The top reported proficiency rate is 17% in English language arts. The lowest is 7% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Kelly Miller Ms
Kelly Miller Middle School sits on 49th Street Northeast in Washington, D.C., serving grades six through eight as part of the District of Columbia Public Schools system. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, which means families in its attendance zone have a straightforward pathway without an application or lottery. The school draws almost entirely from Black and Hispanic families, with a student body that is overwhelmingly Black and a smaller Hispanic share. White enrollment is negligible. The enrollment is moderate for a middle school, and the largest cohort is in eighth grade, which may reflect students staying through the full middle-grade sequence or in-migration at upper grades.
On state assessments, Kelly Miller's results are low across every subject the District measures. In math, only a small fraction of students met or exceeded expectations in the most recent year. English language arts was stronger by comparison but still saw well under a quarter of students reaching proficiency. Science results, drawn from an earlier testing year for eighth grade only, were in the lowest reported band, with no students scoring proficient and a participation rate that fell below full enrollment. A parent considering this school may want to look into these results directly with the school, asking what interventions and supports are in place and how the administration is responding. The District did not report free-or-reduced-price lunch counts, special education rates, or English learner figures for this school, so the economic and linguistic profile of the student body cannot be characterized from the available data. Multi-year trend data was also absent, so it is unclear whether performance is improving, holding steady, or declining.
The surrounding neighborhood tells its own story about context. The school's ZIP code carries home values well below the District-wide benchmark and modestly below the national benchmark, with prices declining over the past year. Rents are more stable and sit below much of the city. For families looking to buy, the estimated monthly mortgage in this area runs well above what renting costs, a gap shaped by current interest rates. This is a part of Washington where homeownership is comparatively accessible within an expensive city, but the market has been softening. The broader city, as publicly reported, is a federal-government-driven economy with a large commuter population, international institutions, and a tourism sector anchored by the National Mall and Smithsonian museums. Kelly Miller's corner of Northeast sits far from that monumental core, in one of the city's more residential stretches.
Within DCPS, a few district-wide changes are worth noting. A new cell phone policy takes effect in the 2025-2026 school year, restricting phone use during the school day under recently enacted legislation, which may affect classroom culture. The district's five-year strategic plan, A Capital Commitment, runs through 2028 and focuses on academic success, student connectedness, and post-secondary readiness across all DCPS schools. The district also recently expanded middle-grade capacity at Leckie Education Campus in Ward 8, reflecting broader attention to middle-school provision across the city, though that does not directly affect Kelly Miller's campus.
Missing from the available data are discipline reports, course-access details, staffing ratios, attendance figures, and any program offerings such as advanced coursework, arts, or athletics. Without these, it is hard to say from the data alone what the classroom experience looks like day to day or what enrichment opportunities exist. A family weighing this school would benefit from visiting, asking about academic supports given the proficiency results, and learning what clubs, sports, or electives are available to round out the middle-school experience.
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