Name: District of Columbia schools in decline · enrollment loss 2017–2024
Creator: allk12
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Keywords: public schools, K-12, enrollment decline, NCES, District of Columbia

District of Columbia schools in decline

District of Columbia public schools with the largest enrollment loss from 2017-18 to 2024-25.

Schools in this report

steepest declines in state

Largest drop

-79%

AppleTree Early Learning Center PCS - Douglas Knoll

Range

-79% to -15%

2017-18 → 2024-25

TOP 50 DC PUBLIC SCHOOLS BY ENROLLMENT LOSS · 2017-18 → 2024-25

School	City	District	2017-18	2024-25	% change ↑
AppleTree Early Learning Center PCS - Douglas Knoll	WASHINGTON	AppleTree Early Learning PCS	181	39	-78.5%
Hope Community PCS - Tolson	WASHINGTON	Hope Community PCS	467	232	-50.3%
AppleTree Early Learning Center PCS - Southwest	WASHINGTON	AppleTree Early Learning PCS	108	54	-50.0%
Truesdell ES	WASHINGTON	District of Columbia Public Schools	698	370	-47.0%
Moten ES	WASHINGTON	District of Columbia Public Schools	401	216	-46.1%
King ES	WASHINGTON	District of Columbia Public Schools	346	193	-44.2%
Stanton ES	WASHINGTON	District of Columbia Public Schools	493	288	-41.6%
AppleTree Early Learning Center PCS - Oklahoma Avenue	WASHINGTON	AppleTree Early Learning PCS	143	84	-41.3%
Thomas ES	WASHINGTON	District of Columbia Public Schools	384	228	-40.6%
Friendship PCS - Armstrong Elementary	WASHINGTON	Friendship PCS	395	239	-39.5%
Plummer ES	WASHINGTON	District of Columbia Public Schools	375	233	-37.9%
Patterson ES	WASHINGTON	District of Columbia Public Schools	374	238	-36.4%
Friendship PCS - Southeast Elementary	WASHINGTON	Friendship PCS	559	357	-36.1%
Anacostia HS	WASHINGTON	District of Columbia Public Schools	379	246	-35.1%
The Children's Guild DC PCS	WASHINGTON	The Children's Guild DC PCS	375	246	-34.4%
Rocketship PCS - Rise Academy	WASHINGTON	Rocketship Education DC PCS	527	346	-34.3%
Malcolm X ES at Green	WASHINGTON	District of Columbia Public Schools	256	170	-33.6%
Lorraine H. Whitlock ES	WASHINGTON	District of Columbia Public Schools	243	162	-33.3%
Walker-Jones Education Campus	WASHINGTON	District of Columbia Public Schools	435	292	-32.9%
The SEED PCS of Washington DC	WASHINGTON	SEED PCS	363	245	-32.5%
Mary McLeod Bethune Day Academy PCS	WASHINGTON	Mary McLeod Bethune Day Academy PCS	458	310	-32.3%
Roots PCS	WASHINGTON	Roots PCS	118	80	-32.2%
Ballou HS	WASHINGTON	District of Columbia Public Schools	880	597	-32.2%
Friendship PCS - Chamberlain Elementary	WASHINGTON	Friendship PCS	377	256	-32.1%
KIPP DC - Grow Academy PCS	WASHINGTON	KIPP DC PCS	321	224	-30.2%
Friendship PCS - Blow Pierce Elementary	WASHINGTON	Friendship PCS	387	271	-30.0%
KIPP DC - Arts and Technology Academy PCS	WASHINGTON	KIPP DC PCS	347	244	-29.7%
Shining Stars Montessori Academy PCS	WASHINGTON	Shining Stars Montessori Academy PCS	274	199	-27.4%
Hendley ES	WASHINGTON	District of Columbia Public Schools	379	276	-27.2%
Friendship PCS - Woodridge International Elementary	WASHINGTON	Friendship PCS	297	218	-26.6%
AppleTree Early Learning Center PCS - Columbia Heights	WASHINGTON	AppleTree Early Learning PCS	162	119	-26.5%
Two Rivers PCS - 4th Street	WASHINGTON	Two Rivers PCS	528	391	-25.9%
Nalle ES	WASHINGTON	District of Columbia Public Schools	387	287	-25.8%
Raymond ES	WASHINGTON	District of Columbia Public Schools	589	439	-25.5%
LaSalle-Backus ES	WASHINGTON	District of Columbia Public Schools	363	279	-23.1%
KIPP DC - Connect Academy PCS	WASHINGTON	KIPP DC PCS	325	251	-22.8%
Burrville ES	WASHINGTON	District of Columbia Public Schools	300	232	-22.7%
Tubman ES	WASHINGTON	District of Columbia Public Schools	535	415	-22.4%
Ketcham ES	WASHINGTON	District of Columbia Public Schools	310	244	-21.3%
KIPP DC - Discover Academy PCS	WASHINGTON	KIPP DC PCS	351	282	-19.7%
Key ES	WASHINGTON	District of Columbia Public Schools	417	337	-19.2%
Leckie Education Campus	WASHINGTON	District of Columbia Public Schools	558	453	-18.8%
Kelly Miller MS	WASHINGTON	District of Columbia Public Schools	387	315	-18.6%
Drew ES	WASHINGTON	District of Columbia Public Schools	272	223	-18.0%
Dorothy I. Height ES	WASHINGTON	District of Columbia Public Schools	479	400	-16.5%
Garfield ES	WASHINGTON	District of Columbia Public Schools	301	252	-16.3%
Thomson ES	WASHINGTON	District of Columbia Public Schools	308	259	-15.9%
Achievement Preparatory Academy PCS - Wahler Place ES	WASHINGTON	Achievement Preparatory Academy PCS	486	409	-15.8%
Simon ES	WASHINGTON	District of Columbia Public Schools	274	231	-15.7%
KIPP DC - Lead Academy PCS	WASHINGTON	KIPP DC PCS	405	343	-15.3%

50 of 50 rows · Brick-and-mortar only. Virtual, online, and cyber schools excluded. Schools must have had ≥100 students in 2017-18 and be open in both school years.↓ Download schools-in-decline-by-state-dc.csv

How this list was built

Every District of Columbia public school that reported total enrollment in both the NCES SY 2017-18 and SY 2024-25 vintages was scored on percent change in enrollment. Schools needed at least 100 students in 2017-18 to qualify, and must have been open in both school years. Schools that closed entirely are tracked in the separate school closures report. Virtual academies, cyber charters, and online schools are excluded so the list reflects neighborhood schools that families have moved away from rather than program-design changes.

Enrollment loss is not a verdict on a school. Schools shrink because catchment populations shrink, because new schools open nearby, because a magnet program elsewhere pulls transfers, because districts redraw boundaries, or because the building physically aged out. Use this list as a starting point for understanding which District of Columbia schools are operating with substantially fewer students than they were seven years ago.

Source data

NCES Common Core of Data, EDGE_ADMINDATA_PUBLICSCH MapServer, vintages 2017-18 and 2024-25. Refreshed yearly when NCES publishes a new admin-data release. School names, slugs, and current district affiliation come from the 2024-25 snapshot.

HOW TO CITE THIS REPORT

Anyone is welcome to cite or republish these findings. Please credit allk12.com and link back to this page so readers can verify the underlying data.

allk12 (2026). "District of Columbia schools in decline: enrollment loss 2017–2024." Retrieved from https://allk12.com/reports/in-decline/district-of-columbia

For interview requests or custom data pulls: [email protected]

DATA NOTICE

allk12 is independent and not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NCES, the US Census Bureau, any state education agency or assessment program, or any other government agency. Source data is compiled from public records and provided "as is," without warranty of accuracy or completeness. You rely on it, and any analysis derived from it, at your own risk. See the full disclaimer.