Whittier Elementary School

Summary:

Whittier Elementary School is a public elementary school in Washington, DC, serving 380 students in grades PK-5. As part of the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) district, Whittier stands out for its strong academic performance, particularly in supporting underrepresented student subgroups.

Whittier's student population is 61.32% African American, significantly higher than nearby schools. The school outperforms DCPS and DC-wide averages in 3rd grade ELA and Math proficiency, as well as 5th grade Math proficiency. Whittier also ranks highly among DC elementary schools for the academic achievement of African American students, English Language Learners, low-income students, and "At Risk" students. This success may be attributed to Whittier's relatively high per-student spending of $29,950 and low student-teacher ratio of 9.5.

While Whittier's overall performance is strong, with a consistent 4-star rating from SchoolDigger in recent years, the school faces opportunities for continued improvement, especially in 4th and 5th grade ELA and Math proficiency. Nearby charter schools like Breakthrough Montessori PCS and Sela PCS also demonstrate impressive academic results, particularly in ELA, providing a benchmark for Whittier to strive towards.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

 6201 5th St. NW
       Washington, DC  20011


(202) 576-6156

District: District of Columbia Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
28th of 126 District Of Columbia Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $29,950 Help


Students who attend Whittier Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:    Ida B. Wells Middle School
High:    Coolidge High School

Student/teacher ratio:  9.5 Help
Number of students:  380

Racial breakdown:

African American:
61.3%
Hispanic:
24.2%
White:
10.0%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  100% Help


 See top rated District Of Columbia elementary schools

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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Whittier Elementary School ranks better than 77.8% of elementary schools in District Of Columbia. It also ranks 22nd among 75 ranked elementary schools in the District of Columbia Public Schools. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 66.6. (See more...)
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Compare Details Whittier Elementary School is not ranked due for the most recent year due to insufficient test score data. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2019 the calculated Average Standard Score was 79.94. (See more...)
Student Body
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Compare Details Racial makeup is: African American (61.3%), Hispanic (24.2%), White (10%). (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Whittier Elementary School is 9.5, which is the 28th best among 75 elementary schools in the District of Columbia Public Schools. (See more...)
Help
Compare Whittier Elementary School employs 40 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Whittier Elementary School is $29,950, which is the 39th highest among 75 elementary schools in the District of Columbia Public Schools.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Whittier Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Whittier Elementary School 28th of 126 District Of Columbia public elementary schools. (See Whittier Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


English Language Learner students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
African American students:


District of Columbia Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks District of Columbia Public Schools 26th of 47 District Of Columbia school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Your rating for Whittier Elementary School?

Rank History for Whittier Elementary School

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Compare

Rank History for all elementary school students at Whittier Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools DC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2010 68.76 29th 111 73.9%
2011 43.98 58th 111 47.7%
2012 42.28 61st 112 45.5%
2014 47.39 53rd 109 51.4%
2015 34.33 56th 97 42.3%
2016 28.93 70th 99 29.3%
2017 49.69 42nd 108 61.1%
2018 48.57 54th 120 55.0%
2019 67.42 30th 122 75.4%
2022 38.09 53rd 97 45.4%
2023 59.32 36th 128 71.9%
2024 66.60 28th 126 77.8%
See the entire list of District Of Columbia Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for elementary school English Language Learner students at Whittier Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools DC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 83.65 2nd 19 89.5%
2024 75.04 2nd 18 88.9%
See the entire list of Best District Of Columbia Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for elementary school Low Socio Economic Status students at Whittier Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools DC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 87.02 2nd 53 96.2%
2024 95.56 1st 55 98.2%
See the entire list of Best District Of Columbia Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for elementary school Female students at Whittier Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools DC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 46.11 56th 110 49.1%
2019 62.60 38th 117 67.5%
See the entire list of Best District Of Columbia Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for elementary school At Risk students at Whittier Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools DC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 69.41 24th 90 73.3%
2019 93.21 2nd 91 97.8%
See the entire list of Best District Of Columbia Elementary Schools for At Risk Students!

Rank History for elementary school Male students at Whittier Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools DC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 56.95 38th 113 66.4%
2019 71.91 23rd 113 79.6%
See the entire list of Best District Of Columbia Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for elementary school African American students at Whittier Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools DC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 62.38 32nd 100 68.0%
2019 75.70 17th 106 84.0%
2022 57.91 11th 35 68.6%
2023 86.32 3rd 60 95.0%
2024 79.40 5th 63 92.1%
See the entire list of Best District Of Columbia Elementary Schools for African American Students!

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

Rank History for Whittier Elementary School

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Compare
Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools DC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2010 52.90 24th 56 57.1%
2011 36.30 35th 57 38.6%
2012 46.85 30th 57 47.4%
2014 39.04 37th 57 35.1%
2015 28.43 31st 49 36.7%
2018 51.60 28th 72 61.1%
2019 79.94 12th 75 84.0%
See the entire list of District Of Columbia Elementary School Rankings!

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

Whittier Elementary School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 





Data source: Office of the State Superintendent of Education

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Enrollment information for Whittier Elementary School

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 1 511 4 3 0 n/a n/a 0 519
1989 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 544 544
1990 0 570 0 6 0 n/a n/a 0 576
1991 1 535 0 12 0 n/a n/a 0 548
1992 1 543 0 7 0 n/a n/a 0 551
1993 1 511 1 6 0 n/a n/a 0 519
1994 1 490 0 6 0 n/a n/a 0 497
1995 3 414 2 15 0 n/a n/a 0 434
1996 3 414 2 15 0 n/a n/a 0 434
1997 4 410 0 14 0 n/a n/a 0 428
1998 2 470 1 18 0 n/a n/a 0 491
1999 2 453 1 19 0 n/a n/a 0 475
2000 3 453 2 34 0 n/a n/a 0 492
2001 2 453 2 35 0 n/a n/a 0 492
2002 0 440 1 49 0 n/a n/a 0 490
2003 0 440 1 49 0 n/a n/a 0 490
2004 1 392 1 39 0 n/a n/a 0 433
2005 1 373 1 34 0 n/a n/a 0 409
2006 1 341 1 36 0 n/a n/a 0 379
2007 2 341 0 39 0 n/a n/a 0 382
2008 2 339 0 50 0 n/a n/a 0 391
2009 2 343 3 60 0 n/a n/a 0 408
2010 2 348 1 78 0 n/a n/a 0 429
2011 8 312 5 79 1 0 0 0 405
2012 6 280 3 57 0 0 5 0 351
2013 4 279 3 50 1 0 2 0 339
2014 2 294 3 55 3 1 4 0 362
2015 3 276 2 59 3 0 7 0 350
2016 6 287 1 58 4 0 9 0 365
2017 5 258 1 69 3 0 5 0 341
2018 11 230 1 80 1 0 2 0 325
2019 17 236 3 90 1 0 4 0 351
2020 19 236 5 99 0 0 7 0 366
2021 24 206 6 83 0 0 5 0 324
2022 29 207 7 88 0 0 5 0 336
2023 38 233 8 92 0 0 9 0 380

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 Whittier Elementary School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 519 29.0 17.8 27.2
1989 544 36.0 15.1 25.9
1990 576 29.0 19.8 19.6
1991 548 29.0 18.8 18.1
1992 551 28.0 19.6 42.8
1993 519 32.0 16.2 46.2
1994 497 26.0 19.1 56.5
1995 434 19.0 22.8 68.9
1996 434 19.0 22.8 68.9
1997 428 21.0 20.4 46.7
1998 491 n/a 0.0 n/a
1999 475 27.0 17.6 n/a
2000 492 32.0 15.4 62.8
2001 492 33.0 14.9 66.7
2002 490 n/a n/a 49.8
2003 490 n/a n/a 49.8
2004 433 32.0 13.5 64.2
2005 409 30.0 13.6 79.5
2006 379 30.0 12.6 64.4
2007 382 36.0 10.6 64.1
2008 391 9.0 43.4 69.6
2009 408 40.8 10.0 84.6
2010 429 39.0 11.0 86.5
2011 405 39.0 10.3 91.6
2012 351 29.5 11.8 53.8
2013 339 25.0 13.5 58.1
2014 362 29.0 12.4 99.2
2015 350 34.0 10.2 100
2016 365 34.0 10.7 100
2017 341 37.0 9.2 n/a
2018 325 33.0 9.8 n/a
2019 351 35.0 10.0 n/a
2020 366 38.0 9.6 n/a
2021 324 37.2 8.7 n/a
2022 336 40.2 8.3 n/a
2023 380 40.0 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 Whittier Elementary School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 519 29.0 17.8 27.2
1989 544 36.0 15.1 25.9
1990 576 29.0 19.8 19.6
1991 548 29.0 18.8 18.1
1992 551 28.0 19.6 42.8
1993 519 32.0 16.2 46.2
1994 497 26.0 19.1 56.5
1995 434 19.0 22.8 68.9
1996 434 19.0 22.8 68.9
1997 428 21.0 20.4 46.7
1998 491 n/a 0.0 n/a
1999 475 27.0 17.6 n/a
2000 492 32.0 15.4 62.8
2001 492 33.0 14.9 66.7
2002 490 n/a n/a 49.8
2003 490 n/a n/a 49.8
2004 433 32.0 13.5 64.2
2005 409 30.0 13.6 79.5
2006 379 30.0 12.6 64.4
2007 382 36.0 10.6 64.1
2008 391 9.0 43.4 69.6
2009 408 40.8 10.0 84.6
2010 429 39.0 11.0 86.5
2011 405 39.0 10.3 91.6
2012 351 29.5 11.8 53.8
2013 339 25.0 13.5 58.1
2014 362 29.0 12.4 99.2
2015 350 34.0 10.2 100
2016 365 34.0 10.7 100
2017 341 37.0 9.2 n/a
2018 325 33.0 9.8 n/a
2019 351 35.0 10.0 n/a
2020 366 38.0 9.6 n/a
2021 324 37.2 8.7 n/a
2022 336 40.2 8.3 n/a
2023 380 40.0 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 Whittier Elementary School

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $2,154 (9.4%) $20,806 (90.6%) $22,960
2020 $2,371 (9.8%) $21,914 (90.2%) $24,285
2021 $2,933 (10.2%) $25,696 (89.8%) $28,630
2022 $4,693 (16.3%) $24,040 (83.7%) $28,733
2023 $3,804 (12.7%) $26,146 (87.3%) $29,950

Data source: District Of Columbia Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Whittier 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 30th of 122 Elementary schoolsRanks 36th of 128 Elementary schools
 3.5%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade Mathematics (Whittier Elementary School)66.732.6
 34.2%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (District of Columbia Public Schools)43.237.4
 5.8%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (District Of Columbia)41.830.6
 11.2%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Whittier Elementary School)48.131
 17.2%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (District of Columbia Public Schools)35.832.3
 3.5%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (District Of Columbia)33.126.1
 7%
4th Grade Mathematics (Whittier Elementary School)47.834.1
 13.7%
   4th Grade Mathematics (District of Columbia Public Schools)39.734.8
 4.9%
   4th Grade Mathematics (District Of Columbia)38.529.2
 9.3%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Whittier Elementary School)43.531.7
 11.8%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (District of Columbia Public Schools)41.441.3
 0.2%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (District Of Columbia)38.234.7
 3.5%
5th Grade Mathematics (Whittier Elementary School)26.534.1
 7.6%
   5th Grade Mathematics (District of Columbia Public Schools)33.428.8
 4.6%
   5th Grade Mathematics (District Of Columbia)32.425.4
 7%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Whittier Elementary School)26.539
 12.5%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (District of Columbia Public Schools)36.438.1
 1.7%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (District Of Columbia)35.533.7
 1.8%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students351380
 8.3%
African American236233
 1.3%
American Indian10
 100%
Asian38
 166.7%
Hispanic9092
 2.2%
Pacific Islander00
White1738
 123.5%
Two or More Races49
 125%


Schools Near Whittier Elementary School









Frequently Asked Questions about Whittier Elementary School

Students at Whittier Elementary School are 61% African American, 24% Hispanic, 10% White, 2% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Whittier Elementary School ranks 28th of 126 District Of Columbia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students who attend Whittier Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Ida B. Wells Middle School
High : Coolidge High School

In the 2022-23 school year, 380 students attended Whittier Elementary School.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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