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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.

Patterson Elementary School

Q: Is Patterson Elementary School a good school?

Patterson Elementary School ranks 81 st of 124 District Of Columbia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

81^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 124 District Of Columbia Elementary Schools

Better than 35% of District Of Columbia elementary schools

Summary

Patterson Elementary School is a public elementary school in Ward 8 of Washington, DC, serving 238 students in grades PK through 5. The school currently ranks 81st out of 124 DC elementary schools, placing it in the 35th percentile with 2 stars. In 2025-26, 26.2% of Patterson students were proficient in English Language Arts, compared with 44.1% across the District of Columbia Public Schools district and 39.6% statewide. Math proficiency was 17.6% in 2024-25, also well below the DCPS average of 30.8%. Patterson invests heavily in its students, spending $36,386 per student—more than any nearby DCPS elementary—and maintains a low student-teacher ratio of 8.2, suggesting small class sizes and substantial per-pupil resources.

Compared with other traditional public schools in the area, Patterson is one of the stronger options. It outperforms nearby Simon Elementary School (7.3% ELA), Hendley Elementary School (17.7% ELA), and King Elementary School in both reading and math. However, Leckie Education Campus, just 0.29 miles away, surpasses Patterson in both subjects while spending about $9,000 less per student. Charter schools in the same neighborhood, particularly Learn Dc Pcs (58.5% ELA) and Center City PCS - Congress Heights (54.3% ELA), produce far higher test scores, giving families with charter options higher-performing alternatives just blocks away.

One of Patterson's most encouraging signs is its effectiveness with low-income and African American students. In 2024-25, the school's low-income students ranked in the 78th percentile statewide, earning 4 stars, while its African American students ranked in the 56th percentile—a major jump from the 14th percentile the prior year. The school has also improved dramatically since 2018-19, when it ranked in the 11th percentile; by 2023-24 it reached the 53rd percentile before slipping to its current 35th-percentile position. Math remains a serious concern, with only 7.5% of 5th graders proficient in 2025-26 compared with 34.6% across DCPS, and early literacy is also weak, with just 19.2% of 3rd graders proficient in ELA. Patterson's path forward likely involves building on its subgroup momentum and targeting these math and early-literacy gaps.

238

Students ?

8.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$38,811

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4399 South Capitol Terr. SW
Washington, DC 20032

(202) 939-5280

District: District of Columbia Public Schools

Students who attend Patterson Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Hart Middle School
High:	Ballou High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

97.5%

Hispanic:

2.1%

Two or more races:

0.4%

See top rated District Of Columbia elementary schools

Compare Patterson Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 22nd percentile in 2015 → 35th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 13 percentile points since 2015

✓Small classes — about 8 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the District Of Columbia average (26% vs 34% meeting standards)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school26%

District avg39%

District Of Columbia avg34%

81^st of 124

District Of Columbia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 35%▲ up 28 pts since 2016

From bottom 7% (2016) to bottom 35% (2026)

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

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

52^nd 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	27.1	81 of 124	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	37.0	66 of 128	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.8	59 of 126	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	28.1	90 of 128	29.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	23.6	75 of 97	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.6	108 of 122	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.5	113 of 120	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	20.2	92 of 108	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	15.4	92 of 99	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	23.1	76 of 97	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	9.0	108 of 109	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	22.5	90 of 112	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	26.8	90 of 111	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	33.7	75 of 111	32.4%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2025	48.8	47 of 108	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	21.6	54 of 63	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.4	38 of 60	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.0	28 of 35	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.9	96 of 106	9.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.0	93 of 100	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	26.3	76 of 91	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.2	81 of 90	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	16.1	109 of 117	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.7	104 of 110	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2025	65.3	20 of 92	78.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	22.1	98 of 113	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.1	102 of 113	9.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)78th percentile+30 vs school

African American (2025)56th percentile+8 vs school

At Risk (2019)16th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2019)13th percentile~ school

Female (2019)7th percentile-5 vs school

★

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Schools Near Patterson 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
Patterson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4399 South Capitol Terr. SW	Washington	20032	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 939-5280	238	29	8.2	100.0%	0 (0.0%)	232 (97.5%)	5 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	27.1	81^st of 124 public elementary schools	34.7%		37	66^th of 128 public elementary schools	48.4%	15	19.2	24.9					26.2			7.5					$38,811	$2,855	$35,956
Leckie Education Campus	Public	PK, KG-8	4201 M.L. King Ave. SW	Washington	20032	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 645-3330	453	39	11.7	100.0%	9 (2.0%)	417 (92.1%)	15 (3.3%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	9 (2.0%)	38.3	63^rd of 124 public elementary schools	49.2%		21.7	102^nd of 128 public elementary schools	20.3%	39	13.3	37.5	26.7	31.6	33.3	55.6	34.0	40.0	42.0	11.4	7.9	2.8	15.9	18.3	$29,274	$2,729	$26,545
Ingenuity Prep PCS	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	4600 Livingston Road SE	Washington	20032	District Of Columbia	Ingenuity Prep PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 562-0391	797	96	8.3	99.0%	0 (0.0%)	784 (98.4%)	11 (1.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	25.6	86^th of 124 public elementary schools	30.6%		24.4	96^th of 128 public elementary schools	25.0%	10	6.2	13.2	37.3	35.2	37.1	35.6	27.3	15.4	11.9	7.4	7.2	11.2	16.9	11.5	$33,131	$4,035	$29,097
Hendley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	425 Chesapeake St. SE	Washington	20032	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 645-3450	276	29	9.5	100.0%	0 (0.0%)	249 (90.2%)	24 (8.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.1%)	21	92^nd of 124 public elementary schools	25.8%		15.1	122^nd of 128 public elementary schools	4.7%	30		14.3	21.0				17.7	20.0	14.3	10.5				14.6	$34,023	$2,627	$31,396
Learn Dc Pcs	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	100 Duncan Street SW	Washington	20032	District Of Columbia	Learn Dc Pcs	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 949-0930	290	22	12.9		80 (27.6%)	98 (33.8%)	68 (23.4%)	6 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	37 (12.8%)	74.8	24^th of 124 public elementary schools	80.6%		57	40^th of 128 public elementary schools	68.8%	16	65.4	53.8	53.9				58.5	46.2	46.2	46.2				46.2	$35,309	$10,595	$24,714
Simon Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	401 Mississippi Ave. SE	Washington	20032	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 645-3360	231	26	8.8	100.0%	0 (0.0%)	208 (90.0%)	21 (9.1%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	12.8	119^th of 124 public elementary schools	4.0%		18.3	112^th of 128 public elementary schools	12.5%	7	6.7	6.5	8.8				7.3	13.3	6.4					6.4	$31,661	$2,607	$29,054
Early Childhood Academy PCS	Public, Charter	PK, KG-3	885 Barnaby Street SE	Washington	20032	District Of Columbia	Early Childhood Academy PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 373-0035	281	17	16.5	0.0%	0 (0.0%)	260 (92.5%)	10 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.9%)								(n/a)	34.4							18.7							$33,844	$2,329	$31,515
Achievement Preparatory Academy PCS - Wahler Place Elementary School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-7	908 Wahler Place SE	Washington	20032	District Of Columbia	Achievement Preparatory Academy PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 562-1307	409	32	12.7	64.5%	0 (0.0%)	387 (94.6%)	13 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.0%)	26.1	83^rd of 124 public elementary schools	33.1%		28.5	87^th of 128 public elementary schools	32.0%	4	13.0	20.1		35.5	44.9		23.5		4.5	2.1	12.9	13.8		11.1	$33,671	$8,973	$24,698
Center City PCS - Congress Heights	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	220 Highview Place SE	Washington	20032	District Of Columbia	Center City PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 562-7070	251	20	12.4	88.9%	5 (2.0%)	223 (88.8%)	11 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.4%)								(n/a)							54.3							36.2	$25,999	$2,163	$23,835
King Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3400 Wheeler Rd SE	Washington	20032	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 939-4900	193	25	7.7	100.0%	0 (0.0%)	192 (99.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	19.3	97^th of 124 public elementary schools	21.8%		17.3	115^th of 128 public elementary schools	10.2%	18		12.5						20.0		10.0				15.6	$35,103	$2,745	$32,358

Frequently Asked Questions about Patterson Elementary School

How many students attend Patterson Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 238 students attended Patterson Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Patterson Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Hart Middle School
High : Ballou High School

Is Patterson Elementary School a good school?

Patterson Elementary School ranks 81^st of 124 District Of Columbia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Patterson Elementary School?

Students at Patterson Elementary School are 97% African American, 2% Hispanic.

What district is Patterson Elementary School in?

District of Columbia Public Schools

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Latest District Of Columbia data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataSep 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.