The top reported proficiency rate is 55% in English language arts. The lowest is 45% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Friendship Pcs - Chamberlain Elementary
FriendshipPCS - Chamberlain Elementary sits on Potomac Avenue SE in Washington, D.C., part of the Friendship Public Charter School network that operates across roughly fifteen campuses in the city. This campus serves the youngest learners, from prekindergarten through third grade, making it an early-childhood and early-elementary entry point rather than a full K-5 or K-8 school. Families considering Chamberlain should know that the academic results reported here come from only one tested grade, third grade, since prekindergarten through second grade do not sit for the state assessment.
On the most recent D.C. Long-Term Goals assessment, Chamberlain's third graders showed a split between subjects. In English language arts, a majority of tested students met or exceeded expectations. In math, fewer than half did. This is a mixed but not unusual picture for an early-elementary campus serving a student population that is nearly entirely Black, with a small handful of Hispanic and white students. Because the school spans only prekindergarten through third grade, there is no graduation rate, no middle school course data, and no high school pathway information to report. Those metrics simply do not apply to a school with this grade range.
Several data points that would help a parent round out the picture are missing. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility was not reported, so it is hard to gauge the economic need of the student body from the available information. Special education and English learner rates were also absent from the data we received. Discipline, staffing ratios, attendance, and course access data were not available either. A parent may want to ask the school directly about these supports, particularly how it serves students with individualized education programs and what early-intervention services are in place for the prekindergarten and primary grades.
The Friendship PCS network itself recently passed a milestone. In mid-2023, the D.C. Public Charter School Board voted unanimously to continue the network's charter following its mandatory review, and a new amended charter agreement was executed in early 2024. This gives families some assurance about the network's long-term stability. The network has also restructured over recent years, acquiring a former Hope Community PCS campus and consolidating a middle school campus that closed. Those changes do not directly affect Chamberlain Elementary, but they speak to a network that has been reshaping its footprint.
Chamberlain's location places it in a part of D.C. where housing costs run well above both the D.C. state benchmark and the national figure. Home values in the school's zip code sit in a range that reflects the broader Capitol Hill-adjacent market, and rents are similarly elevated, though recent year-over-year figures showed slight declines in both. For families already living nearby, the school is a neighborhood option. For those coming from elsewhere in the city, D.C.'s charter school lottery system governs admission, and housing costs in this immediate area would be a separate consideration from school enrollment.
Washington itself is a city shaped by the federal government, which dominates employment and civic life. The locale is urban, transit-served, and dense with institutions, museums, and national landmarks. Chamberlain sits in the Southeast quadrant, in a residential stretch of the city rather than near the monumental core, which is relevant for families thinking about daily logistics, commute patterns, and the surrounding neighborhood feel.
What this campus offers is a focused early-childhood environment within a well-established charter network, with demonstrated strength in early literacy. The math results are softer, and a parent weighing this option may want to look into how the school builds foundational numeracy in the primary grades. The absence of economic, special-population, and school-climate data limits what can be said from the available record, so direct conversations with the school would help fill in the picture for any family seriously considering enrollment.
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