Washington, D.C., has become the fastest-improving school system in the U.S. based on student growth, according to a new report. Yet, despite rising test scores, most students still struggle to meet grade-level benchmarks. The study highlights a growing debate over how to measure school success—whether to focus on progress or proficiency.
A Tale of Two School Systems
The Education Scorecard report, co-authored by Harvard economist Tom Kane, found that D.C. schools gained 3.6 percentage points in reading and math between 2025 and 2026. That’s among the largest gains in the country. However, the district’s proficiency rates—how many students meet grade-level standards—remain low. Only about a third of students in D.C. read and do math at grade level, according to the D.C. Policy Center.
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“Our academic achievement is unsurpassed in the country in terms of growth,” said Tom Kihn, a D.C. education official, in a 2026 blog post. He credited investments in teacher training and curriculum reforms for the progress. But critics argue that growth alone isn’t enough to ensure quality education.
The Proficiency vs. Growth Debate
The report’s authors chose to highlight growth metrics to counter what they see as an overly negative narrative about public schools. Kane said the team wanted to show that “something good is happening in some of these places.” However, critics like Sean Wilson, a researcher focused on education equity, warn that growth metrics can be misleading.
Wilson argues that focusing on growth might divert attention from school systems where most students already meet grade-level standards. He points to high-performing charter networks, where even low-income students often achieve proficiency. Replicating that success across entire districts, he says, is far harder.
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Wealth and Achievement: A Complicated Link
Income disparities also complicate the debate. Affluent suburbs often dominate proficiency rankings not because their schools are inherently better, but because students start far ahead. Kane acknowledged this concern, saying the next Education Scorecard report will include data on proficiency rates compared to similar districts.
Sean Reardon, a Stanford sociologist and co-author of the report, previously found that Chicago’s schools, though starting with lower scores, showed the most growth a decade ago. That example, he said, demonstrated how growth metrics can reveal hidden strengths in underperforming districts.
What Parents Want
Many parents, however, prioritize immediate proficiency over long-term growth. Kane admitted that “getting more students over the proficiency line is important too.” Yet, he noted that growth and proficiency answer different questions. Growth measures whether students are learning more than before. Proficiency measures whether they’ve learned enough.
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The D.C. case underscores this tension. Despite strong gains, the district still struggles with basic measures of success. “It shows how a school system can post some of the strongest gains in the country and still fall short,” Kane said.
Looking Ahead
The report’s authors plan to expand their analysis in future studies, adding more nuance to how school performance is measured. For now, the debate over growth vs. proficiency remains unresolved. But the findings offer a critical reminder: progress is important, but it’s not the only measure of quality education.
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