DC high schools Statistics (2026): 25+ Data Points on Enrollment, Achievement, and Graduation Rates

More than half of all D.C. high school students were chronically absent in the 2024-25 school year, a figure that underscores the profound challenges facing the city's secondary education system. Despite this, the District's citywide four-year graduation rate reached a record high of 78.7%, and student proficiency in English Language Arts is the highest on record. High school enrollment in the public charter sector grew 3.6% while declining 1.2% in DCPS schools, signaling a continuing shift in where families choose to enroll. We aggregated data from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), the DC Policy Center, the DC Public Charter School Board (DCPCSB), and dozens of other primary sources to build the definitive reference for DC high schools in 2026.

Key Takeaways

• 78.7% of students graduated in four years, a record high for the District (OSSE 2025 DC School Report Card)
• Public charter high schools posted an 83.0% four-year graduation rate, outpacing the DCPS rate of 77.6% (OSSE 2025 DC School Report Card)
• Only 15.0% of high schoolers met or exceeded expectations in math on statewide assessments (OSSE, 2025 Statewide Assessment Results)
• 38.8% of high school students met or exceeded expectations in English Language Arts, the highest rate on record (OSSE, 2025 Statewide Assessment Results)
• Chronic absenteeism affected 57.6% of all students, with the highest rate among 9th graders (58.7%) (DC Policy Center, State of D.C. Schools 2024-25)
• Public charter high school enrollment grew 3.6%, while DCPS high school enrollment fell 1.2% (DC Policy Center, 2025-26 enrollment analysis)
• Approximately 20% of DC students meet the SAT's college-ready benchmarks, compared to a national average of ~40% (DC Policy Center, "Rising Graduation Rates and Falling SAT Scores")
• The My School DC lottery processed 26,117 unique applications for the 2025-26 school year (My School DC, 2025 Lottery Data Report)

1. Graduation Rates Reach Record Highs

The District's four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR) has climbed for six consecutive years, reaching an all-time high in 2025. This citywide success is driven significantly by the public charter school sector, which posted an 83.0% graduation rate, a massive 5.5 percentage point increase from the prior year and well above the DCPS rate. While the 78.7% citywide rate is a major achievement, it still trails the most recently reported national average of 87% (National Center for Education Statistics, 2019-20). The steady upward trend, from 69% in 2018, demonstrates systemic progress across the city's high schools.

Further data is available via the OSSE annual report card results.

2. Post-Pandemic Academic Recovery Gains Momentum

Statewide assessment scores for high school students show the largest post-pandemic gains recorded to date, a positive signal of academic recovery. Proficiency in English Language Arts (ELA) now slightly exceeds pre-pandemic levels, a significant milestone. However, math achievement remains a critical area of concern; despite a 3.6 percentage point increase, only 15% of high school students are proficient. The 38.8% ELA proficiency rate stands as the highest on record for the District, indicating that focused interventions in literacy may be yielding results across both DCPS and public charter sectors.

The full results from the DC Comprehensive Assessment of Progress in Education (DC CAPE) can be found on the OSSE website.

3. Chronic Absenteeism Remains a System-Wide Crisis

The most alarming statistic facing DC high schools is not academic but logistical: getting students to show up. A staggering 57.6% of students across the District were chronically absent in the 2024-25 school year, meaning they missed at least 10% of school days. The problem is acute in high school, where 9th graders post the highest absenteeism rates, jeopardizing their transition and long-term academic trajectory. This crisis-level absenteeism directly impacts every other metric, from test scores to graduation rates, and represents the single greatest challenge to educational equity and achievement in the city.

The DC Policy Center provides in-depth analysis of attendance trends in its annual State of D.C. Schools reports.

4. Enrollment Shifts Toward Public Charter High Schools

While overall public high school enrollment saw a modest 1% increase for the 2025-26 school year, the underlying numbers reveal a distinct trend. The District's public charter school sector saw its high school enrollment grow by 3.6%, while DCPS high schools experienced a 1.2% decline. This continues a multi-year pattern of families opting for charter high schools, which now educate approximately 48% of all public school students citywide. The growth in the charter sector highlights its increasing role in the city's secondary education landscape.

5. School Choice and Lottery Competition Are Intense

The universal lottery is the primary gateway to most public high schools in the District, and competition is fierce. The My School DC lottery processed over 26,000 applications for the 2025-26 school year, with high school seats being the most sought-after. While the overall match rate was 71%, this figure masks the intense competition for a limited number of seats at top-performing and selective high schools like School Without Walls and Banneker. For families navigating the DC school lottery, understanding preference points and application strategies is critical.

6. College Readiness Metrics Show a Divided Picture

DC's high school students present a paradox in college readiness. On one hand, DCPS reports the highest Advanced Placement (AP) exam participation rate in the nation, with a 52% increase in test-takers over the past five years. On the other, only about 20% of DC students meet or exceed the SAT's college-ready benchmarks, a rate that has been stagnant since 2018 and is half the national average. This data suggests that while access to rigorous coursework is expanding, the foundational skills needed to succeed on standardized college entrance exams are not keeping pace for the majority of students.

DC high schools by the Numbers

Methodology and Sources

This analysis is based on publicly available data from government, research, and educational organizations. Each statistic is cited inline. We prioritize primary sources and the most recent data available.

• Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), 2025 DC School Report Card https://osse.dc.gov/page/dc-school-report-card-and-star-framework
• Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), 2025 Statewide Assessment Results https://osse.dc.gov/service/dc-statewide-assessment-results
• DC Policy Center, State of D.C. Schools 2024-25 https://www.dcpolicycenter.org/publications/state-of-dc-schools-2024-25/
• DC Policy Center, 2025-26 enrollment analysis
• DC Policy Center, "Rising Graduation Rates and Falling SAT Scores"
• My School DC, 2025 Lottery Data Report
• DC Public Schools (DCPS), At-a-Glance, 2025-26 https://dcps.dc.gov/
• DC Public Schools (DCPS), Know Your Stats / AP Score Data
• U.S. News & World Report, Best High Schools, 2024
• Niche, 2026 Best Public High Schools <a href="https://www.niche.com" rel="nofollow">https://www.niche.com</a>
• PublicSchoolReview, 2026 data <a href="https://www.publicschoolreview.com" rel="nofollow">https://www.publicschoolreview.com</a>

Last updated: June 2026 We update this page quarterly with the latest data from OSSE, DCPSCB, and federal sources.