DC Scholars PCS

DC Scholars PCS is a public charter school in Washington, DC's Ward 7/8 boundary area, serving 478 students in grades PK through 8 — the only PK-8 school in its immediate neighborhood. Operating as its own charter district, the school earned a 2-star rating in the 2025–2026 rankings, placing it 77th out of 124 DC schools (38th percentile). That marks a solid recovery from the 1-star ratings of 2021–2023, though it remains below its 3-star standing from the mid-2010s.

Academically, the school trails state averages: 24.1% proficient in ELA (state: 39.6%) and 20.5% in math (state: 28.2%). Within its local cluster, however, DC Scholars is mid-pack, outperforming nearby Drew Elementary School and C.W. Harris Elementary School in both subjects and roughly matching KIPP Quest Academy PCS in ELA. The biggest local gap is math: across the street, Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom PCS posts 30.3% and KIPP Promise Academy PCS reaches 36.3%, versus DC Scholars' 20.5%. Science is also weak (6.7% of 5th graders proficient vs. 20.4% statewide). Encouragingly, middle school grades are a relative strength — proficiency in grades 6–8 runs roughly two to three times higher than in grades 3–5.

DC Scholars spends about $26,000 per student — less than every nearby DCPS elementary school and slightly less than neighboring charters — with a student-teacher ratio of 13.6, similar to KIPP campuses but higher than DCPS schools nearby. That suggests efficient operations, though fewer adults per student for small-group support. For families choosing in this competitive neighborhood, DC Scholars offers a unique PK-8 pathway and a recovering, middle-school-forward trajectory. The trade-off: early-grade math and science need attention, especially when a higher-performing option like Elsie Stokes sits directly across the street.