The top reported proficiency rate is 62% in English language arts. The lowest is 12% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on District of Columbia International School
District of Columbia International School operates as a single-school district serving grades six through twelve. Publicly reported sources describe it as an International Baccalaureate-for-all school with language tracks, which points to a deliberately international academic identity. The district brief notes its Tier 1 status in the DC charter framework, a designation that reflects favorably on its standing among the city's public charter options.
The student body is diverse. Hispanic students form the largest group, followed by Black students and then White students. A smaller but meaningful share identifies as two or more races. Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students each represent very small portions of enrollment. The total enrollment across seven grade levels places this in the mid-range for a secondary school in the District, large enough to support a full program but not so large that it reads as impersonal. Enrollment is relatively even across the middle school grades and tapers somewhat in the upper high school years, which is typical for schools that lose some students to transfers or early graduation pathways.
State assessment results from the most recent testing cycle are available for grades six through eight in both math and English language arts. English language arts is the clear strength here. A clear majority of students reach proficiency in each of the three tested grades, with rates holding steady from sixth through eighth grade. This is a genuinely strong reading and writing result and suggests the school's language-focused mission is landing with students.
Math results are more moderate. Across the three middle school grades, roughly two-fifths of students reach proficiency, with the highest rate in seventh grade. This is a softer area, and a parent whose child needs strong math support may want to look into how the school structures math instruction and intervention.
Science results come from an earlier testing cycle and cover only eighth grade. Proficiency there is quite low. Because this is a single data point from a prior year and the state science assessment may have changed since, it is hard to draw firm conclusions, but it is worth asking the school about current science outcomes.
Several important pieces are missing from the available data. No graduation rate is reported, even though the school serves all four high school grades, so families looking at college readiness from a quantitative angle will need to seek that directly from the school. Free or reduced-price lunch data is absent, as are counts for students with individualized education programs and English learners. These gaps mean the portrait of who the school serves and how it supports vulnerable students is incomplete from public data alone. No staffing ratios, attendance figures, discipline data, or course access details are available in what was provided. There is no locale brief or community economic context, no housing information, and no comparison set against neighboring districts or schools, so positioning this school relative to its peers is not possible from the data here.
The district brief searched for recent parent-relevant changes and found none with lasting impact, which suggests relative programmatic stability. The IB-for-all model means every student is expected to engage with that curriculum framework rather than a subset who self-select into an IB track. Combined with language tracks, this positions the school for families who want an internationally oriented, language-rich secondary education within the DC public charter sector.
What the data supports is a school with strong literacy outcomes, moderate math performance, a diverse student body, and an international academic focus. What it does not yet tell you is how well the school moves students through to graduation, how it supports students with special needs or those learning English, or how it compares head to head with nearby options. Those are the conversations worth having with the school directly.
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