DC Prep PCS

The DC Prep PCS district in Washington, D.C. operates 6 schools, including 3 elementary schools and 3 middle schools. The district serves a predominantly African American student population, with some Hispanic representation and very few white students. While the district's test scores are generally lower than the state and district averages, two of the middle schools, DC Prep PCS - Edgewood Middle School and DC Prep PCS - Benning Middle School, stand out as top performers in the city, consistently ranking among the best middle schools and receiving high ratings from SchoolDigger.

The DC Prep PCS - Edgewood Middle School is the district's top-performing school, ranking 7th out of 70 middle schools in the 2023-2024 school year and earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's test scores, particularly in English Language Arts, exceed the district and state averages across all grade levels, and it has a relatively low student-teacher ratio of 9.9. Similarly, DC Prep PCS - Benning Middle School is also a standout, ranking 21st out of 70 middle schools and receiving a 4-star rating, with strong performance in English Language Arts.

While the overall academic performance of the DC Prep PCS schools is lower than the district and state averages, particularly in mathematics, the strong performance of the middle schools suggests that there may be effective teaching practices and curriculum that could be replicated at other schools in the district. Additionally, the district's predominantly African American student population highlights the need to investigate the underlying factors that may contribute to the performance gaps, such as socioeconomic status, access to resources, and teaching quality, in order to develop targeted interventions and support for all students.