A BOLDER FUTURE FOR DC SCHOOLS.
What is the Bold Schools initiative?
EmpowerK12 believes that DC can be the first urban city to close performance gaps this decade when schools take bold action to serve their students furthest from opportunity. Students at the 2023 Bold Performance Schools demonstrate proficiency rates that are significantly higher than schools serving similar student populations’ proficiency in both 2023 and pre-pandemic.
Why identify Bold Performance Schools?
Bold Performance Schools serve a high at-risk student population and have combined math and English language arts proficiency rates dramatically higher than schools with similar demographics. Citywide, only 28 percent of DC students met or exceeded expectations in math and English language arts this past spring 2023. For at-risk students, those numbers are just 13 percent. Track DC’s education recovery using the EK12 dashboard. Bold Schools serve at least 30% students from economically disadvantaged households and have proficiency rates exceeding pre-pandemic expectations for schools serving similar students.
DC PARCC Proficiency from 2015 to 2023 for All Students and High Priority Groups
How are 2023 Bold Performance Schools selected?
Schools are determined using the 2023 Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) data and their Percent Proficient Above Expected (PPAE) calculations (using four sophisticated mathematical models) that project what percentage of students are expected to be proficient given a school’s demographics. Bold Performance Schools have proficiency rates for students at least 7.5 percentage points higher in math and reading combined than how schools with similar demographics achieved pre-pandemic.
2023 Bold Schools’ Proficiency Compared with Similar Schools This Year and Pre-Pandemic
2023 Bold Performance Schools
Located in Ward 5
Serves PK-3 - 5
Located in Ward 8
Serves PK-3 - 8
Located in Ward 7
Serves PK-3 -3
Located in Ward 7
Serves 4-8
Located in Ward 4
Serves 4-8
Located in Ward 2
Serves PK-3 - 5
Located in Ward 5
Serves PK-3 - 5
Located in Ward 6
Serves PK-3 -5
Located in Ward 5
Serves PK-3 - 5
Located in Ward 8
Serves PK-3 - 5
Located in Ward 4
Serves PK-3 - 5
Located in Ward 8
Serves 4-8
Read the 2023 Bold Performance Schools report below by clicking the arrow next to the report cover below or download a copy of the report using the button.
DC Bold Schools is an initiative of EmpowerK12.
EmpowerK12 analyzes data utilizing rigorous methodologies to help all education stakeholders understand how our schools are performing on a variety of metrics, including how well schools serve at-risk students, which is central to the organization’s mission. Learn more about EmpowerK12’s mission and how we support bold school improvement through access to rigorous data analytical tools, training educators to turn data into action, and by fostering collaborative improvement by identifying real-time bright spots across a broad network of schools.