By Niels Baardseth · Updated May 2026
120 middle school schools serving grades 6 through 8 (ages 11–14).
Browse all 120 schools that offer middle school grades (6–8) in Washington DC — including DCPS public schools, public charter schools, and private/parochial options. Filter by sector, ward, or apply via the DC school lottery.
Quick answer
Washington DC has approximately 120 middle schools serving grades 6-8 — including 24 DCPS middle schools and education campuses, 53 public charter middle schools (often PK3-8 or 5-8), and ~41 private and parochial options. Alice Deal MS (Ward 3) is ranked #1 by U.S. News. Top charter middle picks: BASIS DC PCS, Washington Latin PCS, DC International School. Apply via the MySchoolDC lottery (opens November, closes late January). In-boundary DCPS families have lottery priority for their assigned middle school.
Looking for the best middle schools in DC for 2026-27? Alice Deal MS (Ward 3) is the U.S. News-ranked #1 DCPS middle school, running DC's only full IB Middle Years Programme. Hardy MS (Ward 2) is #4 with strong STEM and accelerated math. Stuart-Hobson MS anchors the Capitol Hill Cluster (Ward 6).
Top charter middle schools: BASIS DC PCS (selective, academically rigorous), Washington Latin PCS (classical curriculum), Two Rivers PCS Middle (expeditionary learning), DC International School (IB-MYP charter). All apply through the unified DC school lottery. For families seeking private, see top picks at private schools in DC.
Sortable directory — click any school for full profile, contact info, and admissions details.
Alice Deal Middle School (Ward 3, Chevy Chase) is ranked #1 among DC middle schools by U.S. News & World Report. Deal enrolls about 1,420 students in grades 6-8 and is the only DCPS middle school running the full International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IB-MYP). Hardy Middle School (Ward 2, Georgetown) is ranked #4. On the charter side, BASIS DC and Washington Latin PCS are top performers.
Representative top-10 DC middle schools: 1) Alice Deal MS (DCPS, Ward 3), 2) BASIS DC PCS (Ward 5, selective charter), 3) Washington Latin PCS Middle (Ward 4), 4) Hardy MS (DCPS, Ward 2), 5) Stuart-Hobson MS (DCPS, Ward 6, Capitol Hill Cluster), 6) Two Rivers PCS Middle (Ward 6), 7) DC International School (Ward 4, IB charter), 8) Jefferson MS Academy (DCPS, Ward 6), 9) Capitol Hill Day School (private), 10) Sheridan School (private). Cross-check current STAR ratings.
DC has roughly 120 schools serving middle grades (6-8): 24 DCPS dedicated middle schools and education campuses, 53 public charter schools with middle grades (often PK3-8 or 5-8), and ~41 private and parochial middle schools (independent + Catholic + Jewish + Episcopal).
Top in-boundary DCPS middle schools include Alice Deal (Ward 3 in-boundary, the most heavily applied to out-of-boundary), Stuart-Hobson (Capitol Hill Cluster in-boundary), Hardy (Ward 2 Georgetown in-boundary), Jefferson Middle School Academy (Ward 6, eastern Capitol Hill), Eliot-Hine (Ward 6), McKinley Middle (Ward 5, STEM focus). Use enrolldcps.dc.gov Boundary Look-up to find your assigned middle school.
Alice Deal Middle School is DCPS's flagship middle school. Defining features: IB Middle Years Programme (only DCPS MS running full IB-MYP), 1,420 students (one of DCPS's largest middle schools), feeder to Jackson-Reed High School, 21+ interscholastic sports teams, nationally competitive chess program. The in-boundary feeder pathway runs Lafayette/Janney/Murch → Deal → Jackson-Reed.
Each DCPS elementary feeds a specific middle school based on DCPS boundaries. Common feeder patterns: Lafayette/Janney/Murch/Eaton/Stoddert/Hyde-Addison → Deal (Ward 3); Brent/Maury/Watkins/Tyler/Jo Wilson → Stuart-Hobson (Capitol Hill Cluster); Capitol Hill east elementaries → Jefferson MS Academy; Ward 5 elementaries → McKinley; Ward 7/8 elementaries → Sousa, Kelly Miller, Kramer, or charter middle schools. In-boundary preference applies through the lottery.
DCPS middle schools with accelerated math tracks (qualifying students take Algebra I in 7th and Geometry in 8th): Deal, Hardy, Stuart-Hobson, McKinley (STEM), Jefferson. BASIS DC offers a notably advanced math sequence (Algebra in 6th grade for qualifying students). Washington Latin PCS uses classical-curriculum advanced math. Two Rivers PCS uses Singapore Math with above-grade-level acceleration.
Among DCPS middle schools: BASIS DC PCS uses an admissions assessment (open to all DC residents). Washington Latin PCS uses classical-curriculum assessment. DC International School uses IB readiness assessment. Most other DCPS and charter middle schools admit through the non-selective MySchoolDC lottery. Selective DCPS high schools (Banneker, School Without Walls, McKinley Tech, Duke Ellington) recruit from all DCPS middle schools regardless of feeder.
IB Middle Years Programme (IB-MYP) DC middle schools: Alice Deal MS (DCPS, the largest IB-MYP middle in DC), DC International School (charter, Ward 4), and the middle division at Washington International School (private). All three position students for IB Diploma Programme in high school.
For 6th-grade entry in 2026-27: MySchoolDC lottery opens mid-November 2026, closes late January 2027, results late March 2027. Apply via myschooldc.org with one application listing up to 12 schools. In-boundary DCPS preference applies if you list your in-boundary middle school. Private school applications open September 2026 with December-February deadlines.
Top DC public charter middle schools: BASIS DC (selective, academically rigorous), Washington Latin PCS Middle (classical curriculum), Two Rivers PCS Middle (expeditionary learning), DC International School (IB-MYP), KIPP DC Valor Academy (grades 5-8, college-prep), E.L. Haynes PCS Middle. All apply through MySchoolDC lottery; BASIS and Latin require separate readiness assessment.
DCPS education campuses combining middle grades: Browne EC (PK3-8, Ward 5), Cardozo EC (6-12, Ward 1), Columbia Heights EC (CHEC, 6-12, Ward 1), John Francis EC (PK3-8, Ward 2), Stevens EC (PK3-8, Ward 2), Wheatley EC (PK3-8, Ward 5), Garfield EC (PK3-8, Ward 8). Education campuses offer continuity across grade bands without requiring families to reapply at middle-school transition.
Top DC private middle schools (grades 6-8): Sidwell Friends (Quaker, K-12), Georgetown Day School (independent, K-12), Maret School (independent, K-12), Holton-Arms (girls, K-12, just outside DC), National Cathedral School (girls, 4-12), St. Albans (boys, 4-12), Sheridan School (independent, K-8), Capitol Hill Day School (independent, K-8), Holy Trinity (Catholic, K-8), Annunciation (Catholic, K-8).
Independent private middle school tuition (grades 6-8) typically ranges $40,000-$55,000/year. Catholic and parochial middle schools: $10,000-$22,000/year. Episcopal middle divisions (NCS, St. Albans): upper independent range. Most independent schools offer need-based financial aid through SSS by NAIS. Catholic schools have parish-supported aid.
Yes — through DCPS education campuses (PK3-8 schools like Columbia Heights EC, John Francis EC, Wheatley EC) or the Capitol Hill Cluster (Peabody PK-K → Watkins 1-5 → Stuart-Hobson MS, all under one enrollment). Many public charter networks also offer continuous K-8 (Center City PCS, Two Rivers PCS, Mundo Verde, AppleTree). Most private K-8 and K-12 schools provide unbroken continuity.
Ward 3 (Tenleytown, Chevy Chase, Cleveland Park) has Alice Deal — DC's #1 ranked middle school. Ward 2 (Georgetown, Foggy Bottom, Downtown) has Hardy MS (#4). Ward 6 (Capitol Hill) has Stuart-Hobson and Jefferson MS Academy. Ward 4 hosts Washington Latin PCS and DC International School. Strong charter middle options exist in every ward.
No for public. DCPS and DC public charter middle schools admit only DC residents (proof of residency required). Private middle schools may accept students from Maryland and Virginia at their discretion.
Hardy Middle School (Ward 2, Georgetown) is U.S. News-ranked #4 among DC middle schools. ~590 students grades 6-8. Distinctive features: STEM emphasis including Project Lead The Way engineering modules, accelerated math (Algebra in 7th), 21+ interscholastic sports teams (high for middle school size), strong out-of-boundary draw.
Includes 8 dedicated middle schools (Deal, Hardy, Stuart-Hobson, Jefferson, Eliot-Hine, Sousa, Kelly Miller, McKinley) + 7 education campuses combining middle + elementary or middle + high. Boundary-based with in-boundary preference via lottery.
Includes PK3-8, 5-8, and 6-8 charters across all networks. Top picks: BASIS DC, Washington Latin Middle, Two Rivers Middle, DC International, KIPP DC Valor, E.L. Haynes Middle. Citywide lottery — no boundaries. See charter schools in DC.
Independent (Sidwell, GDS, Maret, Sheridan), Catholic (Holy Trinity, Annunciation), Episcopal (NCS 4-12, St. Albans 4-12), Jewish day (CESJDS). $10K-$55K tuition. See private schools in DC.
Each DCPS elementary feeds a designated middle school based on boundaries. The feeder pattern grants in-boundary lottery preference at the middle school level.