Best Middle Schools in District of Columbia (2025-26)
Every ranked middle school in District of Columbia, ordered by SchoolGrade. A grade rewards actual test performance against the projection for each school's student context, so a B in a high-poverty school can outrank an A- elsewhere on impact. Click a column heading to sort, or filter by school, city or district.
District of Columbia rankings: High Schools · Middle Schools · Elementary Schools
District of Columbia middle schools ranked
| Rank | Grade | School | City | District | Actual | Projected | Impact | Students |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | A+ | Deal MS | Washington | District of Columbia Public Schools | 61% | 60% | Meets Expectations | 1,391 |
| #2 | A+ | Washington Latin Pcs MS (Charter) | Washington | Washington Latin PCS | 54% | 39% | Greatly Exceeds Expectations | 383 |
| #3 | A+ | Washington Latin Pcs - Anna Julia Cooper Ms (Charter) | Washington | 50% | 39% | Greatly Exceeds Expectations | 157 | |
| #4 | A+ | Hardy MS | Washington | District of Columbia Public Schools | 49% | 48% | Meets Expectations | 571 |
| #5 | A | Stuart Hobson MS Capitol Hill Cluster | Washington | District of Columbia Public Schools | 35% | 32% | Meets Expectations | 464 |
| #6 | A- | Eliot Hine MS | Washington | District of Columbia Public Schools | 25% | 30% | Doesn't Meet Expectations | 313 |
| #7 | B | Macfarland MS | Washington | District of Columbia Public Schools | 21% | 19% | Meets Expectations | 528 |
| #8 | B- | Washington Global (Charter) | Washington | Washington Global PCS | 19% | 12% | Exceeds Expectations | 240 |
| #9 | B- | Ida B Wells MS | Washington | District of Columbia Public Schools | 18% | 15% | Meets Expectations | 539 |
| #10 | B- | Social Justice (Charter) | Washington | Social Justice PCS | 17% | 15% | Meets Expectations | 152 |
| #11 | C+ | Kipp Dc Key Academy (Charter) | Washington | Kipp Dc Pcs | 17% | 9% | Exceeds Expectations | 395 |
| #12 | C+ | Paul Pcs MS (Charter) | Washington | Paul PCS | 17% | 16% | Meets Expectations | 275 |
| #13 | C+ | Howard University MS Of Mathematics And Science Pcs (Charter) | Washington | Howard University Middle School of Math and Science PCS | 16% | 20% | Doesn't Meet Expectations | 284 |
| #14 | C | Digital Pioneers Academy (Charter) | Washington | Digital Pioneers Academy PCS | 14% | 9% | Exceeds Expectations | 310 |
| #15 | C | El Haynes Pcs MS (Charter) | Washington | E.L. Haynes PCS | 14% | 18% | Doesn't Meet Expectations | 365 |
| #16 | C | Jefferson MS Academy | Washington | District of Columbia Public Schools | 14% | 21% | Doesn't Meet Expectations | 386 |
| #17 | C- | Capital City Pcs MS (Charter) | Washington | Capital City PCS | 14% | 18% | Doesn't Meet Expectations | 332 |
| #18 | C- | Brookland MS | Washington | District of Columbia Public Schools | 13% | 13% | Meets Expectations | 357 |
| #19 | C- | Mckinley MS | Washington | District of Columbia Public Schools | 13% | 15% | Meets Expectations | 222 |
| #20 | C- | Two Rivers Pcs Young MS (Charter) | Washington | Two Rivers PCS | 13% | 16% | Meets Expectations | 276 |
| #21 | D+ | Kipp Dc Will Academy (Charter) | Washington | Kipp Dc Pcs | 13% | 17% | Doesn't Meet Expectations | 333 |
| #22 | D+ | Hart MS | Washington | District of Columbia Public Schools | 10% | 12% | Meets Expectations | 386 |
| #23 | D+ | Sousa MS | Washington | District of Columbia Public Schools | 10% | 11% | Meets Expectations | 215 |
| #24 | D | Kipp Dc Aim Academy (Charter) | Washington | Kipp Dc Pcs | 10% | 10% | Meets Expectations | 441 |
| #25 | D | Kipp Dc Northeast Academy (Charter) | Washington | Kipp Dc Pcs | 10% | 15% | Doesn't Meet Expectations | 350 |
| #26 | D- | Kelly Miller MS | Washington | District of Columbia Public Schools | 9% | 15% | Doesn't Meet Expectations | 351 |
| #27 | D- | Kipp Dc Honor Academy (Charter) | Washington | Kipp Dc Pcs | 8% | 10% | Meets Expectations | 321 |
| #28 | D- | Kipp Dc Valor Academy (Charter) | Washington | Kipp Dc Pcs | 8% | 10% | Meets Expectations | 344 |
| #29 | F | Capital Village (Charter) | Washington | Capital Village PCS | 8% | 27% | Underperforms Expectations | 108 |
| #30 | F | Johnson MS | Washington | District of Columbia Public Schools | 8% | 13% | Doesn't Meet Expectations | 298 |
| #31 | F | Kramer MS | Washington | District of Columbia Public Schools | 6% | 12% | Doesn't Meet Expectations | 203 |
| #32 | F | Monument Academy (Charter) | Washington | Monument Academy PCS | 3% | 13% | Underperforms Expectations | 123 |
How District of Columbia's middle schools compare
A: 6B: 4C: 10D: 8F: 4
31% of the 32 ranked middle schools in District of Columbia earn an A or B (6 A grades, 4 B, 10 C, 8 D, 4 F), against 46% of middle schools nationwide. 20 schools meet or beat the proficiency projected from their student context (63% here, 70% nationally), and 5 exceed it. On average 19% of tested students meet the state bar against a projected 20% (national averages: 45% actual, 38% projected).
The biggest overperformers, by actual proficiency above projection: Washington Latin Pcs MS (54% against 39%, A+), Washington Latin Pcs - Anna Julia Cooper Ms (50% against 39%, A+).
Districts with the most schools in the top quarter (the top 10): District of Columbia Public Schools (6).
Cities with the most ranked middle schools: Washington (32, 10 at A or B).
The largest ranked middle schools: Deal MS (1,391 students, A+, #1), Hardy MS (571 students, A+, #4), Ida B Wells MS (539 students, B-, #9).
Of the top 25, 0 are magnet schools and 14 are charters. Selective and specialised schools tend to post high actual scores; the projection column is the fairer comparison for a neighborhood school.
About this ranking
- Scope: every public middle school in District of Columbia.
- Order: SchoolGrade, then actual proficiency, then name; schools with the same grade and score share a rank.
- Ranked: regular public schools that NCES lists as open, not fully online, with at least 30 students. Others are listed with the reason.
- Tags: Magnet and Charter from the NCES school directory; K-12 marks schools serving every grade that are ranked with the middle schools.
- Grades are the 2025-26 SchoolGrade model. How SchoolGrade works
Questions about middle schools in District of Columbia
What is the best middle school in District of Columbia?
Deal MS in Washington ranks first among the 32 ranked middle schools in District of Columbia with a SchoolGrade of A+, 61% of tested students meeting the state bar against a projected 60%.
How are middle schools in District of Columbia ranked?
By SchoolGrade, the 2025-26 model that scores each school's actual test proficiency against the level projected for its student context, then by actual proficiency to break ties. Regular public schools that are open, not fully online and have at least 30 students are ranked; the rest are listed below the table with the reason.
How many middle schools does District of Columbia have?
SchoolGrade grades 32 public middle schools in District of Columbia; 32 are ranked here.