Washington, D.C.

School Choice Policies

Charter School Choice

Does the state have charter schools?

Are for-profit charter schools or management companies allowed?

Unclear-

A public charter must be organized as a non-profit. It is unclear whether school management organizations must be non-profit:

"The term 'school management organization' means an entity that a public charter school identifies in its charter petition or petition for charter revision with which the public charter school contracts to provide management or oversight services regarding the school's expenditures, administration, personnel, or instructional methods."

38-821.01
38–1802.04.(c)(16)

Is there a cap on the number of charter schools?

Yes-

No more than 10 charter petitions can be approved by any chartering authority in any given year. If one authorizer has not reached 10 approvals by the end of the year, other authorizers may approve, as long as the total number of approvals does not exceed 20.

38–1802.03.(i)(2)(A-B): Process for approving or denying public charter school petitions.

Are charters required to provide transportation for any students?

Yes-

A student attending a public charter school shall be eligible for reduced fares on the Metrobus and Metrorail Transit System on the same terms and conditions as students attending TPS.

38–1802.08. Reduced fares for public transportation.

Can charter schools employ uncertified teachers?

Did not find-

We did not find information about charter school teacher certification requirements in Washington, D.C. statutes. However, Education Commission of the States states that Washington D.C. does not have teacher certification requirements.

Education Commission of the States 50-State Comparison

Virtual School Choice

Do state statutes allow for full-time virtual schools?

Did not find-

We did not find anything about virtual schools in Washington, D.C. statutes. Education Commission of the States states that D.C. law does not allow for virtual charter schools.

Education Commission of the States 50-State Comparison

Are virtual schools required to track attendance?

Did not find

Do virtual schools have to comply with state teacher certification requirements?

Did not find

Private School Choice

Does the state have voucher programs?

Yes-

Washington, D.C. statutes allow for Opportunity Scholarships.

38–1853.04.(a): General authority.

Does the state have educational expense tuition tax credits or deductions?

No-

No educational expense tax credits or deductions found.

EdChoice School Choice in America

Can students use vouchers to attend religious schools?

Yes-

Religious schools are eligible to participate in the voucher program.

38–1853.08.(d): Nondiscrimination and other requirements for participating schools.

Is there a cap on the number of students or private schools participating in voucher programs?

No-

The Secretary of Education may not limit the number of eligible students receiving scholarships.

38–1853.04(a)(3)(A): General authority.

Are voucher students in private schools required to take any standardized tests?

Yes-

Participating schools shall comply with any testing requirements determined to be necessary for evaluation.

38–1853.08.(h): Nondiscrimination and other requirements for participating schools.

Can private schools be removed from voucher programs based on performance?

Did not find

Are private schools in voucher programs required to provide transportation?

Did not find

Interdistrict School Choice

Does the state have interdistrict choice programs?

Yes-

Section 5-E2106 allows for "out-of-boundary" transfers.

Section 5-E2106.

Are receiving schools or districts required to provide transportation to any students?

Did not find

Page last updated: July 2024

Click here to download the State Policy Spreadsheet. Click here to download the State Policy Map Data Memo.

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The State Policy Map provides a snapshot of school choice policy found in laws passed by the legislative bodies, for all 50 states and Washington, D.C., based on information gathered from state statutes in fall 2019; data checks continued through December 2020. Information on this site may not include the most up-to-date policy information. The State Policy Map does not systematically reflect state Department of Education administrative policies, rules, or regulations. All content on this site is provided for informational purposes only. Links to third-party websites are for the user’s convenience; neither REACH nor any affiliated entities endorse the contents of third-party sites.

Note: On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Montana's exclusion of religious schools from the state's tax credit scholarship program was unconstitutional (Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue 591). The responses to the question "Can students use vouchers to attend religious schools?" were collected before this ruling and therefore do not reflect any changes resulting from the Espinoza decision.