We’re excited to share with you our 2025 Impact Report, detailing our work over the last year investing in leaders who are committed to recovering and reimagining education in DC and confronting the challenges before us by growing high-quality public school options, addressing racial inequities, recruiting and retaining excellent leaders, and fostering equity-centered change.
As we reflect on another year of partnership and progress, we are reminded of the profound responsibility we share in advancing educational equity for all of Washington, DC’s students. At Education Forward DC, our commitment to supporting visionary education leaders remains steadfast, even as we navigate an evolving landscape of opportunities and challenges.
This year has brought encouraging signs of progress alongside persistent concerns that demand our continued attention. Recent assessment data showing the largest gains for DC students since before the pandemic reinforce national recognition of DC as the fastest-improving jurisdiction in the country on recent NAEP results and in the Harvard Education Recovery Scorecard. These results tell us our strategies are working: sustained investments, support for all learners, and consistent leadership are driving steady, citywide progress.
Yet we cannot overlook the sobering realities that persist. Achievement gaps demonstrate that we are not serving our most vulnerable students as well as their peers.
These challenges are not insurmountable, nor are they unique to our city. But DC can be a model for better serving students and preparing them for life across communities nationally. The investments and innovations detailed in this report demonstrate the power of collaborative action—what happens when funders, educators, families, and community leaders align their efforts toward shared goals.
