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Student Enrollment

The number of students enrolled in public schools in Washington, DC in the 2021-22 school year increased slightly compared to 2020-21 enrollment, with 93,843 students enrolled in District public and public charter schools according to preliminary data released by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE).

Enrollment Data

The charts below provide an overview of enrollment by grade, enrollment by school quality report tier, demographics, market share, number of schools and schools in each ward. OSSE's annual audited enrollment data is available.

PCS Enrollment by Grade Each School Year

Grade 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21
PK3 3,023 3,235 3,305 3,312 3,321 2,904
PK4 3,454 3,474 3,608 3,527 3,557 3,536
K 3,101 3,316 3,233 3,320 3,247 3,373
Grade 1 2,880 2,906< 3,080 3,011 3,065 3,153
Grade 2 2,657 2,782 2,816 2,849 2,867 3,008
Grade 3 2,349 2,466 2,674 2,602 2,632 2,829
Grade 4 2,065 2,243 2,360 2,448 2,405 2,519
Grade 5 2,102 2,207 2,432 2,415 2,521 2,550
Grade 6 2,567 2,557 2,799 2,850 2,702 2,973
Grade 7 2,254 2,390 2,422 2,536 2,481 2,648
Grade 8 2,040 2,116 2,263 2,267 2,302 2,421
Grade 9 2,018 2,057 2,013 2,038 1,829 2,012
Grade 10 1,454 1,581 1,688 1,639 1,580 1,626
Grade 11 1,329 1,266 1,409 1,452 1,402 1,423
Grade 12 1,144 1,126 1,143 1,183 1,256 1,268
Adult and Alternative 4,217 4,308 4,538 4,857 4,916 4,207
Special Education schools 251          
Alternative Accountability   1,476 1,557 1,605 1,492 1,407
Total 38,905 41,506 43,340 43,911    
Show All
*Note: In 2016-2017, DC PCSB measures the performance of six schools (Goodwill Excel Center PCS, Kingsman Academy PCS, Maya Angelou PCS – High School, Monument Academy PCS, St. Coletta Special Education PCS, and The Children’s Guild DC PCS) through the Alternative Accountability Framework.

PCS Demographics By School Year

Category 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21
Black or African American 76.13% 75.65% 75.0% 73.66% 71.99% 71.99%
Hispanic/Latino 15.45% 16.03% 15.9% 16.30% 16.87% 16.36%
White 5.72% 5.59% 5.9% 6.40% 7.22% 7.63%
Asian 0.99% 1.12% 1.1% 1.07% 1.09% 1.07%
American Indian or Alaska 0.21% 0.16% 0.2% 0.20% 0.20% 0.18%
Native Hawaiian or Other 0.08% 0.07% 0.1% 0.09% 0.09% 0.06%
Multiracial 1.42% 1.38% 1.9% 2.29% 2.55% 2.71%
At-Risk 49.1% 48.4% 43.7% 42.66% 40.76% 42.91%
Economically Disadvantaged 81.8% 77.7% 72.8% 77.01%    
English Language Learners 7.1% 6.6% 7.5% 7.52% 7.95% 7.78%
Special Education 13.3% 14.2%   13.88% 14.46% 14.73%
Show All
*Note: At-risk students were identified for the first time in SY14-15.

Enrollment by Ward Where Students Live

Ward # of students SY 2019-20 % of enrollment SY 2019-20 # of students SY 2020-21 % of enrollment SY 2020-21
Ward 1 3,338 7.8% 3,172 7.2%
Ward 2 496 1.1% 433 1.0%
Ward 3 449 1.0% 430 1.0%
Ward 4 6,787 15.6% 6,932 15.8%
Ward 5 7,775 17.9% 7,963 18.2%
Ward 6 3,753 8.6% 3,779 8.6%
Ward 7 9,272 21.4% 9,435 21.5%
Ward 8 11,430 26.3% 11,524 26.3%
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Enrollment by Ward of Public Charter School/Campus SY 2020-21

Student Ward # of Students % of Students
Ward 1 3,758 39.8%
Ward 2 1,088 23.9%
Ward 3 0 0
Ward 4 7,138 45.0%
Ward 5 12,412 71.9%
Ward 6 4,079 36.7%
Ward 7 7,309 58.2%
Ward 8 8,073 52.8%
Show All

132 Campuses Educate Students in Grade PK-12, Adult Learners, and Alternative Accountability Schools

Grades Number of Campuses
Educates Early Childhood 61
Educates Elementary 86
Educates Middle School 50
Educates High School 20
Educates Adult 9
Educates Alternative Accountability 10
Show All

Public Charters Schools By Ward

Ward Number of public charter schools in SY 2019-20 Number of Public Charter Schools in SY 2020-21
Ward 1 9 9
Ward 2 2 3
Ward 3 0 0
Ward 4 20 20
Ward 5 30 35
Ward 6 14 16
Ward 7 22 22
Ward 8 26 23
Show All

Enrollment by School Quality Report Tier By School Year

Seats Published By Tier Over Time 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21
Tier 1 16,355 17,477 18,356 20,777 23,273 23,709
Tier 2 17,569 17,549 17,593 17,740 15,508 15,165
Tier 3 1,441 1,606 1,685 2,614 111 N/A
Untiered 3,539 4,874 5,660 2,780 4,593 4,983
Total 38,904 41,506 43,429 43,911 43,485 43,857
Show All
*Note: 2014-15 was a hold harmless year. 2014 School Quality Report Tiers were used to estimate seats by tier in this year.

PK3-12 At-Risk Percentages By School Year

School Year 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21
At-Risk (#) 16,635 17,137 17,807 17,418 16,490 18,049
Not-at-Risk (#) 17,508 18,912 19,438 20,081 20,587 20,194
% At-Risk 48.72% 47.54% 47.81% 46.45% 44.48% 47.20%
Show All
*Note: Not-at-Risk equals PK3-12 and Adult students

Historical Enrollment

View public school enrollment from 1967 until present.
View Public School Enrollment
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