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Brightwood Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

97^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 128 District Of Columbia Elementary Schools

Better than 24% of District Of Columbia elementary schools

Summary

Brightwood Elementary School is a public elementary school in Washington, DC, serving 603 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) district, which is ranked 22 out of 46 districts in the state.

Brightwood Elementary School has seen fluctuations in its statewide ranking, ranging from a high of 37th out of 122 DC elementary schools in 2018-2019 to a low of 95th out of 128 schools in 2024-2025. The school's academic performance has been relatively consistent, with a 2-star rating for most of the past decade. However, the school consistently underperforms the DCPS and District of Columbia averages in both English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics proficiency across all grade levels. In 2024-2025, the school's ELA proficiency rate was 11.8%, compared to 42.5% for DCPS and 37.6% for the district, while its Mathematics proficiency rate was 22.3%, compared to 30.8% for DCPS and 26.4% for the district.

Brightwood Elementary School faces additional challenges, including a high percentage of economically disadvantaged students (66% in 2024-2025) and a significant population of English Language Learners. Nearby schools, such as Truesdell Elementary School, John Lewis Elementary School, and Whittier Elementary School, generally outperform Brightwood Elementary School in academic proficiency, suggesting the need for Brightwood to implement targeted interventions and support systems to address the unique needs of its student population.

646

Students ?

9.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$32,855

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1300 Nicholson St. NW
Washington, DC 20011

(202) 722-5670

District: District of Columbia Public Schools

Students who attend Brightwood Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Ida B. Wells Middle School
High:	Coolidge High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

69.0%

African American:

28.6%

White:

1.9%

See top rated District Of Columbia elementary schools

Compare Brightwood Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 40th percentile in 2014 → 24th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 9 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the District Of Columbia average (16% vs 31% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (24th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 16 percentile points since 2014

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school16%

District avg36%

District Of Columbia avg31%

97^th of 128

District Of Columbia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 24%▼ down 17 pts since 2015

From bottom 41% (2015) to bottom 24% (2025)

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

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

59^th of 76Elementary Schools in the District of Columbia Public Schools

23^rd 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2025	24.1	97 of 128	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.1	77 of 126	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.4	76 of 128	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	23.1	76 of 97	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	62.0	37 of 122	69.7%	★★★★☆
2018	58.6	41 of 120	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	49.0	45 of 108	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2016	33.4	61 of 99	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2015	32.4	57 of 97	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2014	35.8	65 of 109	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2012	31.6	78 of 112	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2011	33.4	76 of 111	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2010	37.4	69 of 111	37.8%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2025	30.0	78 of 108	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	88.2	8 of 106	92.5%	★★★★★
2018	69.9	21 of 100	79.0%	★★★★☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2022	72.0	4 of 27	85.2%	★★★★☆
2019	88.3	5 of 91	94.5%	★★★★★
2018	84.6	10 of 90	88.9%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2024	40.8	12 of 18	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.8	9 of 19	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	23.2	19 of 21	9.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	58.7	6 of 25	76.0%	★★★★☆
2018	61.1	4 of 25	84.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	62.2	39 of 117	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.2	43 of 110	60.9%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2025	24.2	26 of 32	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.8	20 of 30	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.9	14 of 22	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	17.6	15 of 18	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	54.4	9 of 30	70.0%	★★★★☆
2018	62.6	6 of 29	79.3%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2025	35.4	66 of 92	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	38.6	35 of 55	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.7	25 of 53	52.8%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	58.5	39 of 113	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.1	39 of 113	65.5%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	42.2	22 of 45	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.8	14 of 35	60.0%	★★★☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	44.4	37 of 75	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	37.1	44 of 72	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	29.0	38 of 56	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	24.9	37 of 48	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	26.3	38 of 49	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	36.0	40 of 57	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	52.3	25 of 57	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	29.5	42 of 57	26.3%	★★☆☆☆
2010	49.8	25 of 56	55.4%	★★★☆☆

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)

Elementary school

At Risk (2022)85th percentile+64 vs school

Female (2019)67th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2019)65th percentile-4 vs school

Special Education (2019)51st percentile-19 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)33rd percentile-6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)28th percentile+4 vs school

African American (2025)28th percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2025)19th percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs District Of Columbia (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics22%-4 vs state

English Language Arts12%-26 vs state

Science10%-10 vs state

★

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Schools Near Brightwood Elementary School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				DC Science Science (2025)		DC CAPE English Language Arts (2025)							DC CAPE Mathematics (2025)							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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	DC Science Science 5th Grade	DC Science Science All Grades	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 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
Brightwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1300 Nicholson St. NW	Washington	20011	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 722-5670	646	71	9.0		12 (1.9%)	185 (28.6%)	446 (69.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	24.1	97^th of 128 public elementary schools	24.2%		33.1	77^th of 126 public elementary schools	38.9%	20	10.1		10.9	12.2	12.7				11.8	30.4	16.9	18.1				22.3	$32,855	$4,092	$28,762
Friendship PCS - Online Academy	Public, Virtual, Charter	K-8	1351 Nicholson Street NW	Washington	20011	District Of Columbia	Friendship PCS	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	Yes	(202) 729-8287	366	15	24.4		6 (1.6%)	314 (85.8%)	26 (7.1%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	16 (4.4%)	13.7	125^th of 128 public elementary schools	2.3%		22.6	107^th of 126 public elementary schools	15.1%	18			6.5		15.2	6.3	26.0	24.5	14.9			9.1		6.0		4.0	$39,525	$4,926	$34,599
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		1 (0.4%)	157 (58.4%)	103 (38.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.6%)	54	42^nd of 128 public elementary schools	67.2%		56.6	40^th of 126 public elementary schools	68.3%	2	19.2	9.8	20.8	37.5	34.6	40.9	47.8	52.0	38.9	25.0	50.0	30.8	40.9	26.1	40.0	35.4	$27,658	$4,846	$22,812
John Lewis Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1335 Farragut St NW	Washington	20011	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 576-6226	509	48	10.6		136 (26.7%)	209 (41.1%)	130 (25.5%)	13 (2.6%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (3.7%)	57.3	39^th of 128 public elementary schools	69.5%		54.5	43^rd of 126 public elementary schools	65.9%	4	21.6		26.9	38.0	43.4				35.3	44.8	38.0	35.8				40.0	$22,824	$4,080	$18,744
Whittier Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6201 5th St. NW	Washington	20011	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 576-6156	450	45	9.9		64 (14.2%)	251 (55.8%)	108 (24.0%)	8 (1.8%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (3.6%)	72	23^rd of 128 public elementary schools	82.0%		66.6	28^th of 126 public elementary schools	77.8%	5	18.4		58.3	52.4	34.7				48.2	58.3	66.7	40.8				54.7	$28,473	$4,532	$23,941
Latin American Montessori Bilingual PCS	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	5000 14th Street NW	Washington	20011	District Of Columbia	Latin American Montessori Bilingual PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(202) 726-6200	572	54	10.6		243 (42.5%)	89 (15.6%)	164 (28.7%)	16 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (10.1%)	80.3	20^th of 128 public elementary schools	84.4%		74.4	25^th of 126 public elementary schools	80.2%	5	42.9		47.1	57.9	58.0				53.7	54.3	41.1	44.0				47.1	$22,955	$737	$22,218
Capital City PCS - Lower School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-4	100 Peabody Street NW	Washington	20011	District Of Columbia	Capital City PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 808-9800	323	27	12.1		18 (5.6%)	61 (18.9%)	232 (71.8%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.8%)	19.3	108^th of 128 public elementary schools	15.6%		27	97^th of 126 public elementary schools	23.0%	11				18.0					11.2	12.5	14.0					13.3	$32,709	$3,361	$29,349
Takoma Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	7010 Piney Branch Rd. NW	Washington	20012	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 671-6050	483	49	9.8		53 (11.0%)	253 (52.4%)	153 (31.7%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.3%)	47.2	47^th of 128 public elementary schools	63.3%		44.3	57^th of 126 public elementary schools	54.8%	10	31.3		25.4	30.9	35.4				30.0	25.4	29.1	35.4				29.4	$28,743	$4,206	$24,537
Roots PCS	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	15 Kennedy Street NW	Washington	20011	District Of Columbia	Roots PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(202) 882-8073	80	8	10.6		0 (0.0%)	80 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)									11.8								$32,074	$941	$31,133
Barnard Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	430 Decatur St. NW	Washington	20011	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 576-1100	573	57	10.0		61 (10.6%)	224 (39.1%)	263 (45.9%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.5%)	61.4	32^nd of 128 public elementary schools	75.0%		61	33^rd of 126 public elementary schools	73.8%	1	18.2		25.0	52.4	42.6				38.9	36.8	52.4	42.9				43.6	$27,233	$4,331	$22,902

Frequently Asked Questions about Brightwood Elementary School

How many students attend Brightwood Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 646 students attended Brightwood Elementary School.

Is Brightwood Elementary School a good school?

Brightwood Elementary School ranks in the bottom 24.2% of District Of Columbia elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Brightwood Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Brightwood Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Ida B. Wells Middle School
High : Coolidge High School

What is the racial makeup of Brightwood Elementary School?

Students at Brightwood Elementary School are 69% Hispanic, 29% African American, 2% White.

What district is Brightwood Elementary School in?

District of Columbia Public Schools

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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.