(Washington, DC) – Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) announced today that the District’s annual statewide assessment results for 2026 show continued progress in English language arts/literacy (ELA) and math for students in grades 3-8 and high school. The results reveal a 2 percentage point increase in ELA proficiency, reaching 39.6%, and a 2.1 percentage point increase in math proficiency, now at 28.5%. This marks the fourth consecutive year of rising proficiency rates in the District.
“Earlier this year, we got good news about our education system: DC students have led the nation in post-pandemic academic recovery in both reading and math,” said Mayor Bowser. “Now, with this data, we have an even better sense of how we can continue to build on that progress.” The mayor expressed gratitude to educators across all eight wards for their dedication to supporting students as the new school year begins.
Participation in the assessments remained robust, with 95.5% of students taking the ELA exam and 94.9% participating in math. The DC CAPE assessment maintains high standards, with five performance levels. Levels 4 and 5 indicate proficiency, while level 3 signifies that students are approaching grade-level expectations. Notably, since 2022, ELA proficiency has increased by 8.8 percentage points and math proficiency has risen by 9.1 percentage points.
Elementary and middle school students drove the gains, with ELA proficiency for grades 3-8 increasing to 40.1% from 37.4% last year. In contrast, high school students showed a slight decline, with 37.5% meeting or exceeding expectations in ELA, down from 38.5%. In math, 31.8% of grades 3-8 students met or exceeded expectations, an increase from 29.1%. However, high school proficiency remained steady at 14.8% in math, a slight drop from 15% the previous year.
The results also indicate a larger number of students approaching proficiency, with 60.3% in ELA and 50.7% in math performing at levels 3, 4, or 5. This represents an increase from 57.9% and 47.5% respectively in the previous year. While significant gaps persist among different student groups, all subgroups, including those who are economically disadvantaged, are making noteworthy progress. As the District moves forward, these results provide a framework for continued improvement in education across Washington, DC.
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