Benjamin Banneker High School

Benjamin Banneker High School, part of the District of Columbia Public Schools, serves 703 students in grades 9–12 at its location in Washington, DC, and is consistently ranked among the city's very best high schools. With a five-star rating and a top-three state ranking for every recent year, Banneker far exceeds district averages: 85.6% of students are proficient in English Language Arts and 64.4% in math, compared to district averages of 44.1% and 33.3%. The school also reports a perfect 100% graduation rate across every year data are available, making it a standout in a district where the average graduation rate is below 80%.

Banneker’s academic performance towers over many nearby schools. Just blocks away, Dunbar High School posts only 10.7% ELA proficiency and 2.3% math proficiency, while Cardozo Education Campus sits at 19.2% and 3.4%. Even McKinley Technology High School, the next-best traditional high school, trails by roughly 10 points in ELA and 34 points in math. Banneker’s closest elite peers are School Without Walls High School and the charter Basis Dc Pcs, which occasionally outrank Banneker but do not match its combination of equity and graduation performance.

Notably, Banneker achieves these results with lower per-pupil spending — about $21,000, the lowest among DCPS high schools — and a higher student-teacher ratio (16.3:1) than most peers, indicating highly efficient use of resources. The school also ranks #1 in the state for African American and Hispanic student subgroups, as well as for low socioeconomic-status students, showing that its instructional model lifts groups that often lag elsewhere. While math and science scores show some year-to-year variability, all remain well above district norms. Banneker’s position as a premier magnet school in an otherwise mixed-performance area makes it a compelling option for families seeking rigor, consistency, and strong outcomes.