The top reported proficiency rate is 33% in English language arts. The lowest is 2% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Macfarland Ms
MacFarland Middle School sits on Iowa Avenue in the northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., serving sixth through eighth graders as part of District of Columbia Public Schools. It is a regular public school, neither a charter nor a magnet, drawing students from the surrounding neighborhoods in a city where civic and institutional life spreads across many distinct areas rather than concentrating in a single downtown.
The school's enrollment is moderate for a middle school, with each grade level carrying a similar share of students. Its student body is predominantly Hispanic and Black, with Hispanic students forming the largest group and Black students close behind. White students and other racial groups make up a very small portion of the population. We looked for data on free and reduced-price lunch eligibility, English learner status, and special education enrollment, but those fields were not reported in the available data, so the school's economic demographics and the share of students receiving specialized services cannot be characterized here.
On state assessments, MacFarland's results paint a mixed picture. In English language arts, roughly a third of students met or exceeded expectations on the most recent DC assessment. Math proficiency was lower, with about a quarter of students reaching that bar. These figures suggest that while some students are meeting grade-level standards, a substantial portion are not yet there. Science results from an earlier testing cycle were particularly low, with only a handful of eighth graders demonstrating proficiency. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, asking what supports and interventions are in place, especially in math and science, and how the school is working to move students toward grade-level mastery. Participation in science testing was high, so the low result reflects broad difficulty with the material rather than a testing gap.
We searched for trend data to see whether proficiency has been improving or declining over time, but no comparable multi-year results were available. This limits the ability to say whether the current scores represent a dip, a plateau, or part of a longer arc.
As a middle school, MacFarland has no graduation rate, and that metric does not apply. We also looked for information on course offerings, extracurricular programs, staffing ratios, attendance patterns, and discipline data, but none of these fields were provided. The absence of program information makes it hard to say what electives, languages, or enrichment opportunities students can access beyond the core curriculum. A family considering the school would do well to ask directly about these offerings. No neighbor comparison data was available either, so MacFarland cannot be positioned against other D.C. middle schools here.
Within DCPS, the district has been moving forward on several fronts. A new cell phone policy takes effect across all district schools, restricting phone use during the school day to promote distraction-free learning, as publicly reported by the district. The district's strategic plan, A Capital Commitment, is guiding work through the late part of this decade with a focus on academic success, student connection to school, and readiness for what comes next. A new middle school addition opened at Leckie Education Campus in Ward 8, expanding capacity elsewhere in the city, though that does not directly affect MacFarland's campus.
The housing market around the school's zip code is expensive relative to national norms, with typical home values well above the national benchmark and somewhat above the D.C. median. Values have softened recently, declining modestly year over year. Rents are more moderate relative to local incomes, with rent consuming a smaller share of household earnings than a mortgage would. For families considering buying in the area, ownership is steep, while renting may offer a more accessible entry point. The broader Washington economy is anchored by the federal government, international organizations, and a dense network of associations and lobbying firms, providing a stable if specialized employment base.
MacFarland is a school serving a diverse student population in a well-resourced city, with academic results that indicate real challenges in moving students to proficiency, particularly in math and science. Families drawn to a traditional public middle school in this part of northwest D.C. should come with questions about academic supports, program breadth, and the school's approach to closing proficiency gaps.
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