Schools in Congress Heights

Congress Heights is a residential neighborhood in Ward 8's southern reaches, bordered by Oxon Run Park and the Maryland line. Eight schools serve the community — primarily DCPS schools, which provide the backbone of public education for the thousands of families in this densely populated part of Southeast DC. The neighborhood's DCPS schools include elementary, middle, and high school options, with Congress Heights Elementary and Ballou SHS among the most prominent. Two charter schools also operate in the area, expanding the range of instructional approaches available. DCPS feeder patterns connect families through a clear PK-12 pathway within Ward 8. The Congress Heights Metro station (Green line) sits at the heart of the neighborhood, providing direct connections to downtown DC and enabling families to access schools across the city. The Ward 8 community center, Department of Employment Services campus, and Gateway DC development anchor the commercial core of Congress Heights. Like all Ward 8 neighborhoods, Congress Heights families benefit from DC's equitable access lottery provisions designed to ensure that students in historically underserved areas have genuine access to high-quality schools throughout the city — including competitive programs in Wards 1 through 6.