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Houston Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5
111th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 128 District Of Columbia Elementary Schools
Better than 13% of District Of Columbia elementary schools
Summary

Houston Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 307 students in grades PK-5 in Washington, DC, which is part of the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) district.

Despite spending significantly more per student ($29,051 in 2023-2024) than the DCPS average, Houston Elementary School has consistently underperformed compared to the DCPS and DC-wide averages on standardized tests. In the 2024-2025 school year, only 18.9% of students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 42.5% for DCPS and 37.6% for DC overall. In math, the proficiency rate was just 8.2%, compared to 30.8% for DCPS and 26.4% for DC. The school has also struggled to serve its student subgroups effectively, ranking in the bottom 15% of DC elementary schools for African American students, low-socioeconomic status students, and "at-risk" students in both ELA and math.

Compared to nearby schools like Lorraine H. Whitlock Elementary, Drew Elementary, and Burrville Elementary, which generally outperform Houston Elementary on key metrics, the school's persistent underperformance and equity concerns suggest deeper systemic issues that have not been adequately addressed. However, the school's relatively low student-teacher ratio of 9.8 in 2023-2024 could be a strength that, if leveraged effectively, could help the school improve its academic performance and support for students.

314
Students ?
9.5
Student/teacher ratio ?
$29,051
Per pupil spending ?
100%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 1100 50th Pl. NE
       Washington, DC  20019

(202) 671-6170

District: District of Columbia Public Schools


Students who attend Houston Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:    Kelly Miller Middle School
High:    H.D. Woodson High School
Racial breakdown:

African American:
86.3%
Hispanic:
11.8%
Two or more races:
1.6%
more
 See top rated District Of Columbia elementary schools

 Compare Houston Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Holding steady — 11th percentile in 2014 → 13th in 2025
Strengths
Small classes — about 10 students per teacher
Worth a look
!Test scores below the District Of Columbia average (13% vs 31% meeting standards)
!In the lower quartile statewide (13th percentile)
!English Language Arts scores 19 pts below the District Of Columbia average
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school13%
District avg36%
District Of Columbia avg31%
111th of 128
District Of Columbia public elementary schools ?
Bottom 13%▲ up 9 pts since 2015
From bottom 4% (2015) to bottom 13% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of District Of Columbia Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
66th of 76Elementary Schools in the District of Columbia Public Schools
23rd 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankDistrict Of Columbia percentileRating
202518.5111 of 12813.3%★☆☆☆☆
202429.488 of 12630.2%★★☆☆☆
202323.4107 of 12816.4%★☆☆☆☆
202216.493 of 974.1%☆☆☆☆☆
201912.2120 of 1221.6%☆☆☆☆☆
201820.0102 of 12015.0%★☆☆☆☆
201719.695 of 10812.0%★☆☆☆☆
201617.187 of 9912.1%★☆☆☆☆
201516.293 of 974.1%☆☆☆☆☆
201415.697 of 10911.0%★☆☆☆☆
201235.674 of 11233.9%★★☆☆☆
201133.875 of 11132.4%★★☆☆☆
201062.534 of 11169.4%★★★★☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankDistrict Of Columbia percentileRating
202521.393 of 10813.9%★☆☆☆☆
201912.9104 of 1061.9%☆☆☆☆☆
201823.880 of 10020.0%★☆☆☆☆

At Risk

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankDistrict Of Columbia percentileRating
201917.885 of 916.6%☆☆☆☆☆
201819.984 of 906.7%☆☆☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankDistrict Of Columbia percentileRating
201911.9114 of 1172.6%☆☆☆☆☆
201822.289 of 11019.1%★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankDistrict Of Columbia percentileRating
202525.678 of 9215.2%★☆☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankDistrict Of Columbia percentileRating
201914.9112 of 1130.9%☆☆☆☆☆
201821.097 of 11314.2%★☆☆☆☆
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)15th percentile~ school
African American (2025)14th percentile~ school
At Risk (2019)7th percentile+5 vs school
Female (2019)3rd percentile~ school
Male (2019)1st percentile~ school
By subject vs District Of Columbia (2024-2025) ?
English Language Arts19%-19 vs state
Mathematics8%-18 vs state
Science7%-13 vs state

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Frequently Asked Questions about Houston Elementary School

In the 2024-25 school year, 314 students attended Houston Elementary School.

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

Middle : Kelly Miller Middle School
High : H.D. Woodson High School

Students at Houston Elementary School are 86% African American, 12% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

Houston Elementary School ranks in the bottom 13.3% of District Of Columbia elementary schools.


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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.





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