Is Smothers Elementary School a good school?

Smothers Elementary School ranks in the bottom 17.5% of District Of Columbia elementary schools.

How many students attend Smothers Elementary School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 232 students attended Smothers Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Smothers Elementary School?

Students at Smothers Elementary School are 91% African American, 9% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of Smothers Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Smothers Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Kelly Miller Middle School High : H.D. Woodson High School

Smothers Elementary School

Summary:

Smothers Elementary School is a public elementary school in Washington, DC, serving 210 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) district, which is ranked 26 out of 47 districts in DC and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Smothers Elementary School consistently performs significantly below the district and state averages in standardized test scores for English Language Arts and Mathematics. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, only 2.8% of 3rd graders and 15.4% of 5th graders were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 35% and 38.3% for the DCPS district, respectively. Similarly, only 3.9% of 4th graders were proficient or better in Math, compared to 34.4% for DCPS. The school has consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of DC elementary schools, with rankings ranging from 104 out of 126 schools in 2023-2024 to 78 out of 97 schools in 2014-2015, placing it in the bottom 20% of elementary schools in the state.

Smothers Elementary School's performance on standardized tests is particularly low for specific student subgroups, such as female students, male students, African American students, and "at-risk" students. The school has a significantly higher percentage of African American students (over 90%) compared to the district and state averages. While the nearby schools, such as Nalle Elementary School, KIPP DC - Quest Academy PCS, and KIPP DC - Promise Academy PCS, also perform below the district and state averages, Smothers Elementary School consistently ranks lower than these schools, indicating that it faces unique challenges that may require targeted interventions.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

4400 Brooks St. NE
Washington, DC 20019

(202) 939-3600

District: District of Columbia Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
104^th of 126 District Of Columbia Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $34,216

Students who attend Smothers Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Kelly Miller Middle School
High:	H.D. Woodson High School

Student/teacher ratio: 9.5

Number of students: 232

Racial breakdown:

African American:

90.5%

Hispanic:

8.6%

White:

0.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 100%

See top rated District Of Columbia elementary schools

Compare Smothers Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Smothers Elementary School ranks worse than 82.5% of elementary schools in District Of Columbia. It also ranks 61^st among 75 ranked elementary schools in the District of Columbia Public Schools. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 24.02. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: African American (90.5%), Hispanic (8.6%), American Indian (0.4%). (See more...)

Compare Details

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Smothers Elementary School is 9.5, which is the 28^th best among 75 elementary schools in the District of Columbia Public Schools. (See more...)

Compare Smothers Elementary School employs 24.1 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Smothers Elementary School is $34,216, which is the 13^th highest among 75 elementary schools in the District of Columbia Public Schools.

Schooldigger Rankings:

Smothers Elementary School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

District of Columbia Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks District of Columbia Public Schools 27^th of 47 District Of Columbia school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Smothers Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at Smothers Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	DC State Percentile
2010	31.88	80^th	111	27.9%
2011	29.92	82^nd	111	26.1%
2012	24.78	88^th	112	21.4%
2014	18.24	92^nd	109	15.6%
2015	22.99	78^th	97	19.6%
2016	16.40	90^th	99	9.1%
2017	10.06	108^th	108	0.0%
2018	12.29	118^th	120	1.7%
2019	12.82	117^th	122	4.1%
2023	26.75	98^th	128	23.4%
2024	24.02	104^th	126	17.5%

See the entire list of District Of Columbia Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Female students at Smothers Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	DC State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	10.54	108^th	110	1.8%
2019	11.97	113^th	117	3.4%

See the entire list of Best District Of Columbia Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for At Risk students at Smothers Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	DC State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	11.86	89^th	90	1.1%
2019	16.83	86^th	91	5.5%

See the entire list of Best District Of Columbia Elementary Schools for At Risk Students!

Rank History for Male students at Smothers Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	DC State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	18.06	104^th	113	8.0%
2019	17.93	104^th	113	8.0%

See the entire list of Best District Of Columbia Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Smothers Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	DC State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	12.76	98^th	100	2.0%
2019	15.13	102^nd	106	3.8%

See the entire list of Best District Of Columbia Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Data source: test scores: D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Office of the State Superintendent of Education

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Enrollment information for Smothers Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	0	333	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	333
1989	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	347	347
1990	0	359	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	359
1991	0	373	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	373
1992	0	341	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	341
1993	0	314	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	314
1994	0	304	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	304
1995	0	294	0	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	295
1996	0	294	0	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	295
1997	0	307	0	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	308
1998	0	292	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	292
1999	0	276	0	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	277
2000	0	297	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	297
2001	0	260	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	262
2002	0	267	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	267
2003	0	267	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	267
2004	0	244	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	244
2005	0	228	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	228
2006	0	206	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	206
2007	0	210	0	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	213
2008	0	191	0	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	194
2009	0	224	0	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	227
2010	0	213	0	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	216
2011	0	218	0	2	0	0	0	0	220
2012	0	237	1	5	0	0	1	0	244
2013	0	270	0	11	0	0	1	0	282
2014	0	276	0	12	1	0	1	0	290
2015	1	263	0	8	1	0	2	0	275
2016	1	255	1	14	1	0	2	0	274
2017	1	228	1	21	1	0	1	0	253
2018	0	234	1	17	0	0	0	0	252
2019	0	223	2	23	1	0	0	0	249
2020	0	219	1	26	1	0	0	0	247
2021	0	189	1	19	1	0	0	0	210
2022	1	176	0	17	1	0	0	0	195
2023	1	191	0	17	1	0	0	0	210
2024	1	210	0	20	1	0	0	0	232

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Smothers Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	333	15.0	22.2	62.5
1989	347	21.0	16.5	59.9
1990	359	15.0	23.9	37.6
1991	373	15.0	24.8	43.7
1992	341	15.0	22.7	69.8
1993	314	17.0	18.5	71
1994	304	14.0	21.7	74.3
1995	295	14.0	21.1	78
1996	295	14.0	21.1	78
1997	308	13.0	23.7	60.4
1998	292	n/a	0.0	n/a
1999	277	16.0	17.3	n/a
2000	297	21.0	14.1	76.1
2001	262	21.0	12.5	86.3
2002	267	n/a	n/a	79
2003	267	n/a	n/a	79
2004	244	18.0	13.6	69.7
2005	228	20.0	11.4	78.1
2006	206	17.0	12.1	89.3
2007	213	17.0	12.5	88.3
2008	194	4.0	48.5	72.2
2009	227	26.6	8.5	91.6
2010	216	25.0	8.6	87
2011	220	21.0	10.4	85.5
2012	244	17.9	13.5	54.5
2013	282	18.0	15.6	66.7
2014	290	22.0	13.1	99
2015	275	22.0	12.5	100
2016	274	23.0	11.9	100
2017	253	32.0	7.9	n/a
2018	252	24.0	10.5	n/a
2019	249	25.0	9.9	n/a
2020	247	26.5	9.3	n/a
2021	210	26.5	7.9	n/a
2022	195	27.5	7.0	n/a
2023	210	26.5	7.9	n/a
2024	232	24.1	9.5	n/a

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Smothers Elementary School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	333	15.0	22.2	62.5
1989	347	21.0	16.5	59.9
1990	359	15.0	23.9	37.6
1991	373	15.0	24.8	43.7
1992	341	15.0	22.7	69.8
1993	314	17.0	18.5	71
1994	304	14.0	21.7	74.3
1995	295	14.0	21.1	78
1996	295	14.0	21.1	78
1997	308	13.0	23.7	60.4
1998	292	n/a	0.0	n/a
1999	277	16.0	17.3	n/a
2000	297	21.0	14.1	76.1
2001	262	21.0	12.5	86.3
2002	267	n/a	n/a	79
2003	267	n/a	n/a	79
2004	244	18.0	13.6	69.7
2005	228	20.0	11.4	78.1
2006	206	17.0	12.1	89.3
2007	213	17.0	12.5	88.3
2008	194	4.0	48.5	72.2
2009	227	26.6	8.5	91.6
2010	216	25.0	8.6	87
2011	220	21.0	10.4	85.5
2012	244	17.9	13.5	54.5
2013	282	18.0	15.6	66.7
2014	290	22.0	13.1	99
2015	275	22.0	12.5	100
2016	274	23.0	11.9	100
2017	253	32.0	7.9	n/a
2018	252	24.0	10.5	n/a
2019	249	25.0	9.9	n/a
2020	247	26.5	9.3	n/a
2021	210	26.5	7.9	n/a
2022	195	27.5	7.0	n/a
2023	210	26.5	7.9	n/a
2024	232	24.1	9.5	n/a

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Smothers Elementary School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$2,728 (12.0%)	$20,006 (88.0%)	$22,734
2020	$3,170 (13.5%)	$20,328 (86.5%)	$23,498
2021	$3,394 (11.8%)	$25,263 (88.2%)	$28,657
2022	$5,213 (15.6%)	$28,133 (84.4%)	$33,346
2023	$4,392 (12.8%)	$29,824 (87.2%)	$34,216

Data source: District Of Columbia Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Smothers Elementary School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 117^th of 122 Elementary schools	Ranks 98^th of 128 Elementary schools	19.3%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
4th Grade Mathematics (Smothers Elementary School)	8.7	7.1	1.6%
4th Grade Mathematics (District of Columbia Public Schools)	39.7	34.8	4.9%
4th Grade Mathematics (District Of Columbia)	38.5	29.2	9.3%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Smothers Elementary School)	8.7	14.3	5.6%
4th Grade English Language Arts (District of Columbia Public Schools)	41.4	41.3	0.2%
4th Grade English Language Arts (District Of Columbia)	38.2	34.7	3.5%
5th Grade Mathematics (Smothers Elementary School)	0	4.4	4.4%
5th Grade Mathematics (District of Columbia Public Schools)	33.4	28.8	4.6%
5th Grade Mathematics (District Of Columbia)	32.4	25.4	7%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Smothers Elementary School)	10	26.1	16.1%
5th Grade English Language Arts (District of Columbia Public Schools)	36.4	38.1	1.7%
5th Grade English Language Arts (District Of Columbia)	35.5	33.7	1.8%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	249	210	15.7%
African American	223	191	14.3%
American Indian	1	1
Asian	2	0	100%
Hispanic	23	17	26.1%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	0	1
Two or More Races	0	0

Schools Near Smothers Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				DC Science Science (2024)	DC CAPE English Language Arts (2024)			DC CAPE Mathematics (2024)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	DC Science Science End of Course	DC CAPE English Language Arts 3rd Grade	DC CAPE English Language Arts 4th Grade	DC CAPE English Language Arts 5th Grade	DC CAPE Mathematics 3rd Grade	DC CAPE Mathematics 4th Grade	DC CAPE Mathematics 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Smothers Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4400 Brooks St. NE	Washington	20019	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 939-3600	232	24	9.5		1 (0.4%)	210 (90.5%)	20 (8.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24	104^th of 126 public elementary schools	17.5%		26.8	98^th of 128 public elementary schools	23.4%	6	11.5	2.8		15.4		3.9		$34,216	$4,392	$29,824
DC Prep PCS - Benning Elementary School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-3	100 41st Street NE	Washington	20019	District Of Columbia	DC Prep PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 398-2838	425	34	12.5		0 (0.0%)	383 (90.1%)	26 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	15 (3.5%)								(n/a)		22.9			28.6			$25,256	$4,883	$20,373
Plummer Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4601 Texas Ave. SE	Washington	20019	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 939-4360	224	26	8.6		0 (0.0%)	187 (83.5%)	37 (16.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21.3	115^th of 126 public elementary schools	8.7%		31.9	78^th of 128 public elementary schools	39.1%	37		12.0	14.3	12.0	8.0	14.3	8.0	$34,303	$4,142	$30,161
Global Citizens PCS	Public, Charter	PK, KG-1	4095 Minnesota Avenue NE	Washington	20019	District Of Columbia	Global Citizens PCS	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(202) 221-6400	161	14	11.5		5 (3.1%)	129 (80.1%)	15 (9.3%)	4 (2.5%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (4.3%)								(n/a)								$31,154	$2,335	$28,819
Nalle Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	219 50th St. SE	Washington	20019	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 671-6280	307	35	8.8		0 (0.0%)	268 (87.3%)	37 (12.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	26.9	98^th of 126 public elementary schools	22.2%		28.1	91^st of 128 public elementary schools	28.9%	7		16.7	10.7	8.8	30.6	7.1	8.8	$30,871	$4,436	$26,436
KIPP DC - Quest Academy PCS	Public, Charter	1-4	5300 Blaine Street NE	Washington	20019	District Of Columbia	KIPP Dc Pcs	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 398-6811	390	28	13.8		0 (0.0%)	375 (96.2%)	11 (2.8%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22.9	106^th of 126 public elementary schools	15.9%		27.8	92^nd of 128 public elementary schools	28.1%	14		15.3	10.1		12.9	11.4		$24,859	$3,723	$21,136
KIPP DC - Arts and Technology Academy PCS	Public, Charter	PK-K	5300 Blaine Street NE	Washington	20019	District Of Columbia	KIPP Dc Pcs	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 398-6811	270	18	15.0		0 (0.0%)	266 (98.5%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)								$20,407	$2,554	$17,853
KIPP DC - LEAP Academy PCS	Public, Charter	PK	4801 Benning Road SE	Washington	20019	District Of Columbia	KIPP Dc Pcs	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 582-5327	226	15	15.1		1 (0.4%)	218 (96.5%)	5 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)								$25,636	$3,610	$22,026
KIPP DC - Promise Academy PCS	Public, Charter	K-4	4801 Benning Road SE	Washington	20019	District Of Columbia	KIPP Dc Pcs	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 582-1390	621	44	14.1		0 (0.0%)	596 (96.0%)	22 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	45.7	56^th of 126 public elementary schools	55.6%		44.9	55^th of 128 public elementary schools	57.0%	1		18.2	28.7		27.3	31.3		$23,813	$3,658	$20,156
Thomas Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	650 Anacostia Ave. NE	Washington	20019	District Of Columbia	District of Columbia Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(202) 724-4593	275	27	10.1		1 (0.4%)	253 (92.0%)	19 (6.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	17.7	122^nd of 126 public elementary schools	3.2%		32.9	74^th of 128 public elementary schools	42.2%	48		9.3	14.3	6.5			3.2	$30,898	$4,298	$26,601

Smothers Elementary School

District of Columbia Public Schools:

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Rank History for Smothers Elementary School

Rank History for all students at Smothers Elementary School

Rank History for Female students at Smothers Elementary School

Rank History for At Risk students at Smothers Elementary School

Rank History for Male students at Smothers Elementary School

Rank History for African American students at Smothers Elementary School

Enrollment information for Smothers Elementary School

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Smothers Elementary School

Student/Teacher Ratio Smothers Elementary School

Per Pupil Expenditures for Smothers Elementary School

Impact of COVID-19 on Smothers Elementary School

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Smothers Elementary School