The top reported proficiency rate is 58% in English language arts. The lowest is 36% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Dc Bilingual Pcs
DCBilingual PCS is a public charter school in the District of Columbia serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. As its name signals, the school centers on bilingual education, and its enrollment reflects that mission. The largest single group of students is Hispanic, followed by white and black students, with small numbers of Asian and multiracial children. The school operates as its own charter district under DC law, with a single campus.
The academic picture from the most recent state assessments is a study in contrast between subjects. In English language arts, results are a clear strength. Third-grade proficiency falls in a moderate band, fourth grade stands out with a strong majority of tested students reaching proficiency, and fifth grade remains above half. These are solid reading results for an elementary school, and the ELA performance likely connects to the bilingual mission, where language development receives sustained instructional attention. Math tells a different story. Third-grade proficiency is moderate, fourth grade improves, but fifth-grade math proficiency drops sharply, with fewer than a quarter of tested students reaching the proficient mark. This is a soft spot a parent may want to look into further with the school, particularly whether there is a transition in math instruction or staffing between fourth and fifth grade. The tested counts in fifth grade are small, which means a few students' results move the percentage meaningfully, but the direction is still worth asking about.
Science was last assessed in a prior year at fifth grade, with nearly full participation and just under half of students proficient. That result sits in a middle range for an elementary science assessment.
In 2024, DC Bilingual PCS was named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education, a recognition the agency awards for high academic achievement. Publicly reported sources confirm this designation. For families evaluating academic quality, this is a meaningful signal, even as the most recent math results suggest some unevenness worth understanding.
Several pieces of information a parent might expect are absent from the available data. Free and reduced-price lunch rates were not reported, so the economic profile of the student body is unclear. Special education and English learner counts were not available, though given the school's bilingual mission, a substantial share of students likely receive language support in some form. No staffing, attendance, or discipline data was provided. No housing or community context was available for the school's location. No multi-year trend data was supplied, so it is not possible to say whether the current results represent improvement, decline, or stability.
Because the school serves only pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, there is no graduation rate to report and no high school course or pathway data. This is expected for an elementary school and should not be read as a gap.
The enrollment is largest in pre-kindergarten, with the upper elementary grades somewhat smaller. This pattern is common in schools with strong early childhood programs where some families transition to other options before the later grades.
For a family considering DC Bilingual PCS, the central question is whether a bilingual elementary education fits their child's needs. The school's language focus appears to translate into strong reading results, the Blue Ribbon recognition speaks to a broader record of achievement, and the demographic mix offers a peer environment where two languages are part of daily school life. The math results in the upper grades are the area most worth pressing on in a conversation with school leadership.
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