"It’s an excellent school where the teachers dedicate themselves with determination to teach our children." – Reynaldo Paniagua, parent
Image Courtesy of E.L. Haynes Charter School
A model of high quality urban education, E.L. Haynes is a public charter school located in Washington D.C.’s Columbia Heights neighborhood. E.L. Haynes scored “Exemplary” in every category of the District of Columbia’s Public Charter School Board’s most recent annual review, making it one of only two schools to receive the highest possible rating. Opening its doors in fall 2004 with 138 students, E.L. Haynes currently serves 950 students from pre-K through grade ten and will continue to grow to serve more than 1,100 students through grade twelve. Two-thirds of the school’s children qualify for free or reduced lunch, one-quarter are learning English as a second language, and eighty percent of the students are African-American or Latino. E.L. Haynes’ dramatic growth created an acute need for space. Based on demand, the school planned to expand to approximately 656 students (Pre-K through 12th grade) by the fall of 2011. To meet this need PCG partnered with a group of CDFIs led by Boston Community Loan Fund to finance a new 46,000 sq. ft. facility. Utilizing the New Markets Tax Credit program, the $21 million dollar transaction expanded of the Georgia Avenue Campus, now home to the upper elementary and middle school program.
