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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 - International High School

Q: Is Paul PCS - International High School a good school?

Paul PCS - International High School ranks 21 st of 37 District Of Columbia high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades 9-12

21^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 37 District Of Columbia High Schools

Better than 43% of District Of Columbia high schools

Summary

Paul PCS - International High School is a public charter high school in Northwest Washington, DC, serving 439 students in grades 9–12 within a competitive corridor of nearby charter and DCPS high schools. The school currently holds a 3-star rating and ranks 20th out of 36 DC high schools, a step back from its 4-star, 10th-place showing in 2023–2024. Its clearest strength is graduation: 93.7% of students graduated in 2024–2025, far above the DC state average of 78.7% and comparable to top nearby charters like Washington Leadership Academy PCS (91.9%) and District of Columbia International School (94.8%). By contrast, nearby District of Columbia Public Schools options such as Luke C. Moore High School (19.5%), Cardozo Education Campus (70.7%), and Roosevelt High School (85.4%) trail Paul by a wide margin.

The flip side is math proficiency, which is among the lowest in the district. Only 2.8% of Paul students were proficient in math in 2025–2026, compared to 28.2% statewide. Schools like District of Columbia International School (33.8%) and Washington Latin PCS - Upper School (51.8%) post dramatically stronger results. English Language Arts is more encouraging: overall proficiency was 28.7%, and on the English II end-of-course exam, Paul students scored 38.4% — essentially tied with the DC state average of 38.0%. The school also stands out for its English Language Learner support, ranking first among comparison schools in 2023–2024, and its Special Education students improved to a 4-star rating in 2025–2026.

Paul spends $32,812 per student — well above what some higher-performing nearby schools spend — and maintains a low student-teacher ratio of 9.1, indicating a heavy investment in student support. However, the gap between high graduation rates and very low math scores raises questions about how effectively those resources translate into academic achievement. For families prioritizing graduation and strong support for multilingual learners, Paul is a solid option. For those focused on test scores, especially in math, schools like Washington Latin PCS - Upper School or District of Columbia International School may warrant a closer look.

439

Students ?

9.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$34,467

Per pupil spending ?

51.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5800 8th Street NW
Washington, DC 20011

(202) 291-7499

District: Paul PCS

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

51.0%

African American:

46.9%

Asian:

1.1%

See top rated District Of Columbia high schools

Compare Paul PCS - International High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 35th percentile in 2023 → 43rd in 2026

Strengths

✓94% graduate in 4 years — above the District Of Columbia average (79%)

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 43rd (2026) from a 35th-percentile low (2023)

✓Small classes — about 9 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the District Of Columbia average (16% vs 28% meeting standards)

!Mathematics scores 25 pts below the District Of Columbia average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school16%

District avg18%

District Of Columbia avg28%

21^st of 37

District Of Columbia public high schools ?

Bottom 43%▼ down 8 pts since 2016

From top 48% (2016) to bottom 43% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of District Of Columbia High 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	35.7	21 of 37	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.9	15 of 35	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.7	10 of 34	70.6%	★★★★☆
2023	28.5	22 of 34	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.7	16 of 30	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.6	12 of 34	64.7%	★★★★☆
2018	35.0	15 of 34	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2017	31.5	21 of 34	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	38.8	15 of 31	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	47.6	11 of 29	62.1%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2026	34.0	21 of 35	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.1	17 of 32	46.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	35.0	12 of 28	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	24.6	24 of 27	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	57.7	10 of 33	69.7%	★★★★☆
2018	38.0	18 of 34	47.1%	★★★☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	50.9	10 of 31	67.7%	★★★★☆
2018	42.2	16 of 33	51.5%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2024	84.0	1 of 6	83.3%	★★★★★
2023	33.0	4 of 5	20.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	88.9	1 of 4	75.0%	★★★★★
2019	39.8	4 of 10	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.2	5 of 8	37.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	39.7	15 of 31	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	33.5	17 of 32	46.9%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2026	29.8	9 of 13	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	43.7	7 of 14	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.2	7 of 13	46.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	26.2	10 of 13	23.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.9	8 of 13	38.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	32.2	6 of 11	45.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2026	41.9	20 of 33	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	54.8	9 of 32	71.9%	★★★★☆
2024	47.5	9 of 28	67.9%	★★★★☆
2023	30.4	20 of 30	33.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	47.8	10 of 32	68.8%	★★★★☆
2018	36.8	17 of 33	48.5%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2026	59.4	6 of 15	60.0%	★★★★☆
2025	49.4	6 of 10	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.1	5 of 10	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	31.5	5 of 10	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	73.0	3 of 25	88.0%	★★★★★
2018	44.9	6 of 26	76.9%	★★★★☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)83rd percentile+13 vs school

Male (2019)69th percentile+4 vs school

At Risk (2019)68th percentile+3 vs school

Special Education (2026)60th percentile+17 vs school

Female (2019)52nd percentile-13 vs school

African American (2026)40th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)39th percentile-4 vs school

Hispanic (2026)31st percentile-12 vs school

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

English II38%~ state avg

English Language Arts29%-11 vs state

English I21%-16 vs state

Geometry4%-11 vs state

Mathematics3%-25 vs state

Algebra I2%-10 vs state

★

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Schools Near Paul PCS - International High 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)				DC CAPE English II (2026)	DC CAPE Algebra II (2026)	DC CAPE Algebra I (2026)	DC CAPE Geometry (2026)	DC CAPE English I (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 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 6th Grade	DC CAPE Mathematics 7th Grade	DC CAPE Mathematics 8th Grade	DC CAPE Mathematics All Grades	DC CAPE English II End of Course	DC CAPE Algebra II End of Course	DC CAPE Algebra I End of Course	DC CAPE Geometry End of Course	DC CAPE English I End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Paul PCS - International High School	Public, Charter	9-12	5800 8th Street NW	Washington	20011	District Of Columbia	Paul PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 291-7499	439	48	9.1	51.8%	1 (0.2%)	206 (46.9%)	224 (51.0%)	5 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	35.7	21^st of 37 public high schools	43.2%		41.9	15^th of 35 public high schools	57.1%	6				28.7				2.8	38.4		2.1	3.8	21.1	$34,467	$5,024	$29,443
Coolidge High School	Public	9-12	6315 5th St. NW	Washington	20011	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 671-6080	1,029	81	12.6	100.0%	7 (0.7%)	568 (55.2%)	439 (42.7%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (1.2%)	36.2	20^th of 37 public high schools	45.9%		30	27^th of 35 public high schools	22.9%	7				24.8				7.4	36.0		8.3	6.1	10.8	$38,029	$2,731	$35,298
Capital City PCS - High School	Public, Charter	9-12	100 Peabody Street NW	Washington	20011	District Of Columbia	Capital City PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 808-9800	348	42	8.2	99.1%	6 (1.7%)	90 (25.9%)	235 (67.5%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.0%)	28.3	27^th of 37 public high schools	27.0%		17.9	34^th of 35 public high schools	2.9%	7				13.5				6.8	16.1		4.4	8.7	11.1	$33,641	$1,915	$31,725
Washington Latin PCS - Upper School	Public, Charter	9-12	5200 2nd Street NW	Washington	20011	District Of Columbia	Washington Latin PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(202) 223-1111	357	43	8.2	23.4%	157 (44.0%)	109 (30.5%)	51 (14.3%)	9 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	30 (8.4%)	86.8	5^th of 37 public high schools	86.5%		86	4^th of 35 public high schools	88.6%	1				80.8				51.8	84.8	90.9			77.0	$23,483	$622	$22,861
District of Columbia International School	Public, Charter	6-12	1400 Main Drive NW	Washington	20012	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia International School	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 808-9033	1,654	160	10.3	53.5%	348 (21.0%)	428 (25.9%)	662 (40.0%)	46 (2.8%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	164 (9.9%)	69.1	7^th of 37 public high schools	81.1%		62.3	8^th of 35 public high schools	77.1%	1	56.1	61.3	64.5	56.3	37.2	44.7	40.3	33.8	43.5		16.8	22.7	53.9	$26,519	$1,582	$24,937
E.L. Haynes PCS - High School	Public, Charter	9-12	4501 Kansas Avenue NW	Washington	20011	District Of Columbia	E.L. Haynes PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 667-4446	446	50	8.8	60.0%	2 (0.4%)	121 (27.1%)	315 (70.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.8%)	47.1	11^th of 37 public high schools	70.3%		42.3	14^th of 35 public high schools	60.0%	3				25.2				15.7	36.7		5.4	24.7	15.4	$29,788	$3,449	$26,339
Roosevelt High School	Public	9-12	4301 13th St. NW	Washington	20011	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 576-6130	943	80	11.7	100.0%	8 (0.8%)	460 (48.8%)	458 (48.6%)	9 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	6 (0.6%)	27.2	31^st of 37 public high schools	16.2%		26.5	29^th of 35 public high schools	17.1%	2				17.8				3.2	15.3		2.7	3.5	21.2	$31,299	$2,701	$28,598
Columbia Heights Education Campus	Public	6-12	3101 16th St. NW	Washington	20010	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 939-7700	1,563	149	10.4	99.8%	14 (0.9%)	445 (28.5%)	1,070 (68.5%)	21 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	11 (0.7%)	41.3	16^th of 37 public high schools	56.8%		38.2	17^th of 35 public high schools	51.4%	1	32.9	38.3	39.4	36.0	34.2	17.4	7.3	13.3	37.4		2.1	6.6	32.8	$29,077	$2,504	$26,573
Luke C. Moore High School	Public	9-12	1001 Monroe St. NE	Washington	20017	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 281-3600	275	23	11.9	100.0%	2 (0.7%)	258 (93.8%)	14 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)														$33,410	$2,657	$30,753
Washington Leadership Academy PCS	Public, Charter	9-12	3015 4th Street NE	Washington	20017	District Of Columbia	Washington Leadership Academy PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(240) 580-3371	386	48	8.0		5 (1.3%)	312 (80.8%)	61 (15.8%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.3%)	38	19^th of 37 public high schools	48.6%		33.5	22^nd of 35 public high schools	37.1%	3				19.2				12.0	23.5		10.1	13.6	14.8	$35,535	$2,872	$32,663

Frequently Asked Questions about Paul PCS - International High School

Is Paul PCS - International High School a good school?

Paul PCS - International High School ranks 21^st of 37 District Of Columbia high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Paul PCS - International High School?

Students at Paul PCS - International High School are 51% Hispanic, 47% African American, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Paul PCS - International High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 439 students attended Paul PCS - International High School.

What district is Paul PCS - International High School in?

Paul PCS

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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.