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

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.

Powell Elementary School

Q: Is Powell Elementary School a good school?

Powell Elementary School ranks 37 th of 124 District Of Columbia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

37^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 124 District Of Columbia Elementary Schools

Better than 70% of District Of Columbia elementary schools

Summary

Powell Elementary School is a PK-5 public school in the District of Columbia Public Schools system, serving 514 students at 1350 Upshur St. NW in Washington, DC. Over the past decade, Powell has transformed from a consistent 2-star school into a 4-star school, climbing to 37th of 124 DC schools (70th percentile) in 2025-2026, up from 61st of 97 (37th percentile) a few years earlier. Academically, Powell beats both district and state averages on the 2025-2026 DC CAPE assessments, with 49% proficiency in ELA and 38.7% in math.

One of Powell's most distinctive patterns is that its students "start lower and finish higher." While 3rd-grade scores trail district averages (32.4% ELA vs. 38.0% district), by 5th grade Powell students far outpace their peers (63.7% ELA vs. 44.0% district). Science results are similarly strong, with 31.82% proficiency on the 5th-grade DC Science assessment versus the district's 23.67%. Powell also delivers outstanding outcomes for students from low-income families, ranking 4th of 80 DC schools for that subgroup. The contrast with nearby schools is striking: Truesdell Elementary School is just 0.14 miles away and posts only 20.9% ELA proficiency.

The school's clearest challenge is English Language Learner outcomes, which have consistently ranked in the bottom quartile of DC schools. Powell's per-pupil spending of $27,742 is actually lower than several lower-performing neighbors, including Dorothy I. Height Elementary School ($41,622) and Raymond Elementary School ($31,238), suggesting strong instructional efficiency. Powell also outperforms nearby charters like E.L. Haynes PCS - Elementary School (35.6% ELA) and Center City PCS - Petworth (35.8% ELA); only Latin American Montessori Bilingual PCS is higher. Overall, Powell offers strong upper-grade achievement, science, and outcomes for low-income students, though early-grade math and English learner support remain its main areas for growth.

514

Students ?

10.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$27,742

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1350 Upshur St. NW
Washington, DC 20011

(202) 671-6270

District: District of Columbia Public Schools

Students who attend Powell Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Roosevelt High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

68.5%

White:

13.6%

African American:

13.4%

See top rated District Of Columbia elementary schools

Compare Powell Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 67th percentile in 2015 → 70th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the District Of Columbia average (44% vs 34% meeting standards)

✓Above the District Of Columbia median (70th percentile)

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school44%

District avg39%

District Of Columbia avg34%

37^th of 124

District Of Columbia public elementary schools ?

Top 30%▲ up 29 pts since 2016

From bottom 41% (2016) to top 30% (2026)

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

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

28^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	63.8	37 of 124	70.2%	★★★★☆
2025	62.0	31 of 128	75.8%	★★★★☆
2024	54.7	42 of 126	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.5	60 of 128	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	32.2	61 of 97	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.6	57 of 122	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	35.2	71 of 120	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	42.8	57 of 108	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	35.6	58 of 99	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2015	54.6	32 of 97	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2014	62.1	40 of 109	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	54.4	45 of 112	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	57.1	33 of 111	70.3%	★★★★☆
2010	41.3	61 of 111	45.0%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2025	73.8	14 of 108	87.0%	★★★★☆
2019	49.5	47 of 106	55.7%	★★★☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	47.8	44 of 91	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.3	43 of 90	52.2%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2024	33.9	15 of 18	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.6	20 of 21	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	26.8	22 of 25	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.3	22 of 25	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	44.9	62 of 117	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.6	72 of 110	34.5%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2026	61.4	8 of 22	63.6%	★★★★☆
2025	52.3	9 of 32	71.9%	★★★★☆
2024	46.8	11 of 30	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	27.3	16 of 22	27.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	15.0	17 of 18	5.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.0	25 of 30	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.2	23 of 29	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2026	84.5	4 of 80	95.0%	★★★★★
2025	70.3	6 of 92	93.5%	★★★★★
2024	65.1	12 of 55	78.2%	★★★★☆
2023	56.6	13 of 53	75.5%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	49.5	52 of 113	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	35.5	71 of 113	37.2%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2018	30.6	27 of 35	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2026)95th percentile+25 vs school

African American (2025)87th percentile+11 vs school

Hispanic (2026)64th percentile-7 vs school

Male (2019)54th percentile~ school

At Risk (2019)52nd percentile~ school

Female (2019)47th percentile-6 vs school

Special Education (2018)23rd percentile-18 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)17th percentile-50 vs school

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

English Language Arts49%+9 vs state

Mathematics39%+10 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Powell Elementary School and help other families decide.

Rate Powell Elementary School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Powell Elementary School

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	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 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
Powell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1350 Upshur St. NW	Washington	20011	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 671-6270	514	50	10.2		70 (13.6%)	69 (13.4%)	352 (68.5%)	6 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.7%)	63.8	37^th of 124 public elementary schools	70.2%		62	31^st of 128 public elementary schools	75.8%	6	32.4	50.9	63.7			49.0	35.3	40.3	40.7				38.7	$27,742	$3,979	$23,763
Truesdell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	800 Ingraham St NW	Washington	20011	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 576-6202	370	40	9.2		29 (7.8%)	104 (28.1%)	226 (61.1%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.1%)	34.1	69^th of 124 public elementary schools	44.4%		28.2	88^th of 128 public elementary schools	31.3%	19	24.6	4.6	31.4			20.9	32.0		25.5				22.9	$29,945	$4,513	$25,432
Dorothy I. Height Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1300 Allison St NW	Washington	20011	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 723-4100	400	43	9.4		38 (9.5%)	207 (51.8%)	134 (33.5%)	10 (2.5%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.0%)	50.1	50^th of 124 public elementary schools	59.7%		49.1	46^th of 128 public elementary schools	64.1%	4	25.0	61.4	38.3			43.7	32.2	36.4	19.1				28.5	$41,622	$4,447	$37,175
Raymond Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	915 Spring Rd. NW	Washington	20010	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 576-6236	439	43	10.1		7 (1.6%)	192 (43.7%)	234 (53.3%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)	24.6	88^th of 124 public elementary schools	29.0%		38	64^th of 128 public elementary schools	50.0%	24	14.5		29.8			23.5	12.5		12.3				15.7	$31,238	$4,332	$26,906
E.L. Haynes PCS - Elementary School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	4501 Kansas Avenue NW	Washington	20011	District Of Columbia	E.L. Haynes PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 667-4446	409	40	10.2		79 (19.3%)	121 (29.6%)	175 (42.8%)	5 (1.2%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (6.1%)	49.3	51^st of 124 public elementary schools	58.9%		41.2	56^th of 128 public elementary schools	56.3%	5	30.4	41.4	34.0			35.6	36.9	34.5	28.3				33.1	$32,651	$3,642	$29,009
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		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
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%)	66.2	34^th of 124 public elementary schools	72.6%		57.3	39^th of 128 public elementary schools	69.5%	5	50.0	47.5	33.3			44.8	60.3	49.2	31.7				49.1	$22,824	$4,080	$18,744
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%)	77.1	23^rd of 124 public elementary schools	81.5%		80.3	20^th of 128 public elementary schools	84.4%	3		63.0	58.8			53.8	49.3		47.1				45.6	$22,955	$737	$22,218
Bancroft Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1755 Newton St. NW	Washington	20010	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 673-7280	821	64	12.8		245 (29.8%)	14 (1.7%)	527 (64.2%)	8 (1.0%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	24 (2.9%)	61.1	39^th of 124 public elementary schools	68.5%		62.9	30^th of 128 public elementary schools	76.6%	9	39.4	49.0	45.8			44.2	43.3	45.0	27.1				39.0	$25,511	$3,837	$21,674
Bruce-Monroe Elementary School at Park View	Public	PK, KG-5	3560 Warder St. NW	Washington	20010	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 576-6222	448	47	9.5		71 (15.8%)	52 (11.6%)	293 (65.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (6.9%)	69.2	30^th of 124 public elementary schools	75.8%		59.9	34^th of 128 public elementary schools	73.4%	4	47.3	56.1	35.7			46.5	56.1	52.5	35.7				48.9	$29,259	$4,404	$24,855

Frequently Asked Questions about Powell Elementary School

How many students attend Powell Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 514 students attended Powell Elementary School.

What district is Powell Elementary School in?

District of Columbia Public Schools

What schools do graduates of Powell Elementary School attend?

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

High : Roosevelt High School

What is the racial makeup of Powell Elementary School?

Students at Powell Elementary School are 68% Hispanic, 14% White, 13% African American, 3% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

Is Powell Elementary School a good school?

Powell Elementary School ranks 37^th of 124 District Of Columbia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Powell Elementary School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

DCDistrict Of Columbia Elementary School Rankings

DCDistrict Of Columbia District Rankings

Schools in Washington, DC

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Powell Elementary School!

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.