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Garfield Elementary School

Q: Is Garfield Elementary School a good school?

Garfield Elementary School ranks in the bottom 18.8% of District Of Columbia elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Garfield Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 252 students attended Garfield Elementary School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Garfield Elementary School?

Students at Garfield Elementary School are 94% African American, 4% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

Q: What schools do graduates of Garfield Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Garfield Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Johnson Middle School High : Ballou High School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

104^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 128 District Of Columbia Elementary Schools

Better than 19% of District Of Columbia elementary schools

Summary

Garfield Elementary School is a public elementary school in Washington, DC, serving 202 students in grades PK-5. Despite having a relatively low student-teacher ratio and high per-student spending, the school has consistently underperformed compared to the District of Columbia Public Schools and the overall District of Columbia in both English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency.

Garfield Elementary's academic performance has been declining over the years, with its statewide ranking dropping from 65th out of 108 schools in 2016-2017 to 122nd out of 128 schools in 2022-2023, and its star rating decreasing from 2 stars to 0 stars during this period. The school struggles to support the academic achievement of various student subgroups, with its rankings for female, male, African American, low-socioeconomic, and "at-risk" students all in the bottom quarter of DC elementary schools. This raises concerns about equity and the school's ability to provide a high-quality education for all its students.

While Garfield Elementary is part of the same district as nearby schools like Plummer Elementary School, Nalle Elementary School, and C.W. Harris Elementary School, its performance is generally lower across various metrics, including test scores, school rankings, and student group performance. Addressing the challenges faced by Garfield Elementary will require a comprehensive approach that goes beyond just resource allocation and considers other factors that may be contributing to the school's underperformance.

252

Students ?

10.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$35,413

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2435 Alabama Ave SE
Washington, DC 20020

(202) 671-6140

District: District of Columbia Public Schools

Students who attend Garfield Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Johnson Middle School
High:	Ballou High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

94.0%

Hispanic:

4.0%

Two or more races:

1.6%

See top rated District Of Columbia elementary schools

Compare Garfield Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — <1st percentile in 2011 → 19th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 19 percentile points since 2011

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the District Of Columbia average (15% vs 32% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (19th percentile)

!English Language Arts scores 21 pts below the District Of Columbia average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school15%

District avg37%

District Of Columbia avg32%

104^th of 128

District Of Columbia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 19%▼ down 10 pts since 2015

From bottom 29% (2015) to bottom 19% (2025)

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

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

63^rd of 76Elementary Schools in the District of Columbia Public Schools

23^rd 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
2025	21.0	104 of 128	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.7	122 of 128	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	17.2	112 of 122	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	20.8	97 of 120	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	34.1	65 of 108	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2016	26.4	76 of 99	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	25.6	69 of 97	28.9%	★★☆☆☆
2014	11.9	103 of 109	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	8.4	112 of 112	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	6.9	111 of 111	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	13.4	106 of 111	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2025	26.1	83 of 108	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.2	95 of 106	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.9	78 of 100	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	28.4	73 of 91	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.3	68 of 90	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	16.2	108 of 117	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	22.6	87 of 110	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2025	38.0	63 of 92	31.5%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	20.7	102 of 113	9.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.1	94 of 113	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆

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)32nd percentile+13 vs school

African American (2025)23rd percentile+4 vs school

At Risk (2019)20th percentile+12 vs school

Male (2019)10th percentile~ school

Female (2019)8th percentile~ school

By subject vs District Of Columbia (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts17%-21 vs state

Mathematics14%-13 vs state

★

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Schools Near Garfield Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				DC Science Science (2025)	DC CAPE English Language Arts (2025)				DC CAPE Mathematics (2025)				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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	DC Science Science 5th Grade	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 All Grades	DC CAPE Mathematics 3rd Grade	DC CAPE Mathematics 4th Grade	DC CAPE Mathematics 5th Grade	DC CAPE Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Garfield Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2435 Alabama Ave SE	Washington	20020	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 671-6140	252	25	10.2		0 (0.0%)	237 (94.0%)	10 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	4 (1.6%)	21	104^th of 128 public elementary schools	18.8%					(n/a)		15.6	16.1	20.0	17.0	18.8	12.5	8.0	13.5	$35,413	$5,165	$30,248
Rocketship PCS - Rise Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	2335 Raynolds Place SE	Washington	20020	District Of Columbia	Rocketship Education DC PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 750-7177	346	22	15.7		2 (0.6%)	337 (97.4%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.2%)								(n/a)		6.1	13.5		7.5	6.1	5.4		5.0	$31,463	$3,547	$27,916
Stanton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2701 Naylor Rd. SE	Washington	20020	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 671-6180	288	30	9.5		0 (0.0%)	273 (94.8%)	13 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	30	84^th of 128 public elementary schools	34.4%		30.1	83^rd of 126 public elementary schools	34.1%	1		16.7	10.8	26.3	18.0	22.2	8.6	35.1	22.2	$31,980	$4,959	$27,021
Turner Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3264 Stanton Rd. SE	Washington	20020	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 645-3470	461	38	12.2		1 (0.2%)	441 (95.7%)	16 (3.5%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)								(n/a)			6.5		4.4	5.7			3.8	$27,420	$4,683	$22,737
Moten Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1565 Morris Rd. SE	Washington	20020	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 698-1111	216	28	7.7		0 (0.0%)	208 (96.3%)	6 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	36.6	68^th of 128 public elementary schools	46.9%		25.5	101^st of 126 public elementary schools	19.8%	33	15.0	12.9	38.5	40.0	28.6	19.4	15.4	35.0	22.1	$36,514	$4,764	$31,750
I Dream PCS	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	2220 Branch Avenue SE	Washington	20020	District Of Columbia	I Dream PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 922-7221	99	10	9.9		3 (3.0%)	90 (90.9%)	5 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)								(n/a)										$37,608	$5,341	$32,267
KIPP DC - Discover Academy PCS	Public, Charter	PK-K	2600 Douglass Road SE	Washington	20020	District Of Columbia	KIPP Dc Pcs	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 678-7735	282	21	13.1		1 (0.4%)	274 (97.2%)	5 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)										$27,044	$4,760	$22,284
KIPP DC - Heights Academy PCS	Public, Charter	1-4	2600 Douglass Road SE	Washington	20020	District Of Columbia	KIPP Dc Pcs	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 610-5323	408	32	12.6		0 (0.0%)	400 (98.0%)	5 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14.3	124^th of 128 public elementary schools	3.1%		22.5	108^th of 126 public elementary schools	14.3%	16		6.5	14.0		10.1	11.0	10.0		10.5	$25,369	$3,550	$21,819
Beers Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3600 Alabama Ave. SE	Washington	20020	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 939-4800	412	38	10.8		3 (0.7%)	390 (94.7%)	14 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	33.2	78^th of 128 public elementary schools	39.1%		31.1	81^st of 126 public elementary schools	35.7%	3	10.3	16.3	25.0	31.0	24.5	14.3	36.4	22.4	23.8	$33,650	$4,429	$29,221
DC Prep PCS - Anacostia Elementary School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-3	1409 V Street SE	Washington	20020	District Of Columbia	DC Prep PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 729-3500	409	32	12.7		1 (0.2%)	389 (95.1%)	9 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.2%)								(n/a)		28.0			28.0	20.0			20.0	$26,992	$4,620	$22,372

Frequently Asked Questions about Garfield Elementary School

What district is Garfield Elementary School in?

District of Columbia Public Schools

What schools do graduates of Garfield Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Johnson Middle School
High : Ballou High School

What is the racial makeup of Garfield Elementary School?

Students at Garfield Elementary School are 94% African American, 4% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

Is Garfield Elementary School a good school?

Garfield Elementary School ranks in the bottom 18.8% of District Of Columbia elementary schools.

How many students attend Garfield Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 252 students attended Garfield Elementary School.

Rate Garfield Elementary School!

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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.