For Immediate Release: Monday October 31, 2018
Contact: Tomeika Bowden, [email protected]

DC Public Charter School Board Releases 2018 School Quality Report Ratings 

WASHINGTON, DC –The number of DC students attending top-ranked public charter schools increased for the fourth year, according to the School Quality Report released today by the DC Public Charter School Board (DC PCSB). 

This year, 47.3% of public charter school students, or 20,717 are attending high-performing, Tier 1 schools, up from 45%, or 19,498 in the 2017-18 school year. 

(*This number represents the unaudited 2018 October Enrollment Count.) 

54 public charter schools earned a Tier 1 ranking, compared to 51 schools last year.  Of those, BASIS DC Public Charter School (PCS) earned the highest School Quality Report score for the third consecutive year with 97.3% of possible points on the framework. Washington Yu Ying PCS earning a 93.8%, the second highest score; followed by Washington Latin PCS - Upper School scoring 93.4%; Cedar Tree Academy PCS scoring 89.4%; and DC Prep PCS - Benning Elementary earning the fifth highest score with 86.9%. 

Nine schools made the jump from Tier 2 to Tier 1 this year. In addition, nearly nine out of the ten public charter high schools either earned a Tier 1 rank or improved overall from the previous year. 

“This is a comprehensive look at schools and public charter education in the District,” said Rick Cruz, Board Chair, DC PCSB.  “Our ratings look beyond test scores and include academic growth, graduation rates, family satisfaction, and much more.  For families attending or considering a public charter school, this is a valuable and easy-to-use tool.” 

Families use this important annual School Quality Report to evaluate the diverse public charter schools throughout the city. The Report (formerly known as the Performance Management Framework or PMF) evaluates 123 public charter schools educating students in grades pre-kindergarten (PK) through 12 and adults on common factors.

These factors, accessible on our website, include college and workforce preparation, English and math achievement, and year-to-year student academic growth, as well as family satisfaction as measured by re-enrollment rates. Individual school reports are available at www.dcpcsb.org/schoolquality.

“This is yet another sign that DC’s public charter schools keep getting better,” said Scott Pearson, Executive Director, DC PCSB. “Our top priority is making sure every student has access to an excellent school no matter where they live.”

The School Quality Report scores schools between 0-100, placing the school in one of three tiers with Tier 1 schools being top-performing. The Report also includes a description of each school’s unique mission along with other useful information to help families evaluate every public charter school.

Ranking of PK - 12 schools by School Quality Report Score and Tier 

DC PCSB also evaluates the performance of adult public charter schools. The Adult Education School Quality Report measures program effectiveness by tracking student progress, student achievement, progress on mission-specific measures, and indicators such as attendance and student retention. These schools only receive a Tier. 

Adult Education Schools By Tier

DC PCSB has six schools that use the Alternative Accountability Framework. This framework is not tiered or scored. 

For more information about the rankings, click here. For PK-12 school highlights, click here. For adult school highlights click here and for alternative school highlights, click here. 

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