Van Ness ES

Van Ness ES is a mid-tier elementary school in Washington, District of Columbia, part of District of Columbia Public Schools. The school enrolls 404 students in grades pre-K through 5.

District of Columbia Public Schools comprises 117 schools with combined enrollment of 52,030 students; Van Ness ES is among them.

On the student-mix side, Van Ness ES lists that 68% of the student body identifies as Black. The remainder comes out to 18% White, 8% multiracial, 5% Hispanic. The wider county runs roughly 42% Black, putting the school's mix visibly more Black than the area baseline.

Looking at school resources, Van Ness ES lists 31 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 13.0:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 11.0:1, putting Van Ness ES higher than the state norm the norm.

Zooming out to the county, the surrounding county (District of Columbia) reports that median household earnings sit near $109,870, roughly 64% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 12% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across District of Columbia's 247 public schools (combined enrollment of about 94,385 students), Van Ness ES is one campus in the mix.

Shirley Chisholm ES is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.4 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius.

The school occupies a high-density site.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count rose 88%: 215 students in 2018 compared to 404 in 2025. The Black share of enrollment edged up from 52% to 68% over that span.

Inside the community feed, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.