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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.

Paul PCS - Middle School

Q: Is Paul PCS - Middle School a good school?

Paul PCS - Middle School ranks 32 nd of 68 District Of Columbia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades 5-8

32^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 68 District Of Columbia Middle Schools

Better than 53% of District Of Columbia middle schools

Summary

Paul PCS - Middle School serves 328 students in grades 5–8 in the Brightwood/Petworth area of Washington, DC, and currently holds a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger, ranking 31st out of 67 DC middle schools (54th percentile). The school has performed better in the past — it earned 4-star ratings and 80th-percentile rankings in 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 — but has settled into the middle of the pack in recent years.

Where the school truly shines is with specific student groups. Students taking the Algebra I end-of-course exam achieved 35% proficiency in 2023-2024, nearly four times the DC average of 9.6%, showing that advanced math students are identified and pushed to high levels. English Language Learner students ranked 2nd of 6 schools (67th percentile, 4 stars) in 2023-2024, and At-Risk students earned a 5-star, 94th-percentile ranking in 2021-2022. English Language Arts proficiency also improves steadily as students advance: from 32.7% in 6th grade to 43.7% in 8th grade, nearly matching the state average of 45.4%.

The most pressing challenge is mathematics. Only 15.3% of students are proficient in math — roughly half the state average — and proficiency declines from 18.9% in 6th grade to 12.4% in 8th grade. The school spends generously at over $32,800 per student, considerably more than nearby Deal Middle School ($21,039) and Washington Latin PCS - Middle School ($23,849), both of which post dramatically higher test scores. However, Paul PCS does outperform several nearby peers, edging out Capital City PCS - Middle School in both ELA (37.0% vs. 36.2%) and math (15.3% vs. 12.8%), and leading Social Justice PCS by a wide margin in both subjects.

328

Students ?

11.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$33,406

Per pupil spending ?

99.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5800 8th Street NW
Washington, DC 20011

(202) 291-7499

District: Paul PCS

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

58.2%

African American:

40.2%

Two or more races:

1.2%

See top rated District Of Columbia middle schools

Compare Paul PCS - Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 67th percentile in 2015 → 53rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the District Of Columbia median (53rd percentile)

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

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

!Ranking has slipped — down 14 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school26%

District avg22%

District Of Columbia avg34%

32^nd of 68

District Of Columbia public middle schools ?

Top 47%▲ up 1 pts since 2016

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

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

22^nd of 46Paul PCS 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	40.8	32 of 68	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.1	29 of 69	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.1	28 of 70	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.2	14 of 69	79.7%	★★★★☆
2022	68.6	10 of 59	83.1%	★★★★☆
2019	38.3	45 of 75	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.4	39 of 72	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	41.0	29 of 56	48.2%	★★★☆☆
2016	43.7	23 of 48	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	52.6	16 of 49	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	73.9	16 of 57	71.9%	★★★★☆
2011	79.5	14 of 57	75.4%	★★★★☆
2010	76.8	14 of 56	75.0%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2026	41.3	39 of 62	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	48.0	33 of 68	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.3	17 of 42	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.5	12 of 36	66.7%	★★★★☆
2022	60.1	11 of 27	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	40.6	34 of 55	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.8	37 of 55	32.7%	★★☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2022	76.8	2 of 34	94.1%	★★★★★
2019	45.4	25 of 50	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.0	23 of 46	50.0%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2024	71.5	2 of 6	66.7%	★★★★☆
2023	66.9	3 of 7	57.1%	★★★★☆
2022	72.0	2 of 6	66.7%	★★★★☆
2019	47.8	4 of 8	50.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	28.6	40 of 52	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.6	37 of 53	30.2%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2025	34.2	11 of 19	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.0	12 of 17	29.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.3	6 of 14	57.1%	★★★★☆
2022	52.8	7 of 14	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	35.6	12 of 15	20.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.1	8 of 14	42.9%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2026	60.7	16 of 52	69.2%	★★★★☆
2025	47.8	32 of 64	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.3	23 of 49	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.7	8 of 44	81.8%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	47.4	24 of 53	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.0	24 of 49	51.0%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2026	38.5	8 of 15	46.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.1	9 of 18	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.1	7 of 14	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	78.2	2 of 13	84.6%	★★★★★
2019	32.7	25 of 32	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.8	18 of 29	37.9%	★★☆☆☆

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)

At Risk (2022)94th percentile+11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)69th percentile+16 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)67th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2019)55th percentile+15 vs school

Special Education (2026)47th percentile-6 vs school

Hispanic (2025)42nd percentile-16 vs school

African American (2026)37th percentile-16 vs school

Female (2019)23rd percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs District Of Columbia (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts37%-3 vs state

Mathematics15%-13 vs state

★

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Schools Near Paul PCS - Middle 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 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 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
Paul PCS - Middle School	Public, Charter	5-8	5800 8th Street NW	Washington	20011	District Of Columbia	Paul PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 291-7499	328	30	11.1	99.1%	0 (0.0%)	132 (40.2%)	191 (58.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.2%)	40.8	32^nd of 68 public middle schools	52.9%		46.1	29^th of 69 public middle schools	58.0%	3			32.7	34.1	43.7	37.0			18.9	12.8	12.4	15.3	$33,406	$4,870	$28,536
Ida B. Wells Middle School	Public	6-8	405 Sheridan St. NW	Washington	20011	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 671-0693	521	51	10.2		10 (1.9%)	262 (50.3%)	236 (45.3%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.5%)	43.6	30^th of 68 public middle schools	55.9%		36.8	38^th of 69 public middle schools	44.9%	8			32.1	46.7	34.6	37.7			16.5	18.1	16.0	16.8	$27,903	$2,523	$25,380
Capital City PCS - Middle School	Public, Charter	5-8	100 Peabody Street NW	Washington	20011	District Of Columbia	Capital City PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 808-9800	344	40	8.6	72.5%	18 (5.2%)	61 (17.7%)	250 (72.7%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.3%)	39.6	36^th of 68 public middle schools	47.1%		30.5	43^rd of 69 public middle schools	37.7%	7		30.9	26.9	39.7	47.0	36.2		13.3	14.8	7.3	15.7	12.8	$31,954	$1,819	$30,135
Washington Latin PCS - Middle School	Public, Charter	5-8	5200 2nd Street NW	Washington	20011	District Of Columbia	Washington Latin PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(202) 223-1111	389	26	15.0	14.4%	194 (49.9%)	99 (25.4%)	57 (14.7%)	10 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (7.5%)	95.9	5^th of 68 public middle schools	92.6%		92.1	4^th of 69 public middle schools	94.2%	1		66.3	56.2	71.3	84.4	69.6		40.0	52.6	57.4	62.4	53.2	$23,483	$622	$22,861
Friendship PCS - Ideal Middle	Public, Charter	4-8	6130 North Capitol Street NW	Washington	20011	District Of Columbia	Friendship PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 518-3928	172	14	12.2		0 (0.0%)	158 (91.9%)	13 (7.6%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	73.7	13^th of 68 public middle schools	80.9%		60.1	20^th of 69 public middle schools	71.0%	7	15.6		42.5	83.9	79.2	46.9		33.3	25.7		17.5	27.2	$35,273	$2,479	$32,795
MacFarland Middle School	Public	6-8	4400 Iowa Ave. NW	Washington	20011	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 671-6033	486	55	8.8		13 (2.7%)	190 (39.1%)	270 (55.6%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.6%)	56.6	21^st of 68 public middle schools	69.1%		37	37^th of 69 public middle schools	46.4%	16			39.8	30.8	45.8	39.0			31.6	16.6	32.8	27.5	$32,136	$2,642	$29,494
Social Justice PCS	Public, Charter	5-8	333 Kennedy Street NE	Washington	20011	District Of Columbia	Social Justice PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 968-5380	97	16	6.2		0 (0.0%)	80 (82.5%)	15 (15.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	23.2	54^th of 68 public middle schools	20.6%		49	27^th of 69 public middle schools	60.9%	27				33.3		28.9			3.8	3.5		4.6	$44,129	$5,515	$38,613
E.L. Haynes PCS - Middle School	Public, Charter	6-8	3600 Georgia Avenue NW	Washington	20010	District Of Columbia	E.L. Haynes PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 667-4446	329	36	9.1	99.2%	7 (2.1%)	77 (23.4%)	243 (73.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	40.8	33^rd of 68 public middle schools	51.5%		22.6	55^th of 69 public middle schools	20.3%	22			29.9	30.6	39.4	33.5			19.6	18.3	16.6	18.1	$35,241	$4,482	$30,759
Brookland Middle School	Public	6-8	1150 Michigan Ave NE	Washington	20017	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 759-1999	381	36	10.5	100.0%	5 (1.3%)	291 (76.4%)	79 (20.7%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.8%)	32.8	47^th of 68 public middle schools	30.9%		24.6	50^th of 69 public middle schools	27.5%	3			32.1	38.6	29.7	33.5			15.3	9.8	5.1	9.4	$26,707	$2,560	$24,147
Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science PCS	Public, Charter	6-8	2565 Georgia Avenue NW	Washington	20001	District Of Columbia	Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science P	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 986-5300	271	32	8.4	67.3%	0 (0.0%)	255 (94.1%)	14 (5.2%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	39.2	38^th of 68 public middle schools	44.1%		35.1	40^th of 69 public middle schools	42.0%	2			36.3	38.4	32.6	35.7			19.7		6.8	14.6	$35,927	$2,167	$33,760

Frequently Asked Questions about Paul PCS - Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Paul PCS - Middle School?

Students at Paul PCS - Middle School are 58% Hispanic, 40% African American, 1% Two or more races.

Is Paul PCS - Middle School a good school?

Paul PCS - Middle School ranks 32^nd of 68 District Of Columbia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Paul PCS - Middle School in?

Paul PCS

How many students attend Paul PCS - Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 328 students attended Paul PCS - Middle School.

Rate Paul PCS - Middle School!

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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.