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Center City PCS - Capitol Hill

Public, Charter Grades PK, KG-8

101^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 128 District Of Columbia Elementary Schools

Better than 21% of District Of Columbia elementary schools

Summary

Center City PCS - Capitol Hill is a public charter elementary school serving 215 students in grades PK-8 in Washington, DC's Capitol Hill neighborhood. While part of the Center City PCS district, which is ranked 20 out of 46 districts in DC, this particular school has consistently underperformed academically compared to the district and city averages.

In the 2024-2025 school year, only 15.9% of Center City PCS - Capitol Hill students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the 37.6% district average. In math, just 13.5% of students were proficient, versus 26.4% district-wide. The school has also struggled to effectively serve certain student subgroups, with only 8.7% of 3rd grade African American students reaching proficiency in ELA, compared to 30.4% across the district. Despite its relatively low student-teacher ratio of 11.9, the school's academic performance has declined over the years, dropping from a ranking of 46 out of 112 DC elementary schools in 2011-2012 to 102 out of 128 in 2024-2025.

In contrast, nearby high-performing schools like Watkins Elementary, Payne Elementary, and Maury Elementary have significantly outperformed Center City PCS - Capitol Hill, with proficiency rates 20-50 percentage points higher in both ELA and math. Additionally, the school's high per-student spending of $28,984 in 2023-2024 does not appear to translate into strong academic outcomes, raising questions about the efficient use of resources.

257

Students ?

10.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$28,984

Per pupil spending ?

99.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1503 East Capitol Street SE
Washington, DC 20003

(202) 547-7556

District: Center City PCS

Racial breakdown:

African American:

89.9%

Two or more races:

7.0%

Hispanic:

2.7%

See top rated District Of Columbia elementary schools

Compare Center City PCS - Capitol Hill to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 57th percentile in 2011 → 21st in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the District Of Columbia average (15% vs 32% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (21st percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 36 percentile points since 2011

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school15%

District avg27%

District Of Columbia avg32%

Elementary school

101^st of 128

District Of Columbia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 21%▲ up 14 pts since 2015

From bottom 7% (2015) to bottom 21% (2025)

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

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

48^th of 69

District Of Columbia public middle schools ?

Bottom 30%▲ up 6 pts since 2015

From bottom 24% (2015) to bottom 30% (2025)

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

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 6Elementary Schools in the Center City PCS

21^st of 46Center City 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2025	22.0	101 of 128	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.7	85 of 126	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.0	82 of 128	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.4	59 of 97	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.4	89 of 122	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	42.5	63 of 120	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	17.4	90 of 97	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	25.1	85 of 109	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	53.5	46 of 112	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	47.4	48 of 111	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2010	28.6	84 of 111	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2025	30.5	77 of 108	28.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	15.8	59 of 60	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	41.8	21 of 35	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.6	67 of 106	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.0	46 of 100	54.0%	★★★☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	48.5	42 of 91	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	70.9	22 of 90	75.6%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	31.1	82 of 117	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.8	61 of 110	44.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2025	39.3	60 of 92	34.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	22.4	97 of 113	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	42.7	61 of 113	46.0%	★★☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2025	28.7	48 of 69	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.3	45 of 70	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	22.5	61 of 69	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.1	48 of 75	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.3	55 of 72	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	27.0	37 of 49	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	52.4	30 of 57	47.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	58.9	23 of 57	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2011	50.4	27 of 57	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2010	33.2	39 of 56	30.4%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2025	34.2	39 of 68	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.8	14 of 27	48.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.2	32 of 55	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.6	41 of 55	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	42.6	28 of 50	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.0	27 of 46	41.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	38.6	33 of 52	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	25.4	40 of 53	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2025	50.9	28 of 64	56.3%	★★★☆☆

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)

Elementary school

At Risk (2019)54th percentile+27 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)35th percentile+14 vs school

Female (2019)30th percentile+3 vs school

African American (2025)29th percentile+8 vs school

Male (2019)14th percentile-13 vs school

Middle school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)56th percentile+26 vs school

At Risk (2019)44th percentile+8 vs school

African American (2025)43rd percentile+12 vs school

Female (2019)37th percentile~ school

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

English Language Arts16%-22 vs state

Mathematics14%-13 vs state

★

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Schools Near Center City PCS - Capitol Hill

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 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
Center City PCS - Capitol Hill	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	1503 East Capitol Street SE	Washington	20003	District Of Columbia	Center City PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 547-7556	257	25	10.2		0 (0.0%)	231 (89.9%)	7 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (7.0%)	22	101^st of 128 public elementary schools	21.1%		29.7	85^th of 126 public elementary schools	32.5%	16		8.7	28.6	8.0	14.8	24.0	12.5	15.9	9.1	28.6		21.7	20.8	13.5	$28,984	$4,846	$24,138
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
Maury Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1250 Constitution Ave. NE	Washington	20002	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	No	(202) 698-3838	559	38	14.7		332 (59.4%)	113 (20.2%)	51 (9.1%)	18 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	44 (7.9%)	92.3	15^th of 128 public elementary schools	88.3%		95.7	11^th of 126 public elementary schools	91.3%	4	30.0	64.8	87.5	58.1				73.3	78.9	68.2	55.8			69.3	$20,859	$3,899	$16,960
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
Miner Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	601 15th St. NE	Washington	20002	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 397-3960	433	39	11.2		58 (13.4%)	345 (79.7%)	20 (4.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.1%)	12.9	126^th of 128 public elementary schools	1.6%		18.9	121^st of 126 public elementary schools	4.0%	5	6.1			6.1				3.3	5.5		8.2			5.4	$40,196	$5,040	$35,156
Friendship PCS - Blow Pierce Elementary	Public, Charter	PK, KG-3	725 19th Street NE	Washington	20002	District Of Columbia	Friendship PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 572-1070	271	25	10.7		1 (0.4%)	266 (98.2%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)		16.0						16.0	22.0					22.0	$32,693	$4,903	$27,790
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
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
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
Ludlow-Taylor Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	659 G St. NE	Washington	20002	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	No	(202) 698-3244	489	36	13.5		252 (51.5%)	161 (32.9%)	26 (5.3%)	8 (1.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	39 (8.0%)	82.2	17^th of 128 public elementary schools	86.7%		84.7	16^th of 126 public elementary schools	87.3%	1	23.3	69.1	69.8	48.9				64.2	63.2	47.6	43.2			52.6	$22,111	$3,885	$18,226

Frequently Asked Questions about Center City PCS - Capitol Hill

How many students attend Center City PCS - Capitol Hill?

In the 2024-25 school year, 257 students attended Center City PCS - Capitol Hill.

Is Center City PCS - Capitol Hill a good school?

Center City PCS - Capitol Hill ranks in the bottom 21.1% of District Of Columbia elementary schools.

What district is Center City PCS - Capitol Hill in?

Center City PCS

What is the racial makeup of Center City PCS - Capitol Hill?

Students at Center City PCS - Capitol Hill are 90% African American, 7% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic.

Rate Center City PCS - Capitol Hill!

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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.