Dc Bilingual Public Charter School

What it reported doing in 2024

Founded in 2004, dc bilingual offers an innovative dual-immersion spanish and english learning program for all students, regardless of their home language. Through the charter school's rigorous academic curriculum, comprehensive arts, technology, food and wellness programs, and celebration of diverse cultures, dc bilingual students learn the skills and values needed to become influential participants in their community. Dcb's philosophy and teaching model reflect the charter school's belief that students develop to their full academic potential when they have access to ambitious instruction and a full range of services differentiated for each student's individualized needs. Our co-teaching model allows instructors to balance directly with small group and 1:1 instruction. Our teachers deliver a unique, dual-language immersion model- a form of language instruction that brings together students from all backgrounds to experience learning in spanish and english. Throughout the school day, students gain skills, knowledge, and an understanding of academic concepts by communicating in english and spanish. Dcb complements the charter school's core curriculum with a vibrant performing and visual arts program, an innovative food and wellness program, access to transformation opportunities, and deep community engagement. As a result of our programs and practices, the dc public charter school board ranks dc bilingual as a tier 1 school among the top-performing elementary schools in the city. Recent accomplishments include the following: - in 2023, dc bilingual 3-5 grade students received the highest parcc scores in school history, indicating higher-than-average scores compared to dc schools. - in 2023, dc bilingual pre-k classrooms received their highest class assessment scores in school history - indicating high-quality programming for our youngest learners. - as we continue to grow in our newly expanded facility, dc bilingual added 129 new students this school year. 51% of these students qualified for 'equitable access' preference, which indicates students in most need are being prioritized in the enrollment process. - completed expanding our historic school building by 27,000 square feet and welcomed nearly 100 additional students into our classrooms for high- quality bilingual education. (2022) - dc bilingual students in grades 3rd-5th outscored students from the same age group on standardized tests for math & literacy. For those classified as special education or english-language learners, dc bilingual students ranked among the top-performing public charter schools in dc. (2021-2022) - dc bilingual adopted the equitable access preference to ensure students who will benefit most from our programming have a fair chance to enroll. More than 40% of newly enrolled students this year qualified for this preference. (2022) - the Colorado league of charter schools performed a case-study analysis of dc bilingual's nearly 100% teacher retention rate during the "great recession," concluding that dc bilingual's inclusive work environment and powerful sense of community have led us to become a model teacher- supportive environment. - dc bilingual was named a u.s. Department of education national green ribbon school (2021). - dc bilingual was named as a "leveler" school for our exceptional work in improving academic outcomes for at-risk students (dc policy center, 2019). - dc bilingual was named an all-star school (one of ten dc public schools city-wide) for our students' strong academic growth on the city-wide parcc assessment (office of the state superintendent of education, 2019). - dc bilingual was recognized as a "bold improvement school" for our commitment and success in helping dc's most at-risk students achieve outstanding academic growth (empower k12 and education reform now, 2018). - dc bilingual was ranked as one of the strongest instructional cultures among dc charter schools by our staff (top 25% of all dc charter schools). (the new te

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 85.5%; rating input score 85
• Program expense ratio: 86.1%; rating input score 86
• Fundraising efficiency: $4.44 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Pass
  • Compensation survey or study: Missing
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -0.5%; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.36; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.74; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 5%; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 9.7% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 8.5% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 22.4% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings