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C.W. Harris Elementary School

Q: Is C.W. Harris Elementary School a good school?

C.W. Harris Elementary School ranks 92 nd of 128 District Of Columbia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

92^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 128 District Of Columbia Elementary Schools

Better than 28% of District Of Columbia elementary schools

Summary

C.W. Harris Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 261 students in grades PK-5 in Washington, DC. The school is part of the District of Columbia Public Schools district, which is ranked 22 out of 46 districts in DC and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

C.W. Harris Elementary School consistently performs below the district and state averages on standardized tests, with only 22.5% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 13.7% proficient or better in math, compared to 42.5% and 30.8% for the district, respectively. The school also struggles to effectively serve certain student subgroups, ranking in the bottom 20% of DC elementary schools for African American students, special education students, and "at-risk" students. Despite its poor performance, C.W. Harris is located near several higher-performing schools, such as Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom PCS and KIPP DC - Promise Academy PCS, which outperform C.W. Harris on academic measures and have higher school rankings.

Over the past decade, C.W. Harris Elementary School has seen a steady decline in enrollment, from 307 students in 2011-2012 to just 261 students in the 2024-2025 school year. This trend may be a concern for the school's long-term viability and could indicate dissatisfaction from the local community. Despite its poor performance, the school spends a relatively high amount per student, ranging from $25,899 to $32,024 per student over the past few years, suggesting that the school's challenges may not be solely due to a lack of funding or resources, but rather issues with how those resources are being utilized.

251

Students ?

8.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$30,497

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

301 53rd St. SE
Washington, DC 20019

(202) 645-3188

District: District of Columbia Public Schools

Students who attend C.W. Harris Elementary School usually attend:

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

Racial breakdown:

African American:

91.6%

Hispanic:

6.0%

Two or more races:

1.6%

See top rated District Of Columbia elementary schools

Compare C.W. Harris Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 4th percentile in 2012 → 28th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 24 percentile points since 2012

✓Small classes — about 8 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the District Of Columbia average (18% vs 32% meeting standards)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!English Language Arts scores 15 pts below the District Of Columbia average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school18%

District avg37%

District Of Columbia avg32%

92^nd of 128

District Of Columbia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 28%▲ up 28 pts since 2015

From bottom 1% (2015) to bottom 28% (2025)

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

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

56^th 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	25.4	92 of 128	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.9	112 of 126	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.4	117 of 128	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.7	115 of 122	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.9	115 of 120	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	14.4	105 of 108	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	16.7	88 of 99	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	12.9	97 of 97	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	6.3	109 of 109	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	13.5	107 of 112	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	12.0	108 of 111	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	17.0	103 of 111	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2025	29.1	80 of 108	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.0	52 of 63	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.6	46 of 60	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.3	101 of 106	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	13.3	97 of 100	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	22.3	80 of 91	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.2	83 of 90	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	17.4	107 of 117	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.2	102 of 110	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2025	45.3	52 of 92	43.5%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	15.1	110 of 113	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.0	110 of 113	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2025	21.6	20 of 21	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	31.1	26 of 35	25.7%	★★☆☆☆

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)43rd percentile+15 vs school

African American (2025)26th percentile~ school

At Risk (2019)12th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2019)9th percentile+3 vs school

Special Education (2025)5th percentile-23 vs school

Male (2019)3rd percentile-3 vs school

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

English Language Arts22%-15 vs state

Mathematics14%-13 vs state

★

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Schools Near C.W. Harris 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 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
C.W. Harris Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	301 53rd St. SE	Washington	20019	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 645-3188	251	30	8.5		2 (0.8%)	230 (91.6%)	15 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.6%)	25.4	92^nd of 128 public elementary schools	28.1%		21.9	112^th of 126 public elementary schools	11.1%	20		25.8	27.3	15.8				22.5	16.1	15.2	10.5				13.7	$30,497	$5,260	$25,237
Nalle Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	219 50th St. SE	Washington	20019	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 671-6280	287	34	8.5		6 (2.1%)	226 (78.7%)	51 (17.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	25.7	91^st of 128 public elementary schools	28.9%		26.9	98^th of 126 public elementary schools	22.2%	7		15.4	31.4	20.0				22.2	10.3	22.9	8.3				14.3	$28,461	$4,538	$23,923
KIPP DC - Promise Academy PCS	Public, Charter	K-4	4801 Benning Road SE	Washington	20019	District Of Columbia	KIPP Dc Pcs	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 582-1390	614	43	14.3		0 (0.0%)	586 (95.4%)	25 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	41.7	54^th of 128 public elementary schools	57.8%		45.7	56^th of 126 public elementary schools	55.6%	2		20.9	33.3					27.0	26.1	33.3					29.6	$26,266	$3,493	$22,773
DC Scholars PCS	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	5601 East Capitol Street SE	Washington	20019	District Of Columbia	DC Scholars PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 559-6138	478	35	13.6		0 (0.0%)	455 (95.2%)	8 (1.7%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.1%)	30.7	83^rd of 128 public elementary schools	35.2%		24.2	103^rd of 126 public elementary schools	18.3%	20	6.7	8.6	20.8	12.5	31.8	30.4	45.5	26.0	20.0	18.9	12.5	34.1	21.7	38.6	24.8	$26,085	$4,286	$21,799
Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom PCS - East End	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	5600 East Capitol Street NE	Washington	20019	District Of Columbia	Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 975-2100	353	28	12.6		22 (6.2%)	263 (74.5%)	35 (9.9%)	2 (0.6%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (7.9%)	29.3	85^th of 128 public elementary schools	33.6%		32.9	78^th of 126 public elementary schools	38.1%	7	12.9	26.7	21.9	24.4				24.4	28.9	9.8	9.8				16.5	$25,595	$1,001	$24,594
KIPP DC - Quest Academy PCS	Public, Charter	1-4	5300 Blaine Street NE	Washington	20019	District Of Columbia	KIPP Dc Pcs	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 398-6811	388	27	14.2		0 (0.0%)	375 (96.6%)	10 (2.6%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17.1	117^th of 128 public elementary schools	8.6%		22.9	106^th of 126 public elementary schools	15.9%	11		12.6	14.3					13.3	13.6	9.0					11.6	$26,514	$4,399	$22,114
KIPP DC - Arts and Technology Academy PCS	Public, Charter	PK-K	5300 Blaine Street NE	Washington	20019	District Of Columbia	KIPP Dc Pcs	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 398-6811	244	18	13.3		0 (0.0%)	238 (97.5%)	5 (2.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)																$21,670	$3,168	$18,501
Malcolm X Elementary School at Green	Public	PK, KG-5	4430 H St SE	Washington	20019	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 645-3409	170	26	6.5		0 (0.0%)	164 (96.5%)	5 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	36	71^st of 128 public elementary schools	44.5%		28.2	92^nd of 126 public elementary schools	27.0%	21		15.8	28.6					14.8		23.8					10.0	$35,708	$4,735	$30,974
Plummer Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4601 Texas Ave. SE	Washington	20019	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 939-4360	233	31	7.5		0 (0.0%)	183 (78.5%)	49 (21.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	17.3	116^th of 128 public elementary schools	9.4%		21.3	115^th of 126 public elementary schools	8.7%	1		15.4	8.3	15.0				12.9	12.0						8.8	$30,408	$4,723	$25,686
Drew Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5600 Eads St. NE	Washington	20019	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 671-6040	223	26	8.7		3 (1.3%)	206 (92.4%)	14 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17.8	113^th of 128 public elementary schools	11.7%		22.5	109^th of 126 public elementary schools	13.5%	4		6.3	23.1	14.3				13.9		7.7						$33,835	$5,325	$28,510

Frequently Asked Questions about C.W. Harris Elementary School

What schools do graduates of C.W. Harris Elementary School attend?

Students who attend C.W. Harris Elementary School usually go on to attend:

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

Is C.W. Harris Elementary School a good school?

C.W. Harris Elementary School ranks 92^nd of 128 District Of Columbia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend C.W. Harris Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 251 students attended C.W. Harris Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of C.W. Harris Elementary School?

Students at C.W. Harris Elementary School are 92% African American, 6% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

What district is C.W. Harris Elementary School in?

District of Columbia Public 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.