The top reported proficiency rate is 33% in English language arts. The lowest is 8% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Perry Street Preparatory Pcs
Perry Street Preparatory PCS is a single-school public charter district in the District of Columbia serving prekindergarten through eighth grade. The enrollment is modest for its grade span, with students distributed fairly evenly across the grades. The student body is predominantly Black, with a smaller Hispanic share and very small numbers of students from other racial or ethnic backgrounds. Data on free or reduced-price lunch, special education enrollment, and English learner status was not available, so the economic context of the families served and the identified special-population rates are gaps a parent would need to ask the school about directly. No locale brief, housing data, or community context was provided for this entity, so we cannot speak to the surrounding neighborhood or housing market.
On state assessments, Perry Street shows a pattern that parents should understand clearly. The school's elementary-grade results are weak. In math, third, fourth, and fifth grade proficiency sits in the single digits or just above, and third grade ELA is similarly low. Science results from the prior assessment cycle show near-zero proficiency at both tested elementary and middle grades. These are facts worth taking seriously. A parent considering Perry Street for early elementary grades may want to look into the school's instructional approach in those years and ask what supports are in place for foundational skills.
The picture shifts in the middle grades. ELA proficiency rises substantially by seventh and eighth grade, with seventh grade reaching a level where roughly half of tested students met proficiency. Eighth grade ELA is also meaningfully stronger than the elementary grades. Math follows a similar upward arc, with seventh and eighth grade results landing well above the elementary grades, though still modest in absolute terms. This trajectory suggests the school may be doing stronger work with older students, or that students who persist through the upper grades benefit from accumulated supports. The small cohort sizes in some grades mean a few students moving in or out can shift results, so a parent reading these numbers should treat them as directional rather than precise.
No multi-year trend data was available, so we cannot say whether these results represent improvement, decline, or stability over time. Participation rates were not reported for the current assessment cycle, though the prior science cycle showed strong participation. Average scale scores were not available across subjects and grades, which limits the depth of comparison one can make beyond the proficiency threshold.
Because Perry Street ends at eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. That is expected for this grade band, not a missing indicator. No data on advanced coursework, career pathways, dual-credit programs, or other program offerings was provided, so we cannot characterize what electives, enrichment, or specialized academic tracks the school offers beyond what the assessment data implies. Staffing, discipline, attendance, and school climate data were also absent from the payload. A parent evaluating this school would benefit from asking about teacher retention, classroom culture, and what the transition process looks like for eighth graders moving on to high school.
No district brief identified recent parent-relevant changes, and no comparison fact-set was available to position Perry Street against other DC charter or district schools. Without that benchmarking, the assessment results stand on their own. The clearest read from the available data is that Perry Street produces stronger outcomes in the upper grades than in the lower grades, particularly in English language arts. The elementary math and science results are the most prominent soft spot. For a family weighing this school, the questions worth bringing to a conversation with school leadership are direct: what is the plan for early-grade math and science instruction, what does academic growth look like for students who stay at Perry Street from kindergarten through eighth grade, and what high schools do graduates typically move on to.
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