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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.

Richard Wright PCS for Journalism and Media Arts

Q: Is Richard Wright PCS for Journalism and Media Arts a good school?

Richard Wright PCS for Journalism and Media Arts ranks 14 th of 37 District Of Columbia high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades 8-12

14^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 37 District Of Columbia High Schools

Better than 62% of District Of Columbia high schools

Summary

Richard Wright PCS for Journalism and Media Arts is a small public charter high school in Washington, DC, serving roughly 300 students in grades 8–12 and operating as its own single-school district. The school holds a mid-tier position in DC's rankings—13th of 36 schools for 2025–2026 with 3 stars—and has been remarkably stable over the past decade, usually landing between 10th and 15th. Its journalism and media arts mission is more than a name; it appears to shape the school's academic strengths.

The school's clearest strength is English language arts, where 34.9% of students were proficient in 2025–2026. That is well above nearby non-selective schools like Eastern High School (19.9%), Dunbar High School (10.7%), and Kingsman Academy PCS (4.6%), and not far below the DC state average of 39.6%. Richard Wright also earns strong marks for the students it serves, with low-income students ranking 7th of 32 DC schools and African American students ranking in the upper third. Its graduation rate of 77.6% is close to the state average and better than neighboring charters like Thurgood Marshall Academy PCS (74.4%) and Kingsman Academy PCS (36.7%). The school invests heavily in students, spending $32,581 per student with a low student-teacher ratio of 11.7—one of the most favorable in the area.

The major concern is mathematics. Only 2.3% of students were proficient in math in 2025–2026, compared with the DC state average of 28.2%, and proficiency has stayed below 4% for several years. Algebra I and Geometry end-of-course exams show single-digit proficiency as well. This creates an enormous academic split: strong reading and writing results versus a persistent math crisis. In the broader DC landscape, Richard Wright sits between top-ranked selective schools like Benjamin Banneker High School and School Without Walls High School and very low-performing neighbors. For families, the picture is a school that excels in literacy and serves its students well, but one where math outcomes are a serious concern deserving urgent attention.

300

Students ?

11.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$34,963

Per pupil spending ?

Free/discounted lunch ?

475 School Street SW
Washington, DC 20024

(202) 388-1011

District: Richard Wright PCS for Journalism and Media Arts

Racial breakdown:

African American:

97.7%

Hispanic:

1.3%

White:

1.0%

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Compare Richard Wright PCS for Journalism and Media Arts to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 48th percentile in 2015 → 62nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 14 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the District Of Columbia median (62nd percentile)

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the District Of Columbia average (22% vs 28% meeting standards)

!Mathematics scores 26 pts below the District Of Columbia average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school22%

District avg22%

District Of Columbia avg28%

14^th of 37

District Of Columbia public high schools ?

Top 38%▼ down 6 pts since 2016

From top 32% (2016) to top 38% (2026)

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

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

16^th of 46Richard Wright PCS for Journalism and Media Arts 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	44.6	14 of 37	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	45.1	12 of 35	65.7%	★★★★☆
2024	40.9	12 of 34	64.7%	★★★★☆
2023	32.9	15 of 34	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	33.1	14 of 30	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	39.0	15 of 34	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	38.6	12 of 34	64.7%	★★★★☆
2017	46.4	13 of 34	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2016	43.4	10 of 31	67.7%	★★★★☆
2015	39.9	15 of 29	48.3%	★★★☆☆
2014	51.5	15 of 35	57.1%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2026	50.7	12 of 35	65.7%	★★★★☆
2025	50.7	10 of 32	68.8%	★★★★☆
2023	34.9	14 of 27	48.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	31.6	12 of 18	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.1	17 of 33	48.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.6	15 of 34	55.9%	★★★☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	50.3	11 of 31	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.8	6 of 33	81.8%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	35.4	17 of 31	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.8	15 of 32	53.1%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2026	66.4	7 of 33	78.8%	★★★★☆
2025	51.2	12 of 32	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.0	12 of 28	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	38.2	13 of 30	56.7%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	41.1	15 of 32	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	39.9	16 of 33	51.5%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	District Of Columbia percentile	Rating
2019	47.8	8 of 25	68.0%	★★★★☆

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 (2026)79th percentile+17 vs school

Special Education (2019)68th percentile+12 vs school

African American (2026)66th percentile+4 vs school

At Risk (2019)65th percentile+9 vs school

Male (2019)53rd percentile-3 vs school

Female (2019)45th percentile-11 vs school

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

English II36%~ state avg

English Language Arts35%-5 vs state

English I33%-4 vs state

Algebra I6%-6 vs state

Mathematics2%-26 vs state

★

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Schools Near Richard Wright PCS for Journalism and Media Arts

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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 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 5th Grade	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
Richard Wright PCS for Journalism and Media Arts	Public, Charter	8-12	475 School Street SW	Washington	20024	District Of Columbia	Richard Wright PCS for Journalism and Media Arts	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 388-1011	300	26	11.7	0.0%	3 (1.0%)	293 (97.7%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	44.6	14^th of 37 public high schools	62.2%		45.1	12^th of 35 public high schools	65.7%	2				36.4	34.9					2.3	36.2		6.0		32.7	$34,963	$1,976	$32,987
Basis Dc Pcs	Public, Charter	5-12	410 8th Street NW	Washington	20004	District Of Columbia	Basis Dc Pcs	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(202) 804-6390	692	50	13.8	17.4%	337 (48.7%)	120 (17.3%)	74 (10.7%)	50 (7.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	105 (15.2%)	99.1	1^st of 37 public high schools	97.3%		98.8	2^nd of 35 public high schools	94.3%	1	68.4	67.2	82.9	90.5	78.6	61.8	62.2	84.8	82.1	70.8	89.1		87.2		90.9	$17,745	$360	$17,385
Girls Global Academy PCS	Public, Charter	9-12	733 8th Street NW	Washington	20001	District Of Columbia	Girls Global Academy PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 600-4822	183	26	7.1		1 (0.5%)	153 (83.6%)	23 (12.6%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.7%)	28.2	28^th of 37 public high schools	24.3%		35.3	19^th of 35 public high schools	45.7%	9					20.1					1.2	28.5			2.7	12.5	$35,496	$2,537	$32,958
Goodwill Excel Center PCS	Public, Charter	9-12	1776 G Street NW	Washington	20006	District Of Columbia	Goodwill Excel Center PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(202) 839-3650	440	29	15.1		2 (0.5%)	413 (93.9%)	20 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)								(n/a)																$27,564	$42	$27,522
Digital Pioneers Academy PCS - Capitol Hill	Public, Charter	9-12	709 12th Street SE	Washington	20003	District Of Columbia	Digital Pioneers Academy PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 677-3522	387	25	15.7		0 (0.0%)	380 (98.2%)	4 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	40	18^th of 37 public high schools	51.4%		47.2	10^th of 35 public high schools	71.4%	8					26.9					9.3	25.3		9.6	9.0	28.3	$30,775	$2,615	$28,160
Dunbar High School	Public	9-12	101 N St. NW	Washington	20001	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 698-3762	892	87	10.2	100.0%	3 (0.3%)	781 (87.6%)	100 (11.2%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	22	37^th of 37 public high schools	0.0%		18.4	33^rd of 35 public high schools	5.7%	4					10.7					2.3	11.2		2.6	2.0	10.2	$29,670	$3,041	$26,629
School Without Walls High School	Public	9-12	2130 G St. NW	Washington	20037	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	No	(202) 645-9690	606	38	16.1	15.4%	296 (48.8%)	138 (22.8%)	78 (12.9%)	31 (5.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (9.4%)	91.4	4^th of 37 public high schools	89.2%		99.4	1^st of 35 public high schools	97.1%	3					95.9					71.7	95.8	90.9		66.7	96.0	$27,603	$2,088	$25,515
Kingsman Academy PCS	Public, Charter	6-12	1375 E Street NE	Washington	20002	District Of Columbia	Kingsman Academy PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 547-1028	346	18	19.7	99.2%	0 (0.0%)	343 (99.1%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)								(n/a)					4.6											$41,117	$2,471	$38,645
Benjamin Banneker High School	Public	9-12	1600 9th St. NW	Washington	20001	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 671-6320	703	43	16.3	100.0%	65 (9.2%)	482 (68.6%)	122 (17.4%)	11 (1.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (3.1%)	98.9	2^nd of 37 public high schools	94.6%		93.4	3^rd of 35 public high schools	91.4%	1					85.6					64.4	89.9		67.1	61.1	81.9	$21,827	$2,084	$19,743
Thurgood Marshall Academy PCS	Public, Charter	9-12	2427 Martin Luther King Jr Av	Washington	20020	District Of Columbia	Thurgood Marshall Academy PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 563-6862	373	34	10.9	71.8%	0 (0.0%)	372 (99.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27.6	30^th of 37 public high schools	18.9%		35.4	18^th of 35 public high schools	48.6%	12					15.9					4.8	12.9		5.5	4.2	19.1	$37,947	$2,616	$35,331

Frequently Asked Questions about Richard Wright PCS for Journalism and Media Arts

What is the racial makeup of Richard Wright PCS for Journalism and Media Arts?

Students at Richard Wright PCS for Journalism and Media Arts are 98% African American, 1% Hispanic.

Is Richard Wright PCS for Journalism and Media Arts a good school?

Richard Wright PCS for Journalism and Media Arts ranks 14^th of 37 District Of Columbia high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Richard Wright PCS for Journalism and Media Arts in?

Richard Wright PCS for Journalism and Media Arts

How many students attend Richard Wright PCS for Journalism and Media Arts?

In the 2024-25 school year, 300 students attended Richard Wright PCS for Journalism and Media Arts.

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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.