Key Elementary School - Diversity (staff and students)

[Anonymous]

Hi - moving to the Palisades this summer and we will be zoned for Key Elementary School. I can see from the stats that there is some diversity - 10% Black about 15% Hispanic and 5% Asian. Are the kids from these backgrounds well integrated into the social aspect of the school - i.e., playdates, parties, etc? Does the school have a diverse staff - specifically teachers? I’m Black and diversity at previous schools has always been limited to the administrative staff, lunch ladies, maintenance staff and maybe a few classroom helpers. And we can’t change location of our housing - we will be moving into and eventually purchasing a relative’s house (she is going into nursing care).

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

If it is a little or a lot does it matter if you don't have a choice? In my experience divisions in affluent areas are more economic based than race even if there are generalizations on who has money and who doesn't. That is present in the Palisades but kids don't notice it as much when they are young but their perceptions grows with age. People will gauge you on your ability to keep up with things like volunteering, PTA dues, hosting special events/parties. Your experience and your kids may be different

[Anonymous]

You can't change the location of your housing, but you can lottery into a school with a different mix of students. There aren't elementary schools with slots open near Key, but if you're commuting somewhere, you could look for a school along your commute. Many students in DC don't go to their neighborhood public school. (Although this is less common in upper NW.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi - moving to the Palisades this summer and we will be zoned for Key Elementary School. I can see from the stats that there is some diversity - 10% Black about 15% Hispanic and 5% Asian. Are the kids from these backgrounds well integrated into the social aspect of the school - i.e., playdates, parties, etc? Does the school have a diverse staff - specifically teachers? I’m Black and diversity at previous schools has always been limited to the administrative staff, lunch ladies, maintenance staff and maybe a few classroom helpers. And we can’t change location of our housing - we will be moving into and eventually purchasing a relative’s house (she is going into nursing care).

Thanks!

I can’t speak to Key specifically, but generally the diversity among student and staff in upper NW DCPS isn’t the best. It isn’t the worst, but it’s not ideal. However, the feeder middle and high school (Hardy and MacArthur) are way more diverse with both staff and kids and it’s a much better experience for families of color (we are not white and have had better experiences at the middle school level bc of the diversity).

[Anonymous]

Key will be fine. Definitely not worth lotterying outside of your neighborhood. It's good for kids to go to the neighborhood school for the sense of community (I think, and research says!).

[Anonymous]

I've done a bit of research on this, and if it matters.. student-wise, Key is not one of the more diverse black schools in the area in staff or student, but has some diversity. All Ward 3 schools, along with Shepherd, Lafayette and Hyde-Addison are phenomenal comparatively.

Key-59% white, 14% latino, 11% mixed, 10% black, 5% Asian, 337 students
--
Most diverse Ward 2, 3, 4 schools:
Shepherd - 45% black, 31% white, 14% mixed, 8% latino, 2% Asian, 394 students
Eaton - 48% white, 18% black, 13% mixed, 13% latino, 8% Asian, 436 students
Hearst - 53% white, 20% black, 12% latino, 8% mixed, 7% Asian, 356 students
Murch - 54% white, 18% black, 12% latino, 8% mixed, 8% Asian, 658 students
Hyde-Addison - 38% white, 34% black, 13% latino, 10% mixed, 6% Asian, 400 students
--
Lafayette(Ward 4)-70% white, 10% black, 9% latino, 8% mixed, 3% asian, 923 sudents

Of these, in 2025 only the following schools have more than 50 students each who are black, white, and latino; Eaton, Hyde(Ward 2), Murch, Shepherd(Ward 4) & Lafayette(Ward 4)

Diversity in staff is a different question, but that generally follows the student diversity more or less.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi - moving to the Palisades this summer and we will be zoned for Key Elementary School. I can see from the stats that there is some diversity - 10% Black about 15% Hispanic and 5% Asian. Are the kids from these backgrounds well integrated into the social aspect of the school - i.e., playdates, parties, etc? Does the school have a diverse staff - specifically teachers? I’m Black and diversity at previous schools has always been limited to the administrative staff, lunch ladies, maintenance staff and maybe a few classroom helpers. And we can’t change location of our housing - we will be moving into and eventually purchasing a relative’s house (she is going into nursing care).

Thanks!

I can’t speak to Key specifically, but generally the diversity among student and staff in upper NW DCPS isn’t the best. It isn’t the worst, but it’s not ideal. However, the feeder middle and high school (Hardy and MacArthur) are way more diverse with both staff and kids and it’s a much better experience for families of color (we are not white and have had better experiences at the middle school level bc of the diversity).

What is ideal? Edscape has DC Total Public K-5 at 60% Black, 18% Latino, 16% White, 6% Other. Is the goal to find a school that comes closes to that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Key will be fine. Definitely not worth lotterying outside of your neighborhood. It's good for kids to go to the neighborhood school for the sense of community (I think, and research says!).

Why? If this is an important consideration for OP, it's not a difficult preference to satisfy in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've done a bit of research on this, and if it matters.. student-wise, Key is not one of the more diverse black schools in the area in staff or student, but has some diversity. All Ward 3 schools, along with Shepherd, Lafayette and Hyde-Addison are phenomenal comparatively.

Key-59% white, 14% latino, 11% mixed, 10% black, 5% Asian, 337 students
--
Most diverse Ward 2, 3, 4 schools:
Shepherd - 45% black, 31% white, 14% mixed, 8% latino, 2% Asian, 394 students
Eaton - 48% white, 18% black, 13% mixed, 13% latino, 8% Asian, 436 students
Hearst - 53% white, 20% black, 12% latino, 8% mixed, 7% Asian, 356 students
Murch - 54% white, 18% black, 12% latino, 8% mixed, 8% Asian, 658 students
Hyde-Addison - 38% white, 34% black, 13% latino, 10% mixed, 6% Asian, 400 students
--
Lafayette(Ward 4)-70% white, 10% black, 9% latino, 8% mixed, 3% asian, 923 sudents

Of these, in 2025 only the following schools have more than 50 students each who are black, white, and latino; Eaton, Hyde(Ward 2), Murch, Shepherd(Ward 4) & Lafayette(Ward 4)

Diversity in staff is a different question, but that generally follows the student diversity more or less.

This is great! Thank you so much!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've done a bit of research on this, and if it matters.. student-wise, Key is not one of the more diverse black schools in the area in staff or student, but has some diversity. All Ward 3 schools, along with Shepherd, Lafayette and Hyde-Addison are phenomenal comparatively.

Key-59% white, 14% latino, 11% mixed, 10% black, 5% Asian, 337 students
--
Most diverse Ward 2, 3, 4 schools:
Shepherd - 45% black, 31% white, 14% mixed, 8% latino, 2% Asian, 394 students
Eaton - 48% white, 18% black, 13% mixed, 13% latino, 8% Asian, 436 students
Hearst - 53% white, 20% black, 12% latino, 8% mixed, 7% Asian, 356 students
Murch - 54% white, 18% black, 12% latino, 8% mixed, 8% Asian, 658 students
Hyde-Addison - 38% white, 34% black, 13% latino, 10% mixed, 6% Asian, 400 students
--
Lafayette(Ward 4)-70% white, 10% black, 9% latino, 8% mixed, 3% asian, 923 sudents

Of these, in 2025 only the following schools have more than 50 students each who are black, white, and latino; Eaton, Hyde(Ward 2), Murch, Shepherd(Ward 4) & Lafayette(Ward 4)

Diversity in staff is a different question, but that generally follows the student diversity more or less.

This is definitely not true on the Hill, where staff diversity maybe tracks student diversity 10 years ago?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've done a bit of research on this, and if it matters.. student-wise, Key is not one of the more diverse black schools in the area in staff or student, but has some diversity. All Ward 3 schools, along with Shepherd, Lafayette and Hyde-Addison are phenomenal comparatively.

Key-59% white, 14% latino, 11% mixed, 10% black, 5% Asian, 337 students
--
Most diverse Ward 2, 3, 4 schools:
Shepherd - 45% black, 31% white, 14% mixed, 8% latino, 2% Asian, 394 students
Eaton - 48% white, 18% black, 13% mixed, 13% latino, 8% Asian, 436 students
Hearst - 53% white, 20% black, 12% latino, 8% mixed, 7% Asian, 356 students
Murch - 54% white, 18% black, 12% latino, 8% mixed, 8% Asian, 658 students
Hyde-Addison - 38% white, 34% black, 13% latino, 10% mixed, 6% Asian, 400 students
--
Lafayette(Ward 4)-70% white, 10% black, 9% latino, 8% mixed, 3% asian, 923 sudents

Of these, in 2025 only the following schools have more than 50 students each who are black, white, and latino; Eaton, Hyde(Ward 2), Murch, Shepherd(Ward 4) & Lafayette(Ward 4)

Diversity in staff is a different question, but that generally follows the student diversity more or less.

This is definitely not true on the Hill, where staff diversity maybe tracks student diversity 10 years ago?

Its not really true anywhere except in all black schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've done a bit of research on this, and if it matters.. student-wise, Key is not one of the more diverse black schools in the area in staff or student, but has some diversity. All Ward 3 schools, along with Shepherd, Lafayette and Hyde-Addison are phenomenal comparatively.

Key-59% white, 14% latino, 11% mixed, 10% black, 5% Asian, 337 students
--
Most diverse Ward 2, 3, 4 schools:
Shepherd - 45% black, 31% white, 14% mixed, 8% latino, 2% Asian, 394 students
Eaton - 48% white, 18% black, 13% mixed, 13% latino, 8% Asian, 436 students
Hearst - 53% white, 20% black, 12% latino, 8% mixed, 7% Asian, 356 students
Murch - 54% white, 18% black, 12% latino, 8% mixed, 8% Asian, 658 students
Hyde-Addison - 38% white, 34% black, 13% latino, 10% mixed, 6% Asian, 400 students
--
Lafayette(Ward 4)-70% white, 10% black, 9% latino, 8% mixed, 3% asian, 923 sudents

Of these, in 2025 only the following schools have more than 50 students each who are black, white, and latino; Eaton, Hyde(Ward 2), Murch, Shepherd(Ward 4) & Lafayette(Ward 4)

Diversity in staff is a different question, but that generally follows the student diversity more or less.

This is great! Thank you so much!

You're welcome! You will find Staff demographics under this link: https://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/page_content/attachments/SY2025-2026%20DC%20Educator%20Data_Counts%20and%20Demographics.xlsx

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've done a bit of research on this, and if it matters.. student-wise, Key is not one of the more diverse black schools in the area in staff or student, but has some diversity. All Ward 3 schools, along with Shepherd, Lafayette and Hyde-Addison are phenomenal comparatively.

Key-59% white, 14% latino, 11% mixed, 10% black, 5% Asian, 337 students
--
Most diverse Ward 2, 3, 4 schools:
Shepherd - 45% black, 31% white, 14% mixed, 8% latino, 2% Asian, 394 students
Eaton - 48% white, 18% black, 13% mixed, 13% latino, 8% Asian, 436 students
Hearst - 53% white, 20% black, 12% latino, 8% mixed, 7% Asian, 356 students
Murch - 54% white, 18% black, 12% latino, 8% mixed, 8% Asian, 658 students
Hyde-Addison - 38% white, 34% black, 13% latino, 10% mixed, 6% Asian, 400 students
--
Lafayette(Ward 4)-70% white, 10% black, 9% latino, 8% mixed, 3% asian, 923 sudents

Of these, in 2025 only the following schools have more than 50 students each who are black, white, and latino; Eaton, Hyde(Ward 2), Murch, Shepherd(Ward 4) & Lafayette(Ward 4)

Diversity in staff is a different question, but that generally follows the student diversity more or less.

This is definitely not true on the Hill, where staff diversity maybe tracks student diversity 10 years ago?

Its not really true anywhere except in all black schools

With regard to teachers, I think part of it has to do with where the teachers are coming from. schools in Capitol Hill and other parts of Southeast of Northeast have a lot of teachers coming from PG County. Our family has never attended school in Ward three but I imagine teachers would come from closer suburbs to that part of the city in Montgomery County or Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've done a bit of research on this, and if it matters.. student-wise, Key is not one of the more diverse black schools in the area in staff or student, but has some diversity. All Ward 3 schools, along with Shepherd, Lafayette and Hyde-Addison are phenomenal comparatively.

Key-59% white, 14% latino, 11% mixed, 10% black, 5% Asian, 337 students
--
Most diverse Ward 2, 3, 4 schools:
Shepherd - 45% black, 31% white, 14% mixed, 8% latino, 2% Asian, 394 students
Eaton - 48% white, 18% black, 13% mixed, 13% latino, 8% Asian, 436 students
Hearst - 53% white, 20% black, 12% latino, 8% mixed, 7% Asian, 356 students
Murch - 54% white, 18% black, 12% latino, 8% mixed, 8% Asian, 658 students
Hyde-Addison - 38% white, 34% black, 13% latino, 10% mixed, 6% Asian, 400 students
--
Lafayette(Ward 4)-70% white, 10% black, 9% latino, 8% mixed, 3% asian, 923 sudents

Of these, in 2025 only the following schools have more than 50 students each who are black, white, and latino; Eaton, Hyde(Ward 2), Murch, Shepherd(Ward 4) & Lafayette(Ward 4)

Diversity in staff is a different question, but that generally follows the student diversity more or less.

This is definitely not true on the Hill, where staff diversity maybe tracks student diversity 10 years ago?

Its not really true anywhere except in all black schools

No? I would check the teacher and student demographics for Maury, Brent, Lafayette, Janney.. just as an example.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi - moving to the Palisades this summer and we will be zoned for Key Elementary School. I can see from the stats that there is some diversity - 10% Black about 15% Hispanic and 5% Asian. Are the kids from these backgrounds well integrated into the social aspect of the school - i.e., playdates, parties, etc? Does the school have a diverse staff - specifically teachers? I’m Black and diversity at previous schools has always been limited to the administrative staff, lunch ladies, maintenance staff and maybe a few classroom helpers. And we can’t change location of our housing - we will be moving into and eventually purchasing a relative’s house (she is going into nursing care).

Thanks!

I can’t speak to Key specifically, but generally the diversity among student and staff in upper NW DCPS isn’t the best. It isn’t the worst, but it’s not ideal. However, the feeder middle and high school (Hardy and MacArthur) are way more diverse with both staff and kids and it’s a much better experience for families of color (we are not white and have had better experiences at the middle school level bc of the diversity).

What is ideal? Edscape has DC Total Public K-5 at 60% Black, 18% Latino, 16% White, 6% Other. Is the goal to find a school that comes closes to that?

NP but I would think ideal is a scenario where you are pretty confident your kid won’t be an only or one of two in a class. Look at Lafayette for instance- it’s 10% black, which means your kid could be the only black male or black female in the class. I know of one school where there is only one black male in the entire grade. This isn’t the school’s fault, but it is something many parents would consider before enrolling.