Hearst ES vs DC Bilingual PCS
Hearst ES and DC Bilingual PCS are very closely rated, both scoring around 9.3 out of 10. DC Bilingual PCS is significantly larger with 579 students, about 1.7× the size of Hearst ES (337). In math proficiency, Hearst ES leads at 62.0%.
Hearst ES
Washington, DC
337 students
DC Bilingual PCS
Washington, DC
579 students
Ratings Comparison
| Metric | Hearst ES | DC Bilingual PCS |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating | 9.3 / 10 | 9.5 / 10 |
| Academic Score | 9.7 | 9.3 |
| Growth Score | 9.7 | 9.9 |
| Diversity Index | — | — |
| Free/Reduced Lunch | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Environment Score | 7.5 | 8.7 |
| State Rank | #3 of 240 | #1 of 240 |
| State Percentile | 99th | 100th |
Test Scores
| Subject | Hearst ES | DC Bilingual PCS |
|---|---|---|
| Math Proficiency | 62.0% | 32.0% |
| Math (State Avg) | — | — |
| ELA Proficiency | 62.0% | 42.0% |
| ELA (State Avg) | — | — |
School Details
| Detail | Hearst ES | DC Bilingual PCS |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Elementary School | Elementary School |
| Grades | Pre-K – 5th | Pre-K – 5th |
| Enrollment | 337 | 579 |
| Student-Teacher Ratio | 11.6:1 | 8.4:1 |
| Per-Pupil Spending | — | — |
| Free/Reduced Lunch | — | — |
| Chronic Absenteeism | — | — |
| District | District of Columbia Public Schools | DC Bilingual PCS |
| City | Washington | Washington |
Neighborhood
| Metric | Washington (20008) | Washington (20011) |
|---|---|---|
| Median Household Income | $123,653 | $108,377 |
| Median Home Value | $894,100 | $722,200 |
| Median Rent | $2,202 | $1,636 |
| College Educated (Bachelor's+) | 88.9% | 54.7% |
| Poverty Rate | 7.8% | 10.1% |
| Avg Commute | 29 min | 32 min |
The data story: Hearst ES vs DC Bilingual PCS
DC Bilingual PCS holds the top spot in Washington, D.C., ranked #1 of 240 schools in the District with an overall rating of 9.5/10. Hearst ES sits at #3 of 240 with a 9.3/10 — a 0.2-point gap that separates two genuinely elite elementary schools 3.6 miles apart. Both clear the 9.0 threshold that fewer than a handful of D.C. schools reach, so parents are choosing between two proven performers, not a clear winner and a runner-up.
The academic edge belongs to Hearst ES, which scores 9.7/10 in academics against DC Bilingual PCS's 9.3/10 — a four-tenths gap that reflects measurably stronger proficiency outcomes. DC Bilingual PCS flips the result on growth, scoring 9.9/10 versus Hearst ES's 9.7/10, meaning DC Bilingual students gain more ground year-over-year relative to similar peers. Families weighing incoming readiness against acceleration trajectory will find those two numbers tell different stories: Hearst ES delivers higher absolute achievement; DC Bilingual PCS drives faster in-school gains.
The two schools differ sharply on scale and staffing. Hearst ES enrolls 337 students against DC Bilingual PCS's 579 — 72 percent larger — yet Hearst ES's student-teacher ratio of 11.6:1 is actually wider than DC Bilingual PCS's 8.4:1. That means DC Bilingual PCS's larger enrollment comes with more adults in the room per child, a structural advantage for individualized attention. Hearst ES is a traditional D.C. public school, while DC Bilingual PCS operates as a public charter, which shapes admissions process, lottery timelines, and school governance expectations for families.
Both schools serve grades PK through 05, so program length is identical. The charter structure at DC Bilingual PCS supports its dual-language instructional model, which drives its enrollment demand and staffing investment. Hearst ES, as a neighborhood public school in a high-performing ward, draws a geographically defined catchment and offers the continuity of the D.C. Public Schools system — including guaranteed middle school feeder pathways.
Editorial summary generated April 2026 · sonnet
Who each school fits
Hearst ES
Hearst ES suits families already zoned to its attendance boundary who prioritize the highest academic proficiency scores in the city — its 9.7/10 academic rating is four-tenths above DC Bilingual PCS — and who prefer a smaller, neighborhood public school with direct DCPS feeder-school continuity into middle school.
DC Bilingual PCS
DC Bilingual PCS suits families willing to navigate charter lottery enrollment in exchange for the District's top-ranked overall school, a 8.4:1 student-teacher ratio that beats Hearst ES by more than three students per teacher, and a dual-language program that produces the highest year-over-year growth scores of any elementary school in Washington, D.C.