On March 12, 2026, the State of D.C. Schools, 2024-25 report was featured by WTOP:
D.C. public schools are showing “forward momentum,” with an increase in enrollment, improved teacher retention and improvements in student performance, according to a new report from the D.C. Policy Center. But one of the authors of the report told WTOP the figures on chronic absenteeism are an area of concern.
The local think tank’s 2024-25 “State of D.C. Schools” report showed some recovery to prepandemic levels in performance in English Language Arts, with 38% of students meeting or exceeding expectations. That’s an increase of 4% points.
The report also documented a 4% gain in math, but the number of students meeting or exceeding standards remained at prepandemic levels, just 26%.
Chelsea Coffin, deputy director of the center and one of the authors of the report, said of the gains, “D.C. has been making a lot of investments over time that are starting to pay off,” but she acknowledged the need for continued improvement.
The efforts to boost student performance, she said, are “definitely not a sprint.”
Read more: DC schools see a boost in performance, but challenges in absenteeism
Additional reading: State of D.C. Schools, 2024-25