District of Columbia
17,597 high school students

State Profile
As states work to raise their academic standards, several national high school reform initiatives are assisting them in their efforts to strengthen their high schools so that they provide students with a 21st century education and skills.

Through the profile provided here, the National High School Center offers (a) a snapshot of the state’s graduation requirements and college entrance requirements (see table below) and (b) summaries of national reform initiatives active in the state (see list below table).

High School and College Alignment in the State
The following table shows the state’s alignment between high school graduation requirements and minimum state college entrance requirements, providing a quick source for determining whether there is a gap between what students must know to graduate and what they are expected to have mastered in order to enter college.

	High School Graduation Requirements	College Admission Requirements**
*English Units*	4	N/S
*Mathematics Units*	4	N/S
	including Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II
*Social Studies Units*	4	N/S
	including World History I & II, DC History, US Government, US History
*Science Units*	4	N/S
	3 science w/lab
*Foreign Language Units*	2	N/S
*Art Units*	1	N/S
	Art (.5), Music (.5)
*Additional Units*	Health and P.E. - 1.5 Electives - 3.5	N/S
*Total Units*	24*	N/S
*Tests*	N/S	N/S
Source	District of Columbia Public Schools	University of the District of Columbia

* At least 2.0 credits of the 24.0 required credits must be earned through courses that appear on the approved “College Level or Career Prep” list.
** The University of the District of Columbia has no course requirements, and does not require the SAT or ACT for admission.

National High School Improvement Initiatives at Work in the State
As states work to ready high school students for postsecondary success, many are partnering with national organizations to undertake high school improvement efforts. The following list includes national improvement initiatives at work in the state. National initiatives are defined as significant programs, projects, technical assistance, or key information clearinghouses dedicated to high school improvement. For information about and related to research on these initiatives, please click on the name of the initiative to link to a synthesis:

District of Columbia State High School Improvement Initiatives
For information on high school improvement initiatives launched at the district level visit
District of Columbia Public Schools.

District of Columbia ARRA Information
For information on DC's ARRA efforts as it relates to education, please visit their Web page.

District of Columbia 17,597 high school students

District of Columbia
17,597 high school students