Washington, D.C

DCPS reports rising enrollment for 3rd consecutive year, creating opportunities for expanded student programs – WTOP News

Published

2 years ago

November 27, 2024

DCPS reports rising enrollment for 3rd consecutive year, creating opportunities for expanded student programs – WTOP News

Enrollment in D.C.’s public and public charter schools is up for the third straight year and continues to surpass pre-pandemic levels, according to preliminary data released this week.

Enrollment in D.C.’s public and public charter schools is up for the third straight year and is continuing to surpass pre-pandemic levels, according to preliminary data released this week.

According to unaudited data released Tuesday, 99,770 students are enrolled in the city’s public and public charter campuses. That’s the highest city enrollment since at least the 2007-08 school year, according to the Office of the State Superintendent for Education.

The growth, Interim Superintendent Antoinette Mitchell said, is enabling the city to invest in career and technical education programs and offer a curriculum focused on early literacy and math.

“Everything is coming together in a way that families are just seeing the opportunities that are available to them in the DC Public School system,” Mitchell said.

This year, 52,036 students are enrolled in a DC Public School and 47,564 are enrolled in public charters. Final and audited data is scheduled to be enrolled early next year.

Enrollment continues to surpass pre-pandemic levels in both sectors. It comes as public school enrollment in the Maryland and Virginia suburbs remained stagnant this academic year.

Enrollment fell slightly in Montgomery County and Fairfax County public schools, the D.C. region’s other largest school divisions.

In D.C., Mitchell said the preliminary data points to growth in the city’s high schools and growth in adult education students.

“We’re particularly excited about this because it means that once students are completing elementary and middle school, they’re choosing to stay within the D.C. public school system, whether they choose to go to DCPS or to one of the charter schools,” Mitchell said.

When enrollment rises, Mitchell said the city is able to expand its programming, such as opening a new Advanced Technical Center in Ward 8, which focuses on health sciences, and complements the center in Ward 5. The centers enable students to participate in career and technical education programs, and earn college credit while remaining enrolled in high school.

“We are delighted to be able to offer internships to our students who seem to really love the opportunity to work in corporations around the area,” Mitchell said. “So as enrollment grows, we think that more students will take advantage of the programming that we’ve been able to put in place with the investments that the mayor has made thus far.”

The enrollment announcement comes ahead of EdFEST, the city’s annual public school fairs. EdFEST for high schoolers is scheduled for Dec. 7, and Dec. 14 for pre-K3 through eighth grade families.

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Related Topics:antoinette mitchell dc public schools DCPS edfest Featured scott gelman

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Washington, D.C

About 120 Iowa National Guard soldiers leave today for D.C. deployment – Radio Iowa

Published

1 hour ago

July 10, 2026

Press Room

Dozens of Iowa National Guard soldiers leaving Iowa today will spend the next six months serving in Washington, D.C..

Last August, President Trump issued an executive order declaring there was an epidemic of crime in the nation’s capitol and he immediately mobilized National Guard troops from the District of Columbia. The Pentagon then started asking state guard units to deploy to D.C. and made a request of Governor Kim Reynolds last year. “They asked earlier and I said no because we had one of the largest deployments that we’ve had for a long, long time and I just felt we were stretched pretty thin,” Reynolds said.

In May of last year, nearly 2000 Iowa National Guard soldiers were deployed to the Middle East. The final group of those soldiers returned to Iowa last month. Reynolds said the Pentagon “circled back” recently and asked her to send a group of Iowa Guard soldiers to D.C. and she’s deployed 120 Iowa Guard soldiers to D.C. “to ensure the safety and security” of people who are in the nation’s capitol, “especially with everything that’s going on with the 250th birthday of our country,” Reynolds said, “and so we were able to participate and do our share.”

Reynolds told reporters the federal government will pay the entire cost of the deployment. Reynolds will speak this morning at a private send off ceremony for the Iowa Guard soldiers before they leave for D.C. There were over 5000 National Guard troops in Washington this past Sunday, including 185 from Nebraska and over 100 from Minnesota.

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Washington, D.C

Why Gov. Kim Reynolds turned down previous request to send National Guard to D.C.

Published

12 hours ago

July 9, 2026

Press Room

Why Gov. Kim Reynolds turned down previous request to send National Guard to D.C.

DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa State Capitol Bureau) — One hundred and twenty members of the Iowa National Guard are leaving Friday for Washington, D.C., where they will assist with security measures and America 250 celebrations at the request of the Trump administration.

Reynolds initially said no

Gov. Kim Reynolds said she had previously declined the Trump administration’s request, citing the strain of one of the state’s largest recent deployments.

“They asked earlier, and I said no because we had one of the largest deployments that we’ve had for a long, long time and I just felt that we were stretched pretty thin,” Reynolds said.

Nearly 2,000 Iowa National Guard members had spent a year or more deployed to the Middle East. Those soldiers have since returned home.

Guard members now available following Middle East return

With those troops back, Reynolds said Iowa was in a position to fulfill the president’s request.

“We have them all back. They circled back, especially with everything that’s going on with the 250th uh birthday uh of our country. And so we were able to participate and do our share,” Reynolds said.

Different states have sent National Guard members to Washington, D.C., since last August.

Reynolds said the federal government will pay the costs of Iowa’s deployment to Washington, D.C.

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Washington, D.C

Metro Red Line Summer Shutdown: Changes to shuttle bus service after concerns

Published

22 hours ago

July 9, 2026

Press Room

Metro Red Line Summer Shutdown: Changes to shuttle bus service after concerns

WASHINGTON – Metro riders are seeing changes Thursday morning as WMATA adjusts its shuttle bus system following concerns about long lines and confusion tied to the Red Line summer shutdown.

Express shuttles to North Bethesda will now only pick up on Wisconsin Avenue near the Trader Joe’s. Local shuttles serving Bethesda, Medical Center and Grosvenor have been moved to the Friendship Heights Metro station, while some regular Metrobus routes are picking up on Western Avenue.

Red Line Shuttle Service Updates

• Local shuttle boarding will be relocated to Bus Bay K – the current C83/D96 bus stop on Wisconsin Ave.
• C83 and D96 buses will be relocated to the bus shelter on Western Ave near Wisconsin Ave.
• Express shuttle boarding will remain in the 5300 block of Wisconsin Ave NW.

What we know:

FOX 5’s Melanie Alnwick says Red Line riders say the shutdown has added time to their commute, though many are trying to stay positive. The shuttles connect North Bethesda and Friendship Heights through September 6, when Purple Line construction is expected to wrap up.

Metro Red Line summer shutdown leads to long shuttle lines

Metro Red Line Summer Shutdown: Changes to shuttle bus service after concerns

The workaround relies on dedicated shuttle bus lanes along northbound and southbound Wisconsin Avenue/355 and up to Rockville Pike. But truck drivers, delivery drivers and passenger vehicles have been stopping or parking in those lanes, forcing shuttles to go around and slowing traffic.

Metro and Montgomery County police have increased enforcement to keep the lanes clear. Metro Transit Police say they asked more than 60 drivers to move out of the bus lanes in the first days of the shutdown.

Metro is also adding about 100 parking spaces at Friendship Heights in the former Lord & Taylor garage. Some Montgomery County riders are opting for the MARC train downtown instead.

Metro’s Red Line shutdown is now in full effect: Here’s what you need to know