is a large comprehensive public high school in Southeast Washington, DC, serving 597 students in grades 9–12 as part of the District of Columbia Public Schools. The school has consistently ranked near the bottom of DC high schools — placing 33rd out of 36 in the 2025–2026 school year — and its academic proficiency rates are dramatically below district and state averages. Only 14.7% of students are proficient in English Language Arts, and just 3.0% are proficient in math, meaning roughly 97% of students are not meeting grade-level math standards. Nearby schools like Friendship PCS - Technology Preparatory High School (35.6% ELA, 8.1% math) and Bard High School Early College DC (Bard DC) (31.5% ELA, 10.3% math) show that stronger outcomes are possible within the same neighborhood.

Despite the low test scores, Ballou has a genuine bright spot: its graduation rate. In 2024–2025, the school graduated 88.9% of its students, outpacing the district average of 77.6% and the DC average of 78.7%. This rate is also higher than nearby schools such as Eastern High School (79.0%), Anacostia High School (76.4%), and Thurgood Marshall Academy PCS (74.4%). However, the gap between graduation and proficiency raises real questions about college and career readiness — graduating at high rates while only 1 in 7 students is proficient in reading and 1 in 30 in math suggests students may be earning diplomas without the academic mastery they need for what comes next.

Ballou spends heavily per student — about $34,588 in 2023–2024 — and maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio of 9.6:1. Yet that spending has not translated into academic gains. Friendship PCS - Technology Preparatory High School, located just 0.73 miles away, spends essentially the same amount ($34,587) but achieves far stronger results and a 4-star state ranking. For parents, the takeaway is clear: Ballou offers a supportive environment that helps students finish high school, but families should weigh the school's academic challenges carefully, especially in math, and consider the higher-performing options nearby when making a decision.

597

Students ?

9.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$34,588

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3401 4th St. SE
Washington, DC 20032

(202) 645-3400

District: District of Columbia Public Schools

Feeder schools for Ballou High School:

Elementary:	Garfield Elementary School
	Hendley Elementary School
	King Elementary School
	Leckie Education Campus
	More...
	Malcolm X Elementary School at Green
	Patterson Elementary School
	Simon Elementary School
	Turner Elementary School
Middle:	Hart Middle School
	Johnson Middle School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

95.8%

Hispanic:

3.7%

White:

0.2%

See top rated District Of Columbia high schools

Compare Ballou High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 10th percentile in 2015 → 8th in 2026

Strengths

✓89% graduate in 4 years — above the District Of Columbia average (79%)

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the District Of Columbia average (9% vs 28% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school9%

District avg32%

District Of Columbia avg28%

33^rd of 36

District Of Columbia public high schools ?

Bottom 8%▼ down 5 pts since 2016

From bottom 13% (2016) to bottom 8% (2026)

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

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

15^th of 17High 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	25.2	33 of 36	8.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.8	32 of 35	8.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.5	32 of 34	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	23.1	29 of 34	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.1	30 of 30	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	26.8	26 of 34	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.5	31 of 34	8.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	26.1	26 of 34	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	23.4	27 of 31	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	23.7	26 of 29	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	12.9	30 of 35	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	20.6	23 of 31	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	18.2	25 of 31	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	30.1	19 of 30	36.7%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2026	26.5	31 of 34	8.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.9	31 of 32	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	27.9	29 of 33	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.2	31 of 34	8.8%	★☆☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	30.5	24 of 31	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.1	27 of 33	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	21.1	30 of 31	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	22.9	30 of 32	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2026	25.0	31 of 32	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	19.6	31 of 32	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.0	28 of 28	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	21.0	29 of 30	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	32.6	23 of 32	28.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	23.5	31 of 33	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2026	28.0	11 of 14	21.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	64.6	6 of 25	76.0%	★★★★☆
2018	34.8	15 of 26	42.3%	★★★☆☆

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)

Male (2019)28th percentile+5 vs school

At Risk (2019)23rd percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)21st percentile+13 vs school

African American (2026)9th percentile~ school

Female (2019)3rd percentile-20 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)3rd percentile-5 vs school

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

English I18%-19 vs state

English Language Arts15%-25 vs state

English II12%-26 vs state

Geometry3%-11 vs state

Mathematics3%-25 vs state

Algebra I2%-10 vs state

★

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Schools Near Ballou High 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)	DC CAPE English II (2026)	DC CAPE Algebra I (2026)	DC CAPE Geometry (2026)	DC CAPE English I (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 8th Grade	DC CAPE English Language Arts All Grades	DC CAPE Mathematics All Grades	DC CAPE English II End of Course	DC CAPE Algebra I End of Course	DC CAPE Geometry End of Course	DC CAPE English I End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Ballou High School	Public	9-12	3401 4th St. SE	Washington	20032	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 645-3400	597	62	9.6		1 (0.2%)	572 (95.8%)	22 (3.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	25.2	33^rd of 36 public high schools	8.3%		18.8	32^nd of 35 public high schools	8.6%	1		14.7	3.0	12.5	2.1	3.4	17.9	$34,588	$4,747	$29,841
Ballou STAY High School	Public	9-12	3401 4th St. SE	Washington	20032	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	No	(202) 645-3390	278	30	9.1		0 (0.0%)	272 (97.8%)	5 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)								$24,967	$3,828	$21,139
KIPP DC PCS - Legacy College Preparatory PCS	Public, Charter	9-12	3999 8th Street SE	Washington	20032	District Of Columbia	KIPP Dc Pcs	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 562-9170	646	62	10.3		0 (0.0%)	638 (98.8%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	29.2	23^rd of 36 public high schools	36.1%		22.7	30^th of 35 public high schools	14.3%	7		21.5	2.7	22.9	2.6	2.8	20.4	$34,784	$5,313	$29,471
Friendship PCS - Technology Preparatory High School	Public, Charter	9-12	2705 Martin Luther King Jr Av	Washington	20032	District Of Columbia	Friendship PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 562-1681	307	40	7.6		0 (0.0%)	302 (98.4%)	5 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46.1	11^th of 36 public high schools	69.4%		40.8	16^th of 35 public high schools	54.3%	5		35.6	8.1	41.3	12.7	2.9	31.3	$34,587	$4,936	$29,650
Bard High School Early College DC (Bard DC)	Public	9-12	1351 Alabama Ave SE	Washington	20032	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 898-4664	331	32	10.3		0 (0.0%)	300 (90.6%)	21 (6.3%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.5%)	45.7	12^th of 36 public high schools	66.7%		45.5	11^th of 35 public high schools	68.6%	1		31.5	10.3	25.8	16.6	5.8	36.4	$28,406	$4,409	$23,997
Thurgood Marshall Academy PCS	Public, Charter	9-12	2427 Martin Luther King Jr Av	Washington	20020	District Of Columbia	Thurgood Marshall Academy PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 563-6862	373	34	10.9		0 (0.0%)	372 (99.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27.8	29^th of 36 public high schools	19.4%		35.4	18^th of 35 public high schools	48.6%	11		15.9	4.8	12.9	5.5	4.2	19.1	$38,343	$5,409	$32,935
Anacostia High School	Public	9-12	1601 16th St. SE	Washington	20020	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 698-2155	246	32	7.6		0 (0.0%)	227 (92.3%)	14 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.0%)	33	21^st of 36 public high schools	41.7%					(n/a)		8.9	7.4	17.1		9.3		$46,589	$5,124	$41,466
Digital Pioneers Academy PCS - Capitol Hill	Public, Charter	9-12	709 12th Street SE	Washington	20003	District Of Columbia	Digital Pioneers Academy PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 677-3522	387	25	15.7		0 (0.0%)	380 (98.2%)	4 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	40.4	17^th of 36 public high schools	52.8%		47.2	10^th of 35 public high schools	71.4%	7		26.9	9.3	25.3	9.6	9.0	28.3	$32,602	$3,566	$29,036
Richard Wright PCS for Journalism and Media Arts	Public, Charter	8-12	475 School Street SW	Washington	20024	District Of Columbia	Richard Wright PCS for Journalism and Media Arts	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 388-1011	300	26	11.7		3 (1.0%)	293 (97.7%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45.1	13^th of 36 public high schools	63.9%		45.1	12^th of 35 public high schools	65.7%	1	36.4	34.9	2.3	36.2	6.0		32.7	$32,581	$3,041	$29,539
Maya Angelou Academy at DC DoC	Public	9-12	1901 D Street SE	Washington	20003	District Of Columbia	DC Department of Corrections as the State Public Agency (SPA	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(202) 698-4932	45	15	3.0		0 (0.0%)	42 (93.3%)	3 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)								$00	$00	$00

Frequently Asked Questions about Ballou High School

What district is Ballou High School in?

District of Columbia Public Schools

How many students attend Ballou High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 597 students attended Ballou High School.

Is Ballou High School a good school?

Ballou High School ranks in the bottom 8.3% of District Of Columbia high schools.

What schools feed into Ballou High School?

Ballou High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Garfield Elementary School
Elementary : Hendley Elementary School
Elementary : King Elementary School
Elementary : Leckie Education Campus
Elementary : Malcolm X Elementary School at Green
Elementary : Patterson Elementary School
Elementary : Simon Elementary School
Elementary : Turner Elementary School
Middle : Hart Middle School
Middle : Johnson Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Ballou High School?

Students at Ballou High School are 96% African American, 4% Hispanic.

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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.