Washington, D.C

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

Published

1 year 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

DC leaders considering transit options for new RFK Stadium

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1 hour ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

DC leaders considering transit options for new RFK Stadium

The Commanders are set to build a new stadium in D.C., and the debate over how fans will get to and from games is happening right now. On Wednesday, city leaders will join Metro and the Washington Commanders to talk stadium transit.

Posted December 17, 2025 2:05am EST

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Washington, D.C

D.C. Police Chief manipulated crime data; new House Oversight report

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1 day ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

D.C. Police Chief manipulated crime data; new House Oversight report

TNND — A new report from the House Oversight Committee alleges former D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith pressured officers to manipulate crime data. The committee released the report on Sunday, less than a week after Smith announced she was stepping down.

You’re lulling people into this false sense of security. They might go places they wouldn’t ordinarily go. They might do things they wouldn’t ordinarily do,” said Betsy Brantner Smith, spokesperson for the National Police Association.

Included in the report were transcribed interviews with the commanders of all seven D.C. patrol districts and the former commander currently on suspended leave. One was asked, “Over the last few years, has there been any internal pressure to simply bring down crime statistics?” Their response, “Yes, I mean extremethere’s always been pressure to keep crime down, but the focus on statistics… has come in with this current administration.”

Every single person who lives, works, or visits the District of Columbia deserves a safe city, yet it’s now clear the American people were deliberately kept in the dark about the true crime rates in our nation’s capital,” House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-KY) said in a statement.

“They are going to have to regain the public trust. Again, this is a huge integrity issue,” Brantner Smith said.

Among the reports findings, Smith’s alleged pressured campaign against staff led to inaccurate crime data. Smith punished or removed officers for reporting accurate crime numbers. Smith fostered a toxic culture and President Trump’s federal law enforcement surge in D.C. is working.

While Smith has not yet publicly responded to the report, she’s previously denied allegations of manipulating crime data, saying the investigation did not play a factor into her decision to step down at the end of the year.

My decision was not factored into anything with respect to, other than the fact that it’s time. I’ve had 28 years in law enforcement. I’ve had some time to think with my family,” Smith said earlier this month.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser also released a statement Monday, writing in part that “the interim report betrays its bias from the outset, admitting that it was rushed to release.”

According to crime stats from the Metropolitan Police Department, since the federal law enforcement surge started in August, total violent crime is down 26%. Homicides are down 12% and carjackings 37%.

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Washington, D.C

National Menorah Lighting in DC dedicated to Bondi Beach victims

Published

2 days ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

National Menorah Lighting in DC dedicated to Bondi Beach victims

The first candle lit on the National Menorah near the White House in Washington, D.C., marked the first night of Hanukkah — and solemnly honored victims of the Bondi Beach shooting.

The National Menorah Lighting was held Sunday night, hours after gunmen opened fire on a crowd celebrating the beginning of Hanukkah at Australia’s iconic Bondi Beach. Fifteen people were killed, including a 10-year-old girl, a rabbi and a Holocaust survivor, and over three dozen others were being treated at hospitals.

Authorities in Australia said it was a terrorist attack targeting Jewish people.

Organizers behind the National Menorah Lighting said the news from Australia, along with the bitter cold, forced them to consider whether or not to hold the annual event.

After consulting with local law enforcement, National Menorah Lighting organizers decided to hold the event and honor the victims.

Several D.C.-area police departments issued statements confirming there are no known threats to local communities, but are monitoring just in case.

Montgomery County Executive Mark Elrich condemned the attack and said community safety is a priority.

“Acts of antisemitism, especially those meant to intimidate families and communities during moments of gathering and celebration, must be called out clearly and condemned without hesitation,” Elrich said. “I have heard directly from members of Montgomery County’s Jewish community who are shaken and concerned, and I want them to know that their safety is a priority.”

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