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Van Ness Elementary School

Q: Is Van Ness Elementary School a good school?

Van Ness Elementary School ranks 75 th of 128 District Of Columbia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

75^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 128 District Of Columbia Elementary Schools

Better than 41% of District Of Columbia elementary schools

Summary

Van Ness Elementary School is a public elementary school in Washington, DC, serving 392 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) district, which is ranked 22 out of 46 districts in the state.

Despite the school's relatively high spending per student, ranging from $19,717 to $24,187 in recent years, Van Ness Elementary consistently underperforms compared to the DCPS and District of Columbia averages in both English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics proficiency. In the 2024-2025 school year, the school's ELA proficiency rate was 27.1%, compared to 42.5% for DCPS and 37.6% for the District of Columbia. Similarly, the school's Mathematics proficiency rate was 19.1%, compared to 30.8% for DCPS and 26.4% for the District of Columbia. The school's performance is particularly low for African American students and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

The nearby schools, such as Brent Elementary School, Watkins Elementary School, and Payne Elementary School, consistently outperform Van Ness Elementary in academic proficiency, with significantly higher ELA and Mathematics scores. These nearby schools also have higher statewide rankings and DCPS ratings, ranging from 4 to 5 stars out of 5. The school's statewide ranking has declined over the past few years, from 45th out of 97 DC elementary schools in 2021-2022 to 77th out of 128 in 2024-2025, and its SchoolDigger rating has decreased from 3 stars to 2 stars out of 5.

404

Students ?

13.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,839

Per pupil spending ?

32.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1150 5th St SE
Washington, DC 20003

(202) 727-4314

District: District of Columbia Public Schools

Students who attend Van Ness Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Jefferson Middle School Academy
High:	Eastern High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

67.8%

White:

17.6%

Two or more races:

7.7%

See top rated District Of Columbia elementary schools

Compare Van Ness Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 54th percentile in 2022 → 41st in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the District Of Columbia average (23% vs 31% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 13 percentile points since 2022

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school23%

District avg36%

District Of Columbia avg31%

75^th of 128

District Of Columbia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 41%▼ down 12 pts since 2022

From top 46% (2022) to bottom 41% (2025)

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

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

47^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	34.1	75 of 128	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.1	66 of 126	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.3	63 of 128	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.0	45 of 97	53.6%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2025	17.9	99 of 108	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	21.5	55 of 63	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.8	41 of 60	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.5	22 of 35	37.1%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2025	17.1	86 of 92	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2025)8th percentile-33 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)7th percentile-35 vs school

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

English Language Arts27%-10 vs state

Science19%~ state avg

Mathematics19%-7 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, November 24, 2021

This is my daughter's second year at Van Ness and I am thoroughly impressed with the school. The faculty seem enthusiastic and they keep the children pumped to learn. The principal is just stellar. I love the focus on socio-emotional health and wellness too. Close Quote

Schools Near Van Ness 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
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		71 (17.6%)	274 (67.8%)	21 (5.2%)	5 (1.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (7.7%)	34.1	75^th of 128 public elementary schools	41.4%		38.1	66^th of 126 public elementary schools	47.6%	9	19.2	31.6	24.4	24.5	27.1	24.6	15.2	16.3	19.1	$22,839	$4,977	$17,863
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		122 (22.5%)	298 (55.0%)	86 (15.9%)	5 (0.9%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (5.4%)	68.1	28^th of 128 public elementary schools	78.1%		60.3	35^th of 126 public elementary schools	72.2%	7	17.5	54.3	48.4	48.3	50.5	45.7	41.3	36.2	41.4	$23,960	$4,186	$19,774
Brent Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	301 North Carolina Ave. SE	Washington	20003	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	No	(202) 698-3363	421	33	12.9		280 (66.5%)	48 (11.4%)	37 (8.8%)	15 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (9.5%)	97.7	5^th of 128 public elementary schools	96.1%		96.3	10^th of 126 public elementary schools	92.1%	5	53.9	73.6	85.5	61.5	76.1	79.2	87.0	80.8	82.7	$23,091	$3,856	$19,235
Watkins Elementary School (Capitol Hill Cluster)	Public	1-5	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		94 (22.7%)	273 (65.8%)	22 (5.3%)	6 (1.4%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (3.9%)	61.2	33^rd of 128 public elementary schools	74.2%		65.2	30^th of 126 public elementary schools	76.2%	3	25.0	33.0	39.6	40.0	37.3	40.9	52.2	31.3	42.4	$22,162	$4,326	$17,836
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		1 (0.4%)	246 (96.1%)	9 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)		55.1			55.1	44.9			44.9	$32,715	$4,887	$27,828
Cedar Tree Academy PCS	Public, Charter	PK, KG-2	701 Howard Road SE	Washington	20020	District Of Columbia	Cedar Tree Academy PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 610-4193	399	25	16.0		0 (0.0%)	362 (90.7%)	10 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (6.8%)								(n/a)										$27,651	$3,551	$24,099
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		143 (35.9%)	205 (51.5%)	23 (5.8%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (6.0%)	68.5	27^th of 128 public elementary schools	78.9%		78.3	21^st of 126 public elementary schools	83.3%	6	20.0	38.1	57.1	45.8	47.0	52.4	50.0	35.4	45.5	$26,338	$4,363	$21,975
Savoy Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2400 Shannon Pl. SE	Washington	20020	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 939-2000	233	24	9.7		0 (0.0%)	221 (94.8%)	12 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)		6.5	16.7		9.0	9.7	8.3		7.7	$31,626	$4,855	$26,771
Amidon-Bowen Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	401 I St. SW	Washington	20024	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 724-4867	374	36	10.4		48 (12.8%)	268 (71.7%)	38 (10.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	17 (4.5%)	22	100^th of 128 public elementary schools	21.9%		29.8	84^th of 126 public elementary schools	33.3%	16	10.3	27.3	14.6	10.3	18.9	12.7	13.0	6.9	11.5	$25,727	$4,401	$21,325
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		125 (59.8%)	56 (26.8%)	13 (6.2%)	6 (2.9%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.8%)								(n/a)										$23,701	$4,145	$19,556

Frequently Asked Questions about Van Ness Elementary School

What district is Van Ness Elementary School in?

District of Columbia Public Schools

Is Van Ness Elementary School a good school?

Van Ness Elementary School ranks 75^th of 128 District Of Columbia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Van Ness Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 404 students attended Van Ness Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Van Ness Elementary School?

Students at Van Ness Elementary School are 68% African American, 18% White, 8% Two or more races, 5% Hispanic, 1% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Van Ness Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Van Ness Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Jefferson Middle School Academy
High : Eastern High 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.