Mayor Bowser Encourages Families to Attend EdFEST, Announces Highest Graduation Rate in More Than a Decade

(Washington, DC) - Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) are encouraging DC families to register for and attend EdFEST, the District's annual public school fairs that give families the opportunity to meet with representatives from DC Public Schools (DCPS) and public charter schools and learn more about options for the upcoming school year. EdFEST will be held over two weekends, starting tomorrow, Saturday, December 6. Tomorrow, families with students entering Grades 9-12 can attend EdFEST at Eastern High School from 10 am to 2 pm Then, on Saturday, December 13, families with students entering pre-K3-Grade 8 can attend EdFEST at Kraken Kourts & Skates from 10 am to 2 pm

Mayor Bowser and OSSE also released the 2024-2025 DC School Report Card, the District's one-stop shop for data about public schools in the District. The DC School Report Card, which gives families another resource to consult when considering school choice, also shows that the District reached a graduation rate of 78.7% in the 2024-25 school year - a 2.6 percentage point increase in the four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate from the previous school year and the highest graduation rate since 2011 when DC first started using the current methodology for calculating graduation rates. Since School Year 2010-11, the four-year graduation rate has increased by more than 18 percentage points.

"We have amazing public schools here in the District, and EdFEST is the best opportunity for families to check out everything we've got to offer in one place," said Mayor Bowser. "DC residents and taxpayers have been serious about investing in our public schools for nearly two decades. And we didn't just invest in fantastic facilities, we also invested in fantastic people and programming. And because of those investments and those improvements, we're seeing strong results - from our student achievement data to our graduation rates. I'm proud of our schools, I'm proud of our educators, and I'm proud of our students."

EdFEST gives families a chance to meet school staff, hear about academic programs, learn about key educational services, and ask practical questions about school experiences before applying through the 2026-27 My School DC Lottery, which opens on Monday, December 15. Families with students entering transition grades (pre-K3, kindergarten, Grade 6, or Grade 9), families new to the District, and any families interested in exploring new school options are encouraged to attend EdFEST. Families can register now at myschooldc.org/events/edfest.

EdFEST for Grades 9-12

• When: Saturday, December 6 from 10 am to 2 pm
• Where: Eastern High School, 1700 East Capitol Steet NE

EdFEST for PK3 - Grade 8

• When: Saturday, December 13 from 10 am to 2 pm
• Where: Kraken Kourts & Skates, 514 Rhode Island Avenue NE

"Excellent schools attract families to Washington, DC, and our schools offer a wide range of rigorous and innovative programs designed to engage every student," said State Superintendent Dr. Antoinette S. Mitchell. "I am proud to work in a city committed to continuous improvement and to ensuring every family can find a school where their child will thrive."

OSSE publishes the DC School Report Card every year to provide parents and families helpful information about schools, covering everything from transportation to academic progress. This year, the report card for the 2024-25 school year also includes findings from the first-ever DC Survey About Your School (DC SAYS) to give families richer context about student experience and school culture. For this inaugural DC SAYS, OSSE fielded responses from 48,745 students (76% of survey-eligible students), 10,036 staff (55%), and 14,590 parents. Families can access the report card at schoolreportcard.dc.gov, and are encouraged to use the data alongside school visits and conversations at EdFEST to help them decide which school best fits their child's needs.

The application for the 2026-27 My School DC Lottery opens Monday, December 15 and closes Monday, February 2 for Grades 9-12 and Monday, March 2 for pre-K3-Grade 8. Last school year, more than 22,000 applicants participated in the public school lottery and 75% of participants were offered a seat at a school to which they applied - the highest match rate since the lottery began 12 years ago. More information on the lottery is available at myschooldc.org.

Throughout her time in office, Mayor Bowser has remained committed to building on the progress in DC's public schools. Her administration has created new early childhood education opportunities, modernized and opened new schools across the District, and invested $3.6 billion for school renovations. The FY26 Budget invests another $2 billion for 30 school modernizations and $270 million to support pay increases for DC Public Schools and public charter school teachers. Over the past decade, the District has also substantially expanded college and career readiness opportunities for students. In 2022, OSSE opened the Ward 5 Advanced Technical Center, which has helped 400 students earn an impressive 4,658 college credits within the first three years of operation, saving them approximately $3 million in college tuition. This year, Mayor Bowser opened the new Ward 8 ATC, expanding the program. In 2022, the District also launched the Advanced Internship Program, which allows students to participate in paid and credit-bearing internships aligned with their Career Technical Education program of study during the school year.

These investments are paying off. In August, the Mayor and OSSE announced that DC students have made significant gains in English language arts/literacy and math proficiency. And the DC SAYS survey found that 88% of students in Grades 3-5 and 85% of students in Grades 6-12 citywide report that they have supportive relationships at school.

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