Ludlow-Taylor ES vs Hearst ES

Hearst ES ranks #2 of 240 schools in the District of Columbia, placing it just above Ludlow-Taylor ES at #5 of 240 — both are elite performers in a competitive urban district. The overall rating gap is narrow at 0.3 points: Hearst ES scores 9.6/10 versus Ludlow-Taylor ES at 9.3/10. For the vast majority of DC families, either school represents a top-tier placement, but the gap is real and consistent across every measured dimension.

Academically, Hearst ES holds a 0.3-point edge, scoring 9.7/10 against Ludlow-Taylor ES's 9.4/10. The growth score tells the same story — Hearst ES at 9.7/10 versus Ludlow-Taylor ES at 9.5/10 — meaning students at Hearst are not only achieving at a slightly higher level but are also gaining ground at a marginally faster rate year over year. These are small margins, but they run in the same direction across both dimensions, which makes the pattern credible rather than noise.

On the demographic and resource side, Ludlow-Taylor ES enrolls 488 students compared to Hearst ES's 337, making Ludlow-Taylor the larger school by 45 percent. That size difference shows up directly in staffing: Hearst ES carries a student-teacher ratio of 11.6:1 versus Ludlow-Taylor ES's 13.2:1, a gap of 1.6 students per teacher. For families who prioritize individual attention and smaller classroom environments, that distinction is concrete and operationally meaningful.

Both Ludlow-Taylor ES and Hearst ES serve grades PK through 05, so families with children spanning the full elementary range face no structural difference in grade coverage. The two schools sit 5.0 miles apart within Washington, DC, meaning geography and neighborhood access will often be the deciding factor for families who find themselves genuinely split between two of the district's strongest elementary options.