District of Columbia Public Charter School Board

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DC Public Charter School Board
Location
3333 14th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 200010
United States
District information
TypePublic
GradesPK3-adult
Established1996
School boardDr. Michelle J. Walker-Davis, Ed.D. (executive director)
Schools135 (2022–2023 academic year)
Students and staff
Students45,251
Other information
Websitehttps://dcpcsb.org/

The District of Columbia Public Charter School Board (DC PCSB) is the regulatory authority and sole authorizer of all public charter schools in Washington, D.C. It provides oversight to 69 independently-run nonprofits (also referred to as local education agencies or LEAs) and 135 public charter schools which educate more than 45,000 students living in every ward of the city (48% of all DC public school students). The board is tasked with approving, monitoring, and evaluating schools, creating policies and conditions to empower educators to do their best work, and actively engaging families, schools, and communities to inform decision-making.

History[edit]

DC PCSB was created in 1996 by the District of Columbia School Reform Act of 1995 as a second, independent authorizer of public charter schools in the District of Columbia. In 2006, the District of Columbia State Board of Education voted to relinquish its authorizing responsibilities for charter schools and in 2007, the Council of the District of Columbia passed legislation granting the Mayor of the District of Columbia direct authority over the traditional public school system. With that vote, the board became the sole authority, led by a seven-member volunteer board, for public charter schools within the District of Columbia.

Mission[edit]

DC public charter schools are environments where all students, especially those in historically marginalized groups, thrive. As DC’s sole charter authorizer, the DC Public Charter School Board:

  • Approves, monitors, and evaluates schools, with an emphasis on equity and academic excellence
  • Creates policies and conditions to empower educators to do their best work in service of students
  • Actively engages families, schools, and communities to inform decision-making

Leadership[edit]

The DC Public Charter School Board is led by Dr. Michelle J. Walker-Davis, who joined as Executive Director in August 2020.

Governance[edit]

The DC PCSB Board is a seven-member volunteer Board responsible for approving new schools, conducting oversight of schools while in operation, and revoking a school's charter if it fails to meet its performance goals.

DC Public Charter School Board members[edit]

  • Lea Crusey (Chair) - Ward 6
  • Jim Sandman (Vice Chair) - Ward 6
  • Ricarda Ganjam - Ward 6
  • Shukurat Adamoh-Faniyan - Ward 8
  • Nick Rodriguez - Ward 6
  • Shantelle Wright - Ward 8

Accountability[edit]

Under the School Reform Act, the board is granted authority to hold DC public charter schools accountable for fulfilling their obligations under the Act. With a high proportion of PK-12 and adults in public charter schools, the board created its first accountability tool, called the Performance Management Framework in 2011. It was developed to evaluate the performance of public charter schools  on common measures across all schools. Schools were rated Tier 1, 2, 3, with Tier 1 being the best. The framework also measured student achievement and student growth, indicators of readiness for high school and college, and mission-specific measures at each school. Due the COVID-19 pandemic, DC PCSB developed a new accountability framework that will focus on the learning outcomes for all DC students, especially those in historically marginalized groups, which was scheduled to pilot in the 2022-2023 school year.

2021-2024 Strategic Roadmap[edit]

2021-2024 Strategic Roadmap

DC PCSB developed a Strategic Roadmap which guides the organization’s actions through school years 2021-2024, and emphasizes a commitment to focusing on equity and the District students charter schools serve. The Strategic Roadmap guides the organization’s work in three areas:

Excellent Schools - ensuring internal decision-making responds to citywide needs and results in improved outcomes for all DC students, especially those in historically marginalized groups.

Enduring Partnerships - strengthening relationships and partnerships with families, school communities, and residents.

Effective Organization - improving internal structure, processes, and culture to allow DC PCSB to create the conditions for student success in DC.

Enrollment[edit]

DC public charter schools educate nearly half of DC’s public school students, in grades PK through 12 and adults.

The number of students enrolled in public schools in Washington, DC during the 2021-22 school year increased slightly compared to 2020-21 enrollment, with 93,843 students enrolled in district public and public charter schools according to preliminary data released by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE).

As of the 2021-22 school year, DC public charter schools enrolled a total of 45,251 students. The bulk of students were enrolled in grades PK 3-5, totaling 23,670 students. A total of 8,408 middle school students enrolled in grades 6-8, while 6,983 students enrolled in grades 9-12. DC public charter schools continue to educate the largest population of adult learners with 4,735 students enrolled in adult education programs in school year 2021-22.

The ethnic breakdown of students enrolled in school year 2021-22 was 71% Black, 16.8% Hispanic (of any race), 7.6% non-Hispanic White, and 4.6% of other races.

Schools[edit]

Early childhood schools[edit]

School name Low grade High grade
AppleTree Early Learning PCS - Columbia Heights Prekindergarten (3) Prekindergarten (4)
AppleTree Early Learning PCS - Lincoln Park Prekindergarten (3) Prekindergarten (4)
AppleTree Early Learning PCS - Oklahoma Avenue Prekindergarten (3) Prekindergarten (4)
Appletree Early Learning PCS - Southeast (Douglas Knoll) Archived December 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine Prekindergarten (3) Prekindergarten (4)
AppleTree Early Learning PCS - Southeast (Parklands) Archived December 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine Prekindergarten (3) Prekindergarten (4)
AppleTree Early Learning PCS - Southwest Prekindergarten (3) Prekindergarten (4)
Breakthrough Montessori PCS Prekindergarten (3) Kindergarten
Briya PCS - Early Childhood Prekindergarten (3) Prekindergarten (4)
Cedar Tree Academy PCS Prekindergarten (3) Kindergarten
KIPP DC - Arts and Technology Academy PCS Prekindergarten (3) Kindergarten
KIPP DC - Connect Academy PCS Prekindergarten (3) Kindergarten
KIPP DC - Discover Academy PCS Prekindergarten (3) Kindergarten
KIPP DC - Grow Academy PCS Prekindergarten (3) Kindergarten
KIPP DC - LEAP Academy PCS Prekindergarten (3) Prekindergarten (4)
KIPP DC - Pride Academy PCS Prekindergarten (3) Kindergarten

Elementary and middle schools[edit]

School name Low grade High grade
Achievement Prep PCS - Wahler Place Elementary School Archived December 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine Prekindergarten (3) 3rd
Bridges PCS Prekindergarten (3) 5th
Capital City PCS - Lower School Prekindergarten (3) 4th
Center City PCS - Brightwood Prekindergarten (3) 8th
Center City PCS - Capitol Hill Prekindergarten (4) 8th
Center City PCS - Congress Heights Prekindergarten (3) 8th
Center City PCS - Petworth Prekindergarten (3) 8th
Center City PCS - Shaw Prekindergarten (4) 8th
Center City PCS - Trinidad Prekindergarten (4) 8th
City Arts and Prep PCS Archived May 1, 2019, at the Wayback Machine Prekindergarten (3) 8th
Creative Minds International PCS Prekindergarten (3) 7th
DC Bilingual PCS Prekindergarten (3) 5th
DC Prep PCS - Anacostia Elementary Prekindergarten (3) 1st
DC Prep PCS - Benning Elementary Prekindergarten (3) 3rd
DC Prep PCS - Edgewood Elementary Prekindergarten (3) 3rd
DC Scholars PCS Prekindergarten (3) 8th
DC Wildflower - The Riverseed School Prekindergarten (3) 5th
Democracy Prep Congress Heights PCS Prekindergarten (3) 8th
E.L. Haynes PCS - Elementary School Prekindergarten (3) 4th
Eagle Academy PCS - Capitol Riverfront Prekindergarten (3) 3rd
Eagle Academy PCS - Congress Heights Prekindergarten (3) 3rd
Early Childhood Academy PCS Prekindergarten (3) 3rd
Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom PCS Prekindergarten (3) 5th
Friendship PCS - Armstrong Elementary Prekindergarten (3) 5th
Friendship PCS - Blow Pierce Elementary Prekindergarten (3) 3rd
Friendship PCS - Chamberlain Elementary School Prekindergarten (3) 3rd
Friendship PCS - Online Archived December 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine Kindergarten 8th
Friendship PCS - Southeast Academy Archived December 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine Prekindergarten (3) 5th
Friendship PCS - Woodridge International Elementary School Prekindergarten (3) 3rd
Global Citizens PCS PreKindergarten (3) 5th
Harmony DC PCS - School of Excellence Kindergarten 5th
Hope Community PCS - Tolson Archived December 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine Prekindergarten (3) 8th
Ideal Academy PCS Prekindergarten (3) 8th
Ingenuity Prep PCS Prekindergarten (3) 4th
Inspired Teaching Demonstration PCS Prekindergarten (3) 8th
KIPP DC - Heights Academy PCS 1st 4th
KIPP DC - Inspire Academy PCS 1st 4th
KIPP DC - Lead Academy PCS 1st 4th
KIPP DC - Promise Academy PCS Kindergarten 4th
KIPP DC - Quest Academy PCS 1st 4th
KIPP DC - Spring Academy PCS 1st 4th
LEARN DC PCS Prekindergarten (3) 8th
Latin American Montessori Bilingual PCS Prekindergarten (3) 5th
Lee Montessori PCS Prekindergarten (3) 4th
Mary McLeod Bethune Day Academy PCS Archived December 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine Prekindergarten (3) 8th
Meridian PCS Prekindergarten (3) 8th
Mundo Verde Bilingual PCS Prekindergarten (3) 5th
Perry Street Preparatory PCS Prekindergarten (3) 8th
Rocketship Rise Academy PCS Prekindergarten (3) 3rd
Roots PCS Prekindergarten (3) 5th
Sela PCS Prekindergarten (3) 3rd
Shining Stars Montessori Academy PCS Archived December 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine Prekindergarten (3) 6th
The Children's Guild DC PCS Kindergarten 8th
Two Rivers PCS - Fourth Street Prekindergarten (3) 8th
Two Rivers PCS - Young Prekindergarten (3) 3rd
Washington Yu Ying PCS Prekindergarten (3) 5th

Middle schools[edit]

School name Low grade High grade
BASIS DC PCS - Middle School 5th 8th
Capital City PCS - Middle School 5th 8th
César Chávez PCS for Public Policy - Chávez Prep Archived December 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine 6th 9th
César Chávez PCS for Public Policy - Parkside Middle School Archived December 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine 6th 8th
DC Prep PCS - Benning Middle 4th 8th
DC Prep PCS - Edgewood Middle School Archived December 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine 4th 8th
District of Columbia International School Archived December 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine 6th 10th
E.L. Haynes PCS - Middle School 5th 8th
Friendship PCS - Blow Pierce Middle 4th 8th
Friendship PCS - Chamberlain Middle School 4th 8th
Friendship PCS - Woodridge International Middle School Archived December 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine 4th 8th
Howard University Public Charter Middle School of Mathematics and Science 6th 8th
KIPP DC - AIM Academy PCS 5th 8th
KIPP DC - KEY Academy PCS 5th 8th
KIPP DC - Northeast Academy PCS 5th 8th
KIPP DC - Valor Academy PCS Archived December 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine 5th 8th
KIPP DC - WILL Academy PCS 5th 8th
Monument Academy PCS 5th 7th
Paul PCS - Middle School 6th 8th
SEED PCS of Washington, DC - Middle School 6th 8th
Somerset Preparatory Academy PCS - Middle School Archived December 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine 6th 8th
Washington Global PCS 6th 8th
Washington Latin PCS - Middle School 5th 8th
Washington Latin PCS - The Anna Julia Cooper Campus 5th 12th

High schools[edit]

School name Low grade High grade
BASIS DC PCS - High School 9th 12th
Capital City PCS - High School 9th 12th
César Chávez PCS for Public Policy - Capitol Hill Archived December 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine 9th 12th
César Chávez PCS for Public Policy - Parkside High School 9th 12th
E.L. Haynes PCS - High School 9th 12th
Friendship PCS - Collegiate Academy 9th 12th
Friendship PCS - Technology Preparatory High School Academy 9th 12th
IDEA PCS 9th 12th
Kingsman Academy PCS 6th 12th
KIPP DC - College Preparatory Academy PCS 9th 12th
National Collegiate Preparatory PCHS Archived December 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine 9th 12th
Paul PCS - International School 9th 11th
Richard Wright PCS for Journalism and Media Arts 8th 12th
SEED PCS of Washington, DC - High School 9th 12th
Somerset Preparatory Academy PCS - High School 9th 12th
Thurgood Marshall Academy PCS 9th 12th
Washington Latin PCS - Upper School 9th 12th

Alternative, adult, and vocational education schools[edit]

School name
Academy of Hope Adult PCS
Briya PCS - Adult Education
Carlos Rosario International PCS
Community College Preparatory Academy PCS
LAYC Career Academy PCS
Maya Angelou PCS - High School
Maya Angelou PCS - Young Adult Learning Center
The Next Step PCS/El Próximo Paso PCS Archived December 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine
YouthBuild PCS

References[edit]

External links[edit]