2025 DC CAPE Results: Historic Gains Signal Strong Recovery
The District of Columbia's 2025 state assessment results in math and English Language Arts (ELA) tell a remarkable story of educational recovery and renewed momentum. When the DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) released results from the 2025 DC Comprehensive Assessment of Progress in Education (DC CAPE) last month, the data revealed that DC students achieved the largest single-year proficiency gains since the District transitioned from paper-based to computer-based testing in 2015.
With a composite gain of 3.6 percentage points across both subjects at the selective college-ready benchmark (CAPE 4+), this year's improvement surpasses even the strong pre-pandemic growth rates that once earned DC recognition as the fastest-improving urban school district in the nation. These results demonstrate that when city leaders commit to sustained, evidence-based investments and educators receive the right support, transformational change is possible.
ELA and Math Composite Selective College-Ready Proficiency (CAPE 4+)
The percentage of students meeting the career-ready benchmark (CAPE 3+) also increased 3.7 percentage points on average, the highest rate of improvement at that benchmark since the 2010 administration of the paper-based DC CAS.
ELA and Math Composite Career-Ready Proficiency (CAPE 3+)
The EK12 team dug deeper into the 2025 CAPE results and identified these key takeaways:
Broad-Based Gains Across All Student Groups and Communities: Achievement gains encompass both subjects, all grade bands, and priority student groups.
Declining Influence of Demographics on Academic Outcomes: The correlation between socioeconomic demographics of the student population and school proficiency continued to decline, and schools in Ward 8 (DC’s most economically disadvantaged ward) have posted the largest gains in career-ready proficiency since 2022.
2022 Upper Elementary Students’ 2025 Success in Middle School: The cohort of upper elementary school students (grades 3-5) from 2022 were the first to post higher math proficiency rates as middle schoolers (grades 6-8) this year in the computer-based testing era. They also posted greater improvement in ELA proficiency than pre-pandemic trends from upper elementary to middle school performance.
Ongoing Challenges for Youngest COVID-era Students: Upper elementary school students, who were in pre-kindergarten through 1st grade during the virtual year, continued to demonstrate improved outcomes yet trail their same-aged peers pre-pandemic, especially in math. Considering the consistent gains across all grade levels, this outcome likely reflects the importance of early numeracy and literacy instruction for our youngest learners along with the urgent need for continued investment in math interventions for students in grades 3-8 for years to come.
DC is a Regional Bright Spot: DC posted the largest ELA and math composite proficiency gains from 2024 to 2025 for the largest districts in our region.
Broad-Based Gains Across All Student Groups and Communities
The 2025 results demonstrate that academic recovery has been comprehensive, reaching every corner of the District and every student population. Gains were broad, encompassing all grade bands and priority student groups, with particularly strong recovery in the communities and among the students most impacted by pandemic-related learning disruptions.
Nearly every major demographic group showed improvement from 2024 to 2025 with students identifying as Black or African American making the largest gains. Students who received English learner services did not see achievement gains last year.
ELA and Math Composite Career-Ready Proficiency Gains Since 2024
When examining longer-term recovery since 2022, Black and economically disadvantaged students have made the largest gains in both math and reading, suggesting that focused interventions and the District's comprehensive support systems are successfully accelerating academic recovery for priority student groups.
ELA and Math Career-Ready Proficiency Gains Since 2022
In English Language Arts (ELA), DC has nearly completed its pandemic recovery journey. DC students are on pace to exceed pre-pandemic achievement by this winter, based on recent improvement rates. This recovery reflects the District's strategic investments in structured literacy training for thousands of teachers and tutors, a science-based approach that is working.
ELA Career-Ready Proficiency (CAPE 3+)
Math tells a slightly different but encouraging story. While the 48% career-ready proficiency rate in 2025 still trails the pre-pandemic level of 55% from 2019, the 4.2 percentage point gain this year represents significant progress and creates a foundation for continued growth. At the current pace of improvement, math proficiency could return to pre-pandemic levels within the next 2-3 years.
Math Career-Ready Proficiency (CAPE 3+)
Declining Influence of Demographics on Academic Outcomes
One of the most significant trends in the 2025 data is the continued decline in correlation between socioeconomic demographics of the student population and school proficiency. The pandemic exacerbated inequities in many of our communities in DC and across the country. A focus of academic recovery has been on ensuring all students, including those whose neighborhoods were most acutely impacted by the pandemic, demonstrate accelerated outcomes. The r-squared correlation, or percentage of the variation in school level proficiency associated with the socioeconomic status of their student population, has steadily decreased since 2022.
Scatterplot Showing Correlation Between School Proficiency and Percent At-Risk Served
(note: EK12 will honor the schools in orange with “Bold Performance School” award for achievement rates that go well beyond expectations in October!)
The correlation between performance of all tested students in a school and the school’s percentage of economically disadvantaged students decreased from 69% in 2024 to 63% in 2025
The correlation between performance of economically disadvantaged students in a school and the school’s percentage of economically disadvantaged students from 17% in 2024 to 16% in 2025
R-Squared Correlations between School Level Proficiencies by Student Group and Socioeconomic Status of the School’s Student Population
This suggests that schools serving high-poverty student populations are increasingly finding ways to achieve strong academic outcomes through improved instruction and evidence-based interventions like high impact tutoring, demonstrating that demographics need not determine destiny when schools have adequate resources and effective interventions.
Similarly encouraging is the geographic distribution of gains. Schools in Ward 8, DC's most economically disadvantaged ward, posted the largest gains in career-ready proficiency since 2022. Gains in Ward 8, along with gains in Wards 5 and 7, demonstrate that targeted investments and evidence-based interventions can drive substantial academic improvements in communities that have faced some of the greatest challenges this decade.
ELA and Math Career-Ready Proficiency Gains Since 2022
Upper Elementary Students’ Success in Middle School
One of the most remarkable findings in the 2025 data involves middle school students' performance. The cohort of upper elementary school students in 2022 were the first to post higher math proficiency rates as middle schoolers in the computer-based testing era this year. Historically, math proficiency rates declined as students moved from upper elementary grades to middle school. However, this cohort bucked that trend entirely.
Math Achievement of Pre- and Post-Pandemic Elementary School Cohorts Through Middle School
Additionally, these same students posted greater improvement in ELA proficiency than pre-pandemic trends as they progressed from elementary to middle school. This suggests that the academic interventions, enhanced curriculum resources, and targeted support strategies implemented during the recovery period have been particularly effective at helping students accelerate their learning during these critical transition years.
ELA Achievement of Pre- and Post-Pandemic Elementary School Cohorts Through Middle School
Ongoing Challenges for Youngest COVID-era Students
The results also reveal the lasting impact virtual learning in 2020 and 2021 had on our youngest learners. Upper elementary school students in grades 3-5 last year were in pre-kindergarten through 1st grade during the virtual year. Their 2025 results, while continuing to improve year-over-year, still trail their same-aged peers from pre-pandemic years, especially in math.
This pattern reflects the value of early numeracy and literacy instruction and underscores how critical those foundational years are for long-term academic success. The gap is particularly pronounced in mathematics, where early number sense and computational fluency create the foundation for all future mathematical learning.
These findings highlight the urgent need for continued investment in reading and math strategies specifically designed to support upper elementary and middle school students who missed crucial early concepts during virtual learning and are still recovering back to grade level norms.
Difference in 2025 Career-Ready ELA Proficiency Compared with 2019 Performance by Grade Level
Difference in 2025 Career-Ready Math Proficiency Compared with 2019 Performance by Grade Level
DC is a Regional Bright Spot
DC's academic progress stands out not just historically but also in comparison to peer jurisdictions across the region. DC remains a regional "bright spot," posting the largest ELA and math composite proficiency gains among local school systems.
Comparing average gains across math and reading proficiency, DC led the region with its 3.6 percentage point improvement from 2024 to 2025.
The Path Forward: Sustaining and Scaling Success
While celebrating these historic gains, we must maintain perspective. Math proficiency still lags pre-pandemic levels, and the results for upper elementary students remind us that some students continue to need intensive support to fully recover from early learning disruptions. Based on the data and what local and national research suggest, we have four system level recommendations for the District:
1. Continue Scaling What Works
The District should expand access to high-impact tutoring, aiming to reach thousands more students with small-group or one-on-one tutoring for 900 or more minutes. The structured literacy training that has proven so successful should continue, with similar systematic approaches applied to mathematics instruction.
2. Deepen Math Strategy Through Comprehensive Teacher Development
The results for upper elementary students underscore the urgent need for continued investment in math strategies, particularly for early numeracy development. This means providing teachers with graduate-level coursework that deepens their content knowledge while remaining aligned to grade-level standards. Math coaches should receive intensive professional development to ensure they can effectively support their colleagues.
3. Focus on Instructional Time and Extended Learning
Schools should continue tracking and maximizing effective instructional time, but this effort must extend beyond the traditional school day. Districts should monitor student participation in extended learning opportunities including high-impact tutoring, Saturday academies, summer school, and family engagement programs that help families practice skills at home.
4. Maintain Equitable Investment Levels
The 2.74% increase in the Uniform Per Student Funding Formula (UPSFF) for FY26, following last year's historic 12.4% increase, provides the resources necessary to sustain these interventions. Credit goes to Mayor Bowser and the DC Council for their consistent commitment to education investment and for maintaining DC's nationally recognized comprehensive funding model.
Finally, a Moment of Recognition and Momentum
These results reflect the dedication and resilience of DC's educators, students, and families. After years of pandemic-related challenges, the District has not just returned to its pre-COVID trajectory of steady improvement—it has accelerated beyond it.
The 3.6 percentage point composite gain represents thousands of individual student success stories and countless hours of hard work by teachers, tutors, and support staff. More importantly, it demonstrates that with sustained commitment to evidence-based practices, adequate resources, and a focus on supporting all students, dramatic improvements in student outcomes are not just possible—they're happening right here in DC.
As we enter the 2025-26 school year, we have both momentum and clarity about what works. The challenge now is to sustain and scale these successful interventions while continuing to innovate and adapt based on data and evidence. If we maintain this focus and commitment, next year's results could be even more remarkable.
To all our educators: thank you for your unwavering commitment to our students. Your efforts produce real, measurable changes in young people’s lives.
Explore the complete 2025 DC CAPE results through our data dashboard and learn more about how your school performed.