DC International School: A Fall 2027 parent guide

Evidence boundary

DCI is one school; its member schools are separate charters

This profile concerns District of Columbia International School, LEA 173, School 200. DCI operates one middle-and-high-school campus.

Its board, handbook, staffing, outcomes, complaints, and support record belong to DCI, not to its member elementary schools.

Five independent member schools helped form DCI and receive Grade 6 pool priority. Those schools are DC Bilingual, E.W. Stokes, LAMB, Mundo Verde, and Washington Yu Ying.

Their elementary outcomes do not prove DCI outcomes.

Member-school evidence appears here only when it controls DCI admission. A child’s elementary program may shape language placement and pool eligibility.

It does not guarantee a seat, a specific DCI teacher, or later IB success.

Grade 6 priority

Member-school priority is substantial, but it is not a guarantee

Current rule: eligible Grade 5 member-school students must apply on time and continue in their established language. They receive priority within separate member-school pools.

DCI explicitly says this is not a traditional guaranteed feeder right.

The operating agreement permits up to 280 reserved Grade 6 seats: 70 Yu Ying, 50 LAMB, 40 E.W. Stokes, 70 Mundo Verde, and 50 DC Bilingual. Stokes’ current table combines its French and Spanish pathways.

The 2026–27 My School DC file advertised 267 seats across member subpools and recorded 257 matches. Pool results varied.

Some filled immediately; several Stokes and Mundo Verde pools generated waitlists and later offers.

An on-time member applicant can still wait when that school’s allocation is full. An unfilled member seat may move among member pools by language need, then to the general pool.

DCI’s operating rules control that sequence.

A late Grade 6 member-school applicant loses the member-pool priority. The application joins below on-time applicants unless another higher preference applies.

Apply on time even if the elementary school describes DCI as its pathway.

General Grade 6 access

Recent results show a technically open door and very limited initial space

For 2026–27, the general Grade 6 Chinese, French, and Spanish tracks each advertised zero initial lottery seats. They drew 253, 324, and 353 applications.

Results-day waitlists held 164, 213, and 272 applicants.

By the August data release, Chinese and French had made no general Grade 6 waitlist offers. Spanish had made 13.

This is recent access evidence, not a forecast or a count of unique children.

One applicant may appear on several track lists, so adding applications or waitlists overstates unique demand. Published data also cannot produce a clean schoolwide acceptance rate.

Track, preference, timing, and later attrition all matter.

Fall 2027 could differ. Ask DCI how many general Grade 6 seats remain after member allocations, continuing students, and anticipated retention.

Request three years of offers by track and preference before treating a waitlist number as meaningful.

Grade 9 and later entry

Grade 9 is open to beginners, but seats appear only when the cohort has room

No member-school priority applies in Grades 7–9. Those grades depend on vacancies after continuing students.

For 2026–27, every Grade 7 and Grade 8 language track advertised zero initial seats and recorded no offers through August.

For 2026–27 Grade 9, Chinese, French, and Spanish advertised zero initial seats. They drew 219, 280, and 419 applications.

By August, the tracks had made five, nine, and nine waitlist offers.

Recent Grade 9 movement is volatile. In 2025–26, French advertised 20 initial seats, while Chinese and Spanish advertised none.

In 2024–25, Spanish made no waitlist offers by October, while Chinese and French moved substantially.

A Grade 9 entrant may start the language at a beginning MYP phase. The student still has only two MYP years before choosing DP or CP.

Ask for a four-year course map built for a true beginner.

IB pathway

IB is the school’s operating system, not an optional honors track

DCI is an authorized IB World School. Grades 6–10 use the Middle Years Programme.

Grade 10 students choose the Diploma Programme or Career-related Programme for Grades 11–12, and all seniors take examinations for enrolled IB courses.

DP students take six subject groups, Theory of Knowledge, the Extended Essay, and Creativity, Activity, and Service. The essay is 4,000 words.

The school pays full IB examination costs.

CP students combine DP courses with a career study. Current options include health sciences, computer science, engineering, and audio-video production.

They also complete Personal and Professional Skills, service learning, and a Reflective Project.

Participation does not guarantee the full IB Diploma or CP Certificate. The Class of 2025 school report says 35 of 87 DP candidates earned the Diploma.

It says 35 of 79 CP candidates earned the Certificate.

Language learning

Daily language is guaranteed; full immersion and equal proficiency are not

Every student takes Chinese, French, or Spanish daily. DCI calls its model partial immersion.

Students with stronger proficiency may also take Individuals and Societies, art, or electives in the target language when placement and scheduling allow.

Placement phases support beginners through advanced learners. Member-school students continue their established track, while general-lottery students may begin at Phase 1.

This range helps access, but it also creates very different language trajectories within one grade.

Switching tracks is tightly limited after one year. Current grounds include two years of persistent failure, a documented support-team determination, certain upper-grade program decisions, or winning admission to another track through the lottery.

Prior outcome: in 2022–23, 72.2% of 133 eleventh graders with five or more years of study met DCI’s STAMP composite threshold. The threshold varied by language and does not mean every student reached bilingual fluency.

The school reports that 59% of 2025 seniors earned the DC Seal of Biliteracy. That is a meaningful cohort signal.

It is not a promise for a Fall 2027 entrant, whose graduation year would be 2031 or 2034.

The student week

Long days, rotating courses, mastery grading, and explicit persistence rules

Current middle-school hours are 8:20 a.m.–3:25 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:20 a.m.–1:00 p.m. Friday. High school ends at 3:35 p.m. and 1:05 p.m. Classes follow an A/B rotation.

English, mathematics, and target language meet daily. Other courses alternate.

Friday’s early dismissal creates a weekly care and transportation question, especially when a child does not join afterschool programming.

DCI caps homework at two hours per school night and assigns none during sanctioned breaks. Work should be independent of adult teaching.

Families are still expected to monitor assignments, organization, attendance, sleep, forms, devices, and communication.

MYP courses use criterion-based scores and a 1–7 final scale, not A–F grades. In high school, a 3 earns credit.

A summative resubmission requires a complete, on-time first attempt and must occur within five school days.

The model rewards steady follow-through. Ask to see a real Grade 6 assignment calendar and a Grade 9 transcript.

Clarify late work, executive-function supports, tutoring access, recovery, and how outside colleges interpret the scale.

Learning support

The handbook describes layered services; families need a child-specific delivery map

Current supports include MTSS, co-teaching, small groups, smaller or self-contained settings, academic intervention, counseling, speech, occupational therapy, and executive-function help. The menu is useful, but it does not establish capacity in a particular grade.

A parent may request a special-education evaluation orally or in writing. Staff must document an oral referral within three business days.

If the process moves forward, the evaluation timeline is 60 days after consent.

MTSS may inform intervention, but it cannot delay an IDEA evaluation. Before enrolling, map each IEP or 504 service to a provider, room, group size, frequency, missed-session rule, accommodation, and progress measure.

Current English-learner services include middle-school Academic Language Development, high-school Extended Language Studies, co-teaching, and case management. The handbook describes approximately 20 English learners per case manager and shared responsibility across teachers.

DCI’s 2024–25 report describes 20% of students as receiving specialized education and 17% as English learners. Those schoolwide shares show meaningful need.

They do not reveal caseload quality, vacancies, or Grade 6 service minutes.

Support record

Prior findings require precise follow-up, not a blanket conclusion

The 2024 charter review found DCI met its goals and had no material legal or charter violation. A 2021 OSSE special-education score was 70.7%.

Its IDEA determination was Needs Assistance, while its SEPR level was Strengthening.

One 2020 due-process decision found an inappropriate IEP denied a student FAPE. It ordered evaluation and 100 tutoring hours.

DCI responded on time, while compensatory delivery remained open in the review record.

In 2023, DCI voluntarily entered an OCR resolution agreement before a final determination. OCR raised concerns about IEP implementation and 504 grievance guidance.

OCR found insufficient evidence of retaliation.

Current contact conflict: DCI’s leadership page lists Nivea Greene over student support. Handbook Child Find text still names Jessica Frosztega as director.

Confirm the actual Grade 6 or Grade 9 case lead before relying on either document.

Climate, discipline, and safety

Restorative language sits beside firm attendance, device, and consequence systems

DCI describes a restorative approach, but the handbook also permits probation, suspension, expulsion, and loss of trips or afterschool activities. Ask how restoration changes the consequence, repairs harm, and protects a student from repeated disruption.

Middle-school phones are collected each class period. High-school phones use locked Yondr pouches during classes.

Smartwatches and earbuds are also restricted. Repeated violations can require parent retrieval or a family meeting.

Attendance is recorded every period. Documentation is generally due within five school days, and repeated unexcused absences can trigger mandated referrals.

Families should ask how disability, medical, housing, and transportation barriers are handled before consequences.

Prior 2022–23 re-enrollment was 90.8% in middle school and 96.1% in high school. Midyear withdrawal was 1.0% and 2.9%, below sector rates.

These dated measures cannot explain why individual students stayed or left.

DCI’s 2024–25 report lists 3.45% out-of-school suspension, 0.06% expulsion, 92.80% in-seat attendance, and 0.48% midyear withdrawal. These schoolwide rates do not show incident severity, repeated removals, or subgroup experience.

Prior 2022 observations found uniformly respectful interactions and prompt responses to minor misbehavior. That snapshot predated current students, leadership tensions, and later policies.

Ask to observe transitions, lunch, dismissal, and a restorative response today.

Current published safety practices include monitored entry, visitor identification, escorts, health protocols, and supervised afterschool spaces. DCI does not publish a current incident dashboard.

Ask for emergency plans, drills, serious incidents, bullying response, and reunification procedures.

Campus and accessibility

A compelling historic campus still needs a route-by-route accessibility check

DCI occupies renovated Delano Hall at 1400 Main Drive NW in the Parks at Walter Reed. The main entrance is near 16th Street and Main Drive.

A second entrance sits near 14th Street and Aspen Street.

The school asks visitors needing an accessible tour to request accommodations at least 72 business hours ahead. That is helpful process evidence.

It is not proof that every classroom, lab, stage, field, restroom, or evacuation route works independently.

Current unknowns include elevator reliability, accessible restroom locations, sensory conditions, hearing support, wayfinding, arrival assistance, and routes between floors and outdoor spaces. Tour during a normal school day with the student’s own mobility or sensory needs.

Parking is limited. A beautiful building can still impose daily friction when arrival, dismissal, therapy, athletics, or an emergency requires a different entrance.

Ask the school to document the complete accessible route before accepting.

Aftercare and transportation

The Friday schedule and supervised-space rules can reshape family logistics

Current middle-school ACE programming runs Monday through Friday, with Friday care beginning after early dismissal. High-school programming runs Monday through Thursday.

The broader afterschool window is 3:45–6:00 p.m., though many activities end at 5:15.

Middle-school ACE clubs charge fees. Homework Help and Lounge space are described as daily, but DCI does not publish one current fee schedule or guaranteed-seat rule.

The My School DC profile reports sliding-scale aftercare and voucher acceptance.

An unsupervised middle-school student awaiting pickup after 4:15 may enter paid care for $12. Students cannot simply remain around campus.

Siblings of athletes also face supervised-program rules, so one child’s late practice can create another fee.

DCI provides no general dedicated school bus. Eligible students can use Kids Ride Free on Metrobus, Metrorail, and DC Circulator.

Transportation written into an IEP follows a different eligibility process and requires child-specific confirmation.

Published transit details conflict. My School DC lists current D-series and C87 buses, while DCI’s location page still names retired S-series and older route numbers.

Use WMATA’s live planner at the needed arrival and departure times.

Costs and family burden

Tuition-free does not mean schedule-free, fee-free, or low-touch

DCI does not require uniforms. Families still manage a Chromebook, school materials, forms, conferences, communication, assignment monitoring, daily attendance, transport, Friday early dismissal, and prompt pickup.

Ask which commitments are encouraged and which affect student access.

Current fees apply to middle-school ACE and middle- and high-school sports. Families may also buy personal athletic gear.

The handbook says unpaid ACE or athletic fees can block future participation and must be paid before graduation.

That graduation language deserves written clarification. Ask for current amounts, waivers, payment plans, hardship rules, voucher processing, refund terms, and confirmation that inability to pay cannot prevent a public-school diploma.

High-school Voyager exchanges are family-paid, with partial school support and need-based grants. Deposits may be nonrefundable, and academic or behavior requirements apply.

Ask what participation costs by destination and how many eligible students travel.

Breakfast and lunch participate in federal meal programs. DCI’s current meal page explains eligibility and applications.

Confirm Fall 2027 prices, free-meal qualification, dietary accommodations, breakfast timing, and whether afterschool provides food.

Staffing and leadership

The named team is current; retention and role clarity need Fall 2027 verification

DCI currently names Michael Rosskamm as Executive Director, Davian Morgan as Middle School Principal, and Christopher Nace as High School Principal. Alexandra Pardo chairs the Board of Trustees.

DC PCSB’s umbrella directory still lists Daniel Vivas as principal. DCI’s current page names Davian Morgan for middle school and Christopher Nace for high school.

Treat that as a directory conflict and verify decision ownership.

The 2024–25 school report lists 161 teachers, nine average years of experience, and 16.77% school-defined teacher attrition. The prior report listed 166 teachers and 7.83% attrition.

The increase matters, but published data do not explain it.

DCI and its union ratified a collective bargaining agreement in 2025. Ask for the Fall 2027 roster, vacancies, long-term substitutes, certification, language fluency, special-education caseloads, and two-year retention by middle and high school.

Governance and workplace climate

Board-retained counsel did not substantiate allegations and documented real organizational strain

After staff, union, and family concerns, DCI’s board retained Stinson LLP to review 12 allegations against the Executive Director. Counsel interviewed 19 witnesses and reviewed documents.

Its June 2026 public statement said evidence did not support misconduct allegations.

That conclusion was counsel’s work for the board, not a regulator’s finding. The statement also described factionalism, rumor, resistance to faster accountability changes, communication gaps, and a difficult transition from start-up culture to scaled organization.

Counsel also reported that lower-paid staff experienced an unintended pay effect under the ratified agreement, which management was correcting. Do not infer that this caused teacher attrition.

Ask what remediation occurred and how staff trust is measured now.

Families should review current board minutes, recordings, budgets, and public-comment notices. Board comment is limited by agenda and sign-up rules.

A tour alone will not reveal whether decision-making, communication, and staff stability have improved.

Complaints and rights

Start with DCI’s written route, while preserving external deadlines

DCI encourages informal resolution, then accepts a written formal grievance within 90 days. The current handbook directs most filings to Human Resources and complaints against the Executive Director to the Board Chair.

The policy describes a response within 30 business days. A grievant may appeal to the Board within 30 days, and the Board normally responds within 15 business days.

Separate discipline appeals use shorter deadlines.

For unresolved charter-law concerns, DC PCSB asks families to use the school leader and board route first. Special-education families retain OSSE state-complaint, mediation, and due-process options.

Internal filing does not automatically pause external deadlines.

Keep dates, requests, responses, service logs, and the remedy sought. Ask who receives a disability-access, language-identification, bullying, discipline, records, or board complaint.

Different issues can follow different procedures and clocks.

After DCI

The onward pathway is direct, but the credential and college path are not automatic

DCI already includes high school, so an enrolled eighth grader does not need another lottery for Grade 9. The major internal choice arrives in Grade 10, when students plan a two-year DP or CP sequence.

The practical advantage is continuity across Grades 6–12. The practical risk is assuming early fit guarantees later fit.

High-school workload, language level, career offerings, athletics, accommodations, and college advising deserve a second evaluation before Grade 10.

Fall 2027 admissions

Use the current process as precedent, not as a promised calendar

Current rule: DC residents apply through My School DC, not directly to DCI. Applicants select a Chinese, French, or Spanish track.

A family may list multiple tracks, but the student may enroll in one. Listing all three uses three of 12 choices.

Current eligibility has no prior-language, GPA, or IB threshold. DCI accepts new applications only for Grades 6–9.

A current Grade 8 DCI student continues into Grade 9 without a new lottery application.

Prior cycle: the 2026–27 portal opened December 15, 2025. High-school applications closed February 2, middle-school applications closed March 2, results arrived March 27, and matched families enrolled by May 1.

Ranking and waitlists

Rank true preference; a waitlist position is movable, not predictive

My School DC permits up to 12 choices. Rank them in genuine preference order.

The matching algorithm seeks the highest-ranked available option, so ranking DCI first does not improve the child’s chance of receiving another listed school.

After a match or enrollment, a child remains on higher-ranked waitlists and leaves lower-ranked ones. A later DCI offer can therefore change another plan.

Verify the response deadline and required residency documents immediately after any offer.

Current DCI preference order includes founder, eligible staff child, sibling attending DCI, sibling offered DCI, sibling attending a member school, and sibling offered a member school. DCI sibling preference requires the same language track.

Waitlists can move down when applicants with stronger preferences are added. Post-lottery applicants usually join below on-time applicants and are ordered by submission time within their preference group.

Lists expire after the school year and do not roll forward.