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Duke Ellington School Of The Arts

Washington, DC

PublicHigh · Grades 9–12 · Magnet
ellingtonschool.org3500 R St. Nw, Washington, DC 20007(202) 282-0123
Test scores
DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education

English language arts

53.6% for meeting or exceeding expectations in 2025–26.

Measure2023–242024–252025–26
Test takers295306304
Share53.2%56.9%53.6%

DC CAPE

Measure2023–242024–252025–26
Test takers295Not reportedNot reported
Level 18.1%10.4%11.2%
Level 213.2%13.7%11.5%
Level 325.4%18.9%23.7%
Level 441.4%40.5%38.1%
Level 511.9%16.3%15.5%

Math

16.1% for meeting or exceeding expectations in 2025–26.

Measure2023–242024–252025–26
Test takers253243267
Share14.6%16.0%16.1%

DC CAPE

Measure2023–242024–252025–26
Test takers253Not reportedNot reported
Level 122.1%21.8%15.0%
Level 236.8%38.7%33.0%
Level 326.5%23.4%36.0%
Level 4Not reported13.6%15.0%
Level 5<1%2.5%1.1%

DC CAPE Levels 4–5 meet or exceed expectations.

Discipline
State and federal reports

DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education

5.1% out-of-school suspension rate in 2024–25.

Out-of-school suspension rate

Measure2022–232023–242024–25
Student count565582590
Rate3.7%4.6%5.1%

In-school suspensions rate

Measure2022–232023–242024–25
Student count565582590
Rate<1%<1%1.0%

Expulsions rate

Measure2022–232023–242024–25
Student count565582590
Rate<1%<1%<1%

U.S. Department of Education

Measure2021–222023–24
Enrolled in the fall579571
Suspended out of school1.4% · 85.4% · 31
Suspended in school0.3% · 20.0% · 0
Expelled0.0% · 00.0% · 0
School Profile

Location

City, Large

Enrollment

579 students

Student-Teacher Ratio

48:1

Demographics
Hispanic/Latino13.3%
x
White15.5%
x
Black or African American64.1%
x
Asian1.0%
x
Two or More Races4.7%
x
American Indian or Alaska Native0.0%
x
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander0.0%
x
Teaching Approach

Updated 8mo ago

Duke Ellington School of the Arts emphasizes a dual-curriculum model that integrates rigorous college-preparatory academics with intensive, pre-professional arts training, aiming for excellence in both. Their approach centers arts integration and equity—providing access to high-level arts education for talented students regardless of background—while connecting learning to real-world artistic practice through industry-professional faculty, master classes, internships, and community service.

Admissions

Updated 8mo ago

Duke Ellington School of the Arts applications are submitted online through MySchoolDC (no paper applications), where families provide three recommender email addresses and upload required materials. (ellingtonarts.org) For SY 2026-27, MySchoolDC lists the high-school application deadline as February 2, 2026, and allows families to update school rankings until March 13, 2026 at 5:00 p.m.; after an application is submitted, Ellington invites applicants to schedule auditions (with optional pre-audition workshops noted by the school). (myschooldc.org) Requirements include prior-year final and current-year first-quarter report cards, an online essay (with additional prompts for some majors), and recommendations from a math teacher, an art/other recommender, and a counselor/administrator, plus any major-specific audition/portfolio requirements. (myschooldc.org) Students may audition for up to two arts majors; those who pass the audition complete a family interview, after which an admissions committee makes the final determination and official decisions are confirmed through MySchoolDC. (ellingtonarts.org) Applicants who are eligible but not offered a seat may be placed on a MySchoolDC waitlist for that school year (waitlists do not carry over), and waitlists are ordered by any applicable preference group (e.g., sibling) and then lottery number; Ellington’s public MySchoolDC profile does not list specific lottery preference/priority categories, and non-DC residents are subject to space availability and may have tuition/residency requirements. (myschooldc.org)

Admissions Timeline

Updated 8mo ago

Application DeadlineFeb 2
Interview: Required
Testing: Required
School Hours

Updated 8mo ago

8:30 a.m. – 4:55 p.m.

After-School Care

Updated 8mo ago

Not Available

DESA does not describe an after-school care/aftercare program on its website. The school day runs 8:30 a.m. to 4:55 p.m., and the school notes that after-school rehearsals and performances are mandatory. The attendance/dismissal policy also says students must exit the property promptly after school if they are not participating in a supervised after-school activity (e.g., tutoring or rehearsals with an instructor present), and that students will not have continued access to the building following dismissal.

Public school directory

NCES ID 110003000016

District
District Of Columbia Public Schools
Status
Open
School category
Regular School
Charter
No
Virtual instruction
No virtual instruction
Enrollment
579 students
Teachers (FTE)
12

Sources