District of Columbia International School
District of Columbia International School (DCI) is a public charter school in Washington, DC. It offers an International Baccalaureate education to students in grades 6 to 12. Each student learns in a partial language immersion program in Spanish, French or Chinese
| District of Columbia International School | |
|---|---|
 Delano Hall, the home of the District of Columbia International School | |
| Address | |
1400 Main Dr NW 20012 United States | |
| Coordinates | 38°58′23″N 77°02′03″W |
| Information | |
| Type | Charter school |
| Established | 2014 |
| Head of school | Mary Shaffner |
| Faculty | Approximately 280 |
| Grades | 6-12 |
| Enrollment | 1,200 |
| Average class size | 27 |
| Color(s) | Blue and white |
| Athletics conference | PCSAA and DCSAA |
| Mascot | Three-headed dragon (representing three language tracks) |
| Website | dcinternationalschool |
It is overseen by the District of Columbia Public Charter School Board.
History and campus
DCI was founded in 2014 to provide a secondary school with advanced foreign language classes to students from language immersion public charter elementary schools.[1] While admission is lottery-based, Latin American Montessori Bilingual Public Charter School, Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School, Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom Public Charter School, Mundo Verde Public Charter School, and DC Bilingual Public Charter School graduates are given preference in the lottery for 6th grade.[2]
In 2017, the school moved into its permanent campus, the Delano Hall building of the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The new building can accommodate up to 1,450 students.[3][4][5]
Student body
DCI is a diverse school with no majority race, consisting of about 40% African-American, 40% Hispanic, and 15% Caucasian students in the 2018-19 school year. 8.3% are English language learners and 51.6% are economically disadvantaged.[6]
Academic program
Students in grades 6-10 follow the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program and students in grades 11-12 can either study for the International Baccalaureate Diploma or International Baccalaureate Career-related Program.[7] All students choose to focus on Chinese, French, or Spanish, and can pursue the IB Bilingual Diploma.[8]
Results
In 2019, the DCI middle and high school were both rated Tier 1 by the District of Columbia Public Charter School Board.[9][10] The same year, 61% of DCI students achieved proficiency in the English Language Arts/Literacy section of the PARCC exam and 41% achieved proficiency in the math section.[11]
References
- Brown, Emma. "D.C. International loses $6 million building grant". Washington Post. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
- Brown, Emma. "D.C. charter schools band together to form new high school with focus on foreign language". The Washington Post. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
- Perlmutter, Alexa (6 September 2017). "DC International charter school unveils new Walter Reed campus". Current Newspapers. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
- "District of Columbia International Charter School". Building Hope. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
- "Agreement will enable Washington, D.C., charter school to move to Walter Reed campus". American School & University. 3 October 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
- "District of Columbia International High School (DCI) | District of Columbia Public Charter School Board". www.dcpcsb.org. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
- "IB Mid-Atlantic - DC International School". www.ibmidatlantic.org. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
- "DC International School". www.ibyb.org. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
- "District of Columbia International High School | DC PCSB". dcpcsb.org. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
- "District of Columbia International Middle School | DC PCSB". dcpcsb.org. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
- "OSSE NGA Web Report". results.osse.dc.gov. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
