Is DC Public Schools a good company to work for?

DC Public Schools has an overall rating of 3.6 out of 5, based on over 1,107 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has increased by 2% over the last 12 months. 67% of employees would recommend working at DC Public Schools to a friend and 67% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about DC Public Schools have been left by employees working as Assistant Principal , Substitute Teacher and Manager .

Does DC Public Schools pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, DC Public Schools employees rate their compensation and benefits as 4.3 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at DC Public Schools. This rating has improved by 6% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at DC Public Schools?

67% of DC Public Schools employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated DC Public Schools 3.2 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.3 for culture and values and 3.7 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at DC Public Schools?

Teacher (279) , Special Education Teacher (50) , Substitute Teacher (25) , Specialist (20) , English Teacher (17) , Coordinator (16) , Manager (14) , Instructional Coach (13) , Assistant Principal (12) , School Psychologist (12) , ESL Teacher (11) , Educational Aide (11) , Elementary Teacher (11) , Director (9) , Educator (9)

What are the pros of working at DC Public Schools according to real employee reviews?

"The school district pay is good and based upon the collective bargaining agreement of the WTU" ((in 116 reviews)); "good salary and teaching opportubnities" ((in 82 reviews)); "Good benefits and pay for central office employees." ((in 80 reviews)); "Great colleagues and admins in the system" ((in 36 reviews)); "The people I worked with were great and supportive and I miss them most about working for DCPS." ((in 19 reviews))

What are the cons of working at DC Public Schools according to real employee reviews?

"Disorganized, a nationally recognized biased teacher evaluation system, poor leadership" ((in 34 reviews)); "absolutely no work life balance" ((in 15 reviews)); "Long hours that may take away time from hobbies and extracurriculars." ((in 15 reviews)); "poor management gets in the way of good teaching" ((in 14 reviews)); "Stressful work environment" ((in 10 reviews))

What are employees saying about DC Public Schools layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about DC Public Schools layoffs and their outlook for job security at DC Public Schools in 2026.

What are the top reviewed DC Public Schools locations?

Washington , Chicago , Alexandria , New York , Baltimore , Bowie , Silver Spring , Upper Marlboro , Annandale , Woodbridge , Detroit , Oklahoma City , Owensboro , Allen , Los Angeles , Victorville , San Diego , Iowa City , Seattle , Bethesda , Mount Rainier , Jacksonville , Jupiter , Tampa , Capitol Heights , District Heights , Adams Morgan , Tenleytown , Capitol Hill

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DC Public Schools

DC Public Schools reviews

3.6

67% would recommend to a friend

(1,046 total reviews)

Lewis D. Ferebee

68% approve of CEO

67% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.3

Compensation and benefits

4.2

Diversity & inclusion

3.7

Career opportunities

3.3

Culture & values

3.2

Work/Life balance

3.0

Senior management

DC Public Schools has an employee rating of 3.6 out of 5 stars, based on 1,046 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The DC Public Schools employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Education industry (3.7 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

1K reviews

2.0

Sep 18, 2013

Not all central office departments are created equal

Coordinator

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

-The people who are working for central office care deeply about the students of DC and strive to make DC Public Schools the vanguard of urban public education. -Good pay and benefits

Cons

-Some central office departments are plagued by extreme office politics and managers who resort to employee intimidation. -Limited opportunity for professional growth and unclear advancement structure -Turnover is very high. Since 2007, an employee who has worked for DCPS for more than two years is considered a veteran.

1.0

Sep 16, 2013

Some Dissatisfaction

School psychologist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Very close to where I live.

Cons

Employed as a school psychologist, never actually worked as a school psychologist.

1.0

Aug 17, 2013

DC Public Schools, a dysfunctional oligarchy.

It specialist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Now, none for any professional minded individual.

Cons

DC Public Schools, has become a more dysfunctional oligarchy than ever since being taken over by Mayor Fenty. The first Chancellor, Michelle Rhee proved that four years of teaching experience followed by managing a private sector consulting firm of 100 employees and a one million dollar budget was quite insufficient to prepare her for leading dynamic and volatile urban municipal government agency with over 10,000 employees and a billion dollar budget. At Mayor Fenty's command, Ms. Rhee's senior management staff assumed that anyone over 40 years old must have been part of the problem. This resulted in the total loss of any worthwhile institutional knowledge which was replaced by complete reliance on untested, untried, amateur academic and management philosophies and methodologies which drove away any remaining competent employees very quickly.The school system has still yet to recover.

Viewing 1027 - 1029 of 1,046 Reviews

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Jobs at DC Public Schools

Administrative Aide/Administrative Assistant

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Reviews DC Public Schools reviews

DC Public Schools

DC Public Schools reviews

Ratings by category

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Not all central office departments are created equal

Some Dissatisfaction

DC Public Schools, a dysfunctional oligarchy.

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