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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.

Payne Elementary School

Q: Is Payne Elementary School a good school?

Payne Elementary School ranks 27 th of 124 District Of Columbia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

27^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 124 District Of Columbia Elementary Schools

Better than 78% of District Of Columbia elementary schools

Summary

Payne Elementary School is a PK–5 public school in Washington, DC's Capitol Hill neighborhood, serving 398 students in the District of Columbia Public Schools system. The school has earned a 4-star rating every year since 2021–2022 and currently ranks 27th out of 124 DC elementary schools (78th percentile). This reflects a remarkable turnaround from a decade ago, when Payne sat in the bottom third of DC schools with 2-star ratings. Today, the school consistently outperforms both its district and the state in core academics.

Mathematics is Payne's standout subject. Its all-grades math proficiency of 50.7% outstrips the DCPS average of 33.3% by 17 percentage points, while its ELA score of 46.7% sits just above the district's 44.1%. This strength is evident even compared to nearby Watkins Elementary School, which has nearly identical ELA scores but trails in math. Payne also posts strong results for students from low-income households and other historically underserved subgroups. The contrast with Miner Elementary School is striking: Miner spends $40,196 per student yet achieves just 5.4% ELA and 6.0% math proficiency, while Payne gets far better results while spending about $14,000 less per student. With a 12:1 student-teacher ratio, families get smaller class sizes alongside strong academics.

The areas to watch are upper-elementary ELA and 5th-grade science. While 3rd-grade ELA is a standout at 54.2% (vs. 38.0% district), 4th and 5th grade ELA dip slightly below district averages, and 5th-grade science proficiency (20%) trails the DCPS average of 23.7%. That said, Payne sits in a competitive neighborhood—Maury Elementary School and Brent Elementary School rank higher, but Payne is firmly in the upper-middle tier and comfortably outperforms nearby charters like Center City PCS - Capitol Hill. For families prioritizing strong math instruction and a school that has improved dramatically over the past decade, Payne is a compelling choice.

398

Students ?

12.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$27,406

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1445 C St. SE
Washington, DC 20003

(202) 698-3262

District: District of Columbia Public Schools

Students who attend Payne Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Eliot-Hine Middle School
High:	Eastern High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

51.5%

White:

35.9%

Two or more races:

6.0%

See top rated District Of Columbia elementary schools

Compare Payne Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 40th percentile in 2015 → 78th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the District Of Columbia average (49% vs 34% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 22% of District Of Columbia elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 38 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school49%

District avg39%

District Of Columbia avg34%

27^th of 124

District Of Columbia public elementary schools ?

Top 22%▲ up 48 pts since 2016

From bottom 30% (2016) to top 22% (2026)

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

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

21^st 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	70.5	27 of 124	78.2%	★★★★☆
2025	68.5	27 of 128	78.9%	★★★★☆
2024	78.3	21 of 126	83.3%	★★★★☆
2023	77.1	23 of 128	82.0%	★★★★☆
2022	61.3	27 of 97	72.2%	★★★★☆
2019	48.8	56 of 122	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	30.0	81 of 120	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	33.2	67 of 108	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2016	29.1	69 of 99	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2015	31.7	58 of 97	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2014	27.1	81 of 109	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	51.4	48 of 112	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	34.8	74 of 111	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2010	37.1	70 of 111	36.9%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2026	69.0	23 of 96	76.0%	★★★★☆
2025	60.9	30 of 108	72.2%	★★★★☆
2024	65.9	15 of 63	76.2%	★★★★☆
2023	71.5	12 of 60	80.0%	★★★★☆
2022	55.4	12 of 35	65.7%	★★★★☆
2019	59.3	39 of 106	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	35.0	64 of 100	36.0%	★★☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	71.5	16 of 91	82.4%	★★★★☆
2018	40.7	52 of 90	42.2%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	43.3	63 of 117	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.0	80 of 110	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2026	56.5	25 of 80	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	62.1	24 of 92	73.9%	★★★★☆
2024	63.7	13 of 55	76.4%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	52.9	45 of 113	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	31.9	76 of 113	32.7%	★★☆☆☆

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)

At Risk (2019)82nd percentile+28 vs school

African American (2026)76th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)69th percentile-9 vs school

Male (2019)60th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2019)46th percentile-8 vs school

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

Mathematics51%+22 vs state

English Language Arts47%+7 vs state

★

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Schools Near Payne Elementary 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)							Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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 (2016)	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 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
Payne Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1445 C St. SE	Washington	20003	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 698-3262	398	33	12.0	100.0%	143 (35.9%)	205 (51.5%)	23 (5.8%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (6.0%)	70.5	27^th of 124 public elementary schools	78.2%		68.5	27^th of 128 public elementary schools	78.9%		54.2	42.5	42.8				46.7	65.9	42.5	42.8				50.7	$27,406	$2,380	$25,027
Watkins Elementary School (Capitol Hill Cluster)	Public	K-5	420 12th St. SE	Washington	20003	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	No	(202) 698-3355	415	30	13.8	33.5%	94 (22.7%)	273 (65.8%)	22 (5.3%)	6 (1.4%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (3.9%)	64.2	36^th of 124 public elementary schools	71.0%		61.2	33^rd of 128 public elementary schools	74.2%	3	35.2	51.5	51.8				46.9	47.9	50.5	26.0				41.7	$22,287	$2,067	$20,220
Center City PCS - Capitol Hill	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	1503 East Capitol Street SE	Washington	20003	District Of Columbia	Center City PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 547-7556	257	25	10.2	99.2%	0 (0.0%)	231 (89.9%)	7 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (7.0%)	13.9	117^th of 124 public elementary schools	5.6%		22	101^st of 128 public elementary schools	21.1%	16	4.4	10.7		14.2	11.2		13.0	8.7	10.7	4.6	3.6	11.2	27.8	10.3	$29,008	$2,215	$26,793
Friendship PCS - Chamberlain Elementary	Public, Charter	PK, KG-3	1345 Potomac Avenue SE	Washington	20003	District Of Columbia	Friendship PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 547-5800	256	26	9.7	99.2%	1 (0.4%)	246 (96.1%)	9 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)	29.6							37.1							$35,028	$2,492	$32,536
Shirley Chisholm Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1001 G St. SE	Washington	20003	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 939-4810	542	46	11.7	100.0%	122 (22.5%)	298 (55.0%)	86 (15.9%)	5 (0.9%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (5.4%)	71.5	26^th of 124 public elementary schools	79.0%		68.1	28^th of 128 public elementary schools	78.1%	2	49.1	54.6	43.4				49.0	56.4	52.7	35.9				48.5	$25,435	$2,422	$23,013
Maury Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1250 Constitution Ave. NE	Washington	20002	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	No	(202) 698-3838	559	38	14.7	22.7%	332 (59.4%)	113 (20.2%)	51 (9.1%)	18 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	44 (7.9%)	97.1	5^th of 124 public elementary schools	96.0%		92.3	15^th of 128 public elementary schools	88.3%	10	74.7	86.7	81.1				80.6	88.0	77.9	75.4				80.6	$21,634	$2,088	$19,546
Miner Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	601 15th St. NE	Washington	20002	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 397-3960	433	39	11.2	100.0%	58 (13.4%)	345 (79.7%)	20 (4.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.1%)	10.6	123^rd of 124 public elementary schools	0.8%		12.9	126^th of 128 public elementary schools	1.6%	3		4.1	2.5				5.4		6.3	2.4				6.0	$33,217	$2,671	$30,547
Brent Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2501 11th St NW	Washington	20001	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	No	(202) 698-3363	421	33	12.9	9.1%	280 (66.5%)	48 (11.4%)	37 (8.8%)	15 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (9.5%)	86.7	17^th of 124 public elementary schools	86.3%		97.7	5^th of 128 public elementary schools	96.1%	12	60.3	74.4	47.4				63.2	82.5	67.4	52.6				72.8	$24,127	$2,111	$22,016
Van Ness Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1150 5th St SE	Washington	20003	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 727-4314	404	31	13.0	32.6%	71 (17.6%)	274 (67.8%)	21 (5.2%)	5 (1.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (7.7%)	30	74^th of 124 public elementary schools	40.3%		34.1	75^th of 128 public elementary schools	41.4%	1		24.5	16.4				26.1	42.6	20.7	7.0				24.7	$24,504	$2,495	$22,009
Peabody Elementary School (Capitol Hill Cluster)	Public	PK-K	425 C St. NE	Washington	20002	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 698-3277	209	17	12.6	17.6%	125 (59.8%)	56 (26.8%)	13 (6.2%)	6 (2.9%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.8%)								(n/a)															$25,023	$2,098	$22,924

Frequently Asked Questions about Payne Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Payne Elementary School?

Students at Payne Elementary School are 52% African American, 36% White, 6% Two or more races, 6% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of Payne Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Eliot-Hine Middle School
High : Eastern High School

How many students attend Payne Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 398 students attended Payne Elementary School.

What district is Payne Elementary School in?

District of Columbia Public Schools

Is Payne Elementary School a good school?

Payne Elementary School ranks 27^th of 124 District Of Columbia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Payne Elementary School!

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Latest District Of Columbia data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataNewSep 2, 2026

2025–26 DC CAPE test scoresAug 20, 2026

2024–25 DC Science test scoresDec 5, 2025

2024–25 graduation ratesDec 4, 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.