Month: October 2024

New DCPS MS Community Survey

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As previously announced with the release of Mayor Bowser’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), a new middle school is slated to open in SY28-29. It will be a comprehensive, neighborhood middle school with a boundary, serving grades 6-8. It will be the feeder middle school for Cleveland ES, Garrison ES, and Seaton ES. Students at these schools currently in 2nd grade and younger can attend when the school opens in 2028. 

We invite you to participate in a brief survey to inform initial engagement. The survey will remain open until November 12, 2024. If you have any questions, please email us at dcps.planning@k12.dc.gov. 

Click here to access the survey. 

Bancroft Elementary School Update

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On August 22, 2024, DC Public Schools (DCPS) shared an update with the Bancroft ES community addressing the school’s over-utilization challenges and the 2023 Boundary and Student Assignment Study recommendations.  

For School Year 2025-2026 and School Year 2026-2027, DCPS will relocate Bancroft Elementary School’s PK3 and PK4 classrooms to the Sharpe Health building at 4300 13th St NW to alleviate overutilization at Bancroft. The facility was selected due to its proximity to the school, current use as a DCPS learning space, and previous use as a swing space for Bancroft during the school’s modernization. More information on the relocation of PK3 and PK4 classrooms to Sharpe will be shared with families over the next few months. 

To read the full letter, click here (English) and here (Spanish).

Changes to the Cardozo feeder pattern

dcpsschoolplanning

On June 12, 2024, DCPS sent emails to families at Cardozo EC, Francis EC, shared an update with the community about changes to be implemented at Cardozo Education Campus and its feeder pattern.  

Over the next several years, DC Public Schools (DCPS) will implement the following changes: 

  • Cardozo will phase out middle grades: We are enthusiastic about the opportunity for Cardozo to return to a traditional high school. In School Year (SY) 2025-2026, Cardozo will not enroll a new 6th grade class. By SY 2027-2028, Cardozo will serve only grades 9-12. 
  • DCPS will open a new middle school: In March 2022, Mayor Bowser announced funding for DCPS to open a new middle school at 800 Euclid St NW (the former Banneker High School building) in August 2028. Engagement opportunities will be shared on the School Planning blog soon. 
  • John Francis Education Campus will temporarily expand its feeder pattern: Students who graduate from Cleveland, Garrison, and Seaton Elementary Schools currently have geographic feeder rights to enroll at Cardozo for middle school. Beginning in School Year 2025-2026, students at these three elementary schools will have feeder rights to enroll at John Francis Education Campus for 6th grade. This will continue until the enrollment for the new middle school opens. At that time, students graduating from Cleveland, Garrison, and Seaton will have feeder rights only to the new middle school. 

Please read the letters from Chancellor Ferebee here: 
1. Letter to the Cardozo community, click here (English), here (Spanish) 

2. Letter to the Cleveland ES community, click here (English), here (Spanish) 

3. Letter to the Seaton ES community, click here (English), here (Spanish) 

4. Letter to the Garrison ES community, click here (English), here (Spanish) 

5. Letter to the John Francis EC community, click here (English), here (Spanish) 
 
 

School Year 2025-2026 boundary and feeder pattern changes

dcpsschoolplanning

In 2023-2024, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education (DME) led a boundary and student assignment study. The study was a comprehensive review of DC Public Schools (DCPS) boundaries and feeder patterns and of public school student assignment policies in accordance with the Attendance Zone Boundaries Act of 2013. The study focused on solving current and anticipated future challenges relating to clear rights, adequate capacity, and equitable access to public schools for the next 10 years.  

The process culminated in a series of recommendations made by the DC Advisory Committee on Student Assignment. In June 2024, Mayor Muriel Bowser approved the recommendations.  

Read the report with final recommendations.  

Read the Mayor’s approval of the Advisory Committee’s recommendations.  

As a result, DCPS communicated via letter and email with families living in a boundary change area: Four groups received this communication: 

  1. Public school families living in a change area newly assigned to Malcolm X, previously Turner (link) 
  1. Public school families living in a change area newly assigned to Amidon-Bowen, previously Van Ness (link) 
  1. Public school families living in the Ross boundary whose assigned middle school changed (link) 
  1. Public school families living in the Thomson boundary whose assigned middle school changed (link) 

DCPS will continue to work on implementation of the recommendations that directly impact or are owned by DCPS. Updates will be posted to this page on a rolling basis.