Issue
Schools
Test scores hit a record one-year gain. The Ward 3 to Ward 8 gap is still 55 points.
Quick takeWhat you need to know
What you need to know
- 2025 DC CAPE posted the largest one-year gains on record: 57.9% ELA and 47.5% math at or approaching grade level.
- Ward 3 vs. Ward 8 math proficiency gap remains stark — 60% vs. 5% in 2024.
- DC joined a 24-state lawsuit after the Trump administration withheld ~$6.8B in K-12 grants in July 2025.
DC's 2025 statewide assessment posted the largest one-year gains on record: 57.9% of students at or approaching grade level in ELA and 47.5% in math. But the ward-level gap remains stark — in 2024, math proficiency was 60% in Ward 3 and 5% in Ward 8. Public school enrollment was essentially flat in SY2025-26, with the long-running roughly 52/48 split between DC Public Schools and the public charter sector. In July 2025 the Trump administration withheld about $6.8B in approved K-12 grants nationwide; DC joined a 24-state lawsuit. Chancellor Lewis Ferebee remains in role; State Superintendent Antoinette Mitchell was confirmed unanimously in May 2025.
What's at stake
Federal K-12 funds remain politically exposed
The July 2025 freeze swept Title II, after-school, and English-learner funds. DC joined the 24-state suit; partial release followed but the precedent is set.
Ward-level gaps persist
2025 gains were real (Ward 8 posted the largest career-readiness gains since 2022) but a 55-point math-proficiency gap doesn't close in one year.
Enrollment is flat, not declining
SY2025-26 total public-school enrollment fell 0.2%; pre-K dropped 3%. DCPS/charter split is stable. The closure-and-consolidation fight is dormant — for now.
PowerWho decides
Who decides
- DCPS Chancellor Lewis FerebeeRuns DC Public Schools (the LEA). Appointed 2019; reports to the Mayor.
- State Superintendent Antoinette Mitchell (OSSE)Runs the State Education Agency: testing, special-ed compliance, child care, transportation. Confirmed May 2025.
- DC State Board of Education (9 elected members)Sets state-level standards (graduation requirements, social-studies framework). Does not run schools.
- DC Public Charter School Board (PCSB)Charter authorizer — approves, reviews, and closes the city's ~120 charter schools.
Who decides
- DCPS Chancellor Lewis FerebeeRuns DC Public Schools (the LEA). Appointed 2019; reports to the Mayor.
- State Superintendent Antoinette Mitchell (OSSE)Runs the State Education Agency: testing, special-ed compliance, child care, transportation. Confirmed May 2025.
- DC State Board of Education (9 elected members)Sets state-level standards (graduation requirements, social-studies framework). Does not run schools.
- DC Public Charter School Board (PCSB)Charter authorizer — approves, reviews, and closes the city's ~120 charter schools.
Recent moves
- DCPS launches bell-to-bell phone ban for SY2025-26DCPS ↗
- OSSE: 2025 DC CAPE shows record one-year gains in ELA and mathOSSE ↗
- Trump administration withholds ~$6.8B in K-12 grants; DC joins multistate suitChalkbeat ↗
- Council unanimously confirms Dr. Antoinette Mitchell as State SuperintendentOSSE ↗
AskQuestions to put to candidates
Questions to put to candidates
- What's your concrete plan to close the Ward 3 to Ward 8 proficiency gap by 10 points in one term?
- Do you support more, fewer, or the same number of charter schools — and on what criteria?
- If federal K-12 funds are frozen again, what local revenue source backfills them?
Questions to put to candidates
- What's your concrete plan to close the Ward 3 to Ward 8 proficiency gap by 10 points in one term?
- Do you support more, fewer, or the same number of charter schools — and on what criteria?
- If federal K-12 funds are frozen again, what local revenue source backfills them?