Kramer Middle School

Kramer Middle School is a small DC public middle school in the Anacostia neighborhood of Washington, DC, serving 213 students in grades 6–8 as part of the District of Columbia Public Schools system.

For the 2025–2026 school year, Kramer Middle School ranks 67th out of 67 DC middle schools — the bottom of the state rankings with zero stars. This is not a one-year anomaly; the school has ranked at or near the bottom for over a decade. Academic proficiency rates are alarmingly low: just 15% of students are proficient in English Language Arts and only 1.9% in mathematics, compared to DCPS averages of 44.1% and 33.3%, respectively. Fewer than 1 in 50 students meet grade-level math standards. Kramer also ranks in the bottom 2% when compared to schools serving similar student populations, including for African American students and students from low-income families, suggesting the school is not effectively serving any major demographic group.

What makes these results especially striking is the level of resources Kramer receives. The school spends about $37,947 per student — far above nearby Stuart-Hobson Middle School (Capitol Hill Cluster) ($26,421) and Eliot-Hine Middle School ($24,747) — and maintains a very low student-teacher ratio of 8.5. Yet these advantages have not translated into results. Within two miles, several schools outperform Kramer dramatically: Friendship PCS - Chamberlain Middle posts 42% ELA and 24% math proficiency, while Stuart-Hobson reaches 64.5% ELA and 32.2% math. Even Johnson Middle School, the next-lowest ranked school, edges out Kramer in math (3.6% compared to 1.9%). The strong results at nearby schools serving similar neighborhoods suggest that Kramer's struggles reflect school-level challenges rather than community limitations.