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Our History

E.L. Haynes Public Charter School is an award-winning Pre-K-12th grade school named for Dr. Euphemia Lofton Haynes, the first African-American woman to receive a doctorate in mathematics and a DCPS teacher for nearly 50 years. E.L. Haynes was founded in 2004 by Jennie Niles.

August 2004

The DC Public Charter School Board (PCSB) approves E.L. Haynes to open.

2004

E.L. Haynes opens to 139 Pre-K-2nd grade students above a CVS in Columbia Heights.

April 2008

E.L. Haynes is chosen from DC’s 56 charter schools as the first-ever winner of Fight for Children’s Quality Schools Initiative Award.

June 2008

E.L. Haynes completes construction on our new 46,000 square foot facility on Georgia Avenue, NW.

2009

E.L. Haynes is the highest-performing charter elementary school in Washington, DC, based on scores from the 2009 DC-CAS.

Nate Franz as a recipient of the Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award
April 2010

The Washington Post selects fifth grade teacher Nate Franz as a recipient of the Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award.

June 2011

The CityBridge Foundation awards E.L. Haynes its first-ever Strong Schools Award.

2011

E.L. Haynes High School opens.

2011

The DC Public Charter School Board awards E.L. Haynes Tier 1 status on the Performance Management Framework.

April 2015

E.L. Haynes Board of Trustees votes unanimously to implement VISION 2020, a new-five-year strategic plan for the school.

June 20, 2015

E.L. Haynes graduates our first class of high school seniors.

March – November 2015

Shivam Mallick Shah serves as Interim Executive Director

Hilary Darilek with the E.L. Haynes cast of The Lion King.
November 2015

Hilary Darilek joins as Chief Executive Officer

October 2016

Our Elementary School earns a Tier 1 rating on the DC PCSB School Quality Reports for the first time in its history.

elementary student smiles
October 2017

Our Elementary School earns a Tier 1 rating on the DC PCSB School Quality Reports for the second year in a row.

October 2018

Our High School earns a Tier 1 rating on the DC PCSB School Quality Reports for the first time in its history. Our elementary school earns a Tier 1 rating for the third consecutive year.

November 2018

Our Credit Recovery Program won the DC PCSB Program Innovation Award and Senior Kalkidan Haile won DC PCSB’s TIERific Student Award.

November 2019

In the fall of 2019, E.L. Haynes celebrated our 15th Anniversary by hosting a large gala welcoming more than 400 guests, honoring our students and staff, and releasing our new video, Bring Yourself to Haynes and launching the 15 Years | 15 Stories campaign.

July 2020

E.L. Haynes Launched completed and approved a comprehensive five-year strategic plan to help guide our academic, talent, and organizational strategy through 2025.

August 2020

High School Teacher, Will Stafford, won the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teacher (PAEMST) for Washington, DC.

October 2020

Following the COVID-19 building closures, our teams distributed more than 200 laptops and 150 Wi- Fi hotspots to ensure that our students could successfully participate in virtual learning. At the end of the school year, we became a 1:1 school for the 2020- 2021 school year.

September 2021

Throughout the 2021 – 2022 School Year, we hosted six COVID-19 vaccination and booster clinics and provided free vaccinations (including multiple doses and boosters) to over 300 students, families, staff, and neighbors.

March 2022

Elementary School Principal Brittany Wagner- Friel was named by The Washington Post as the District of Columbia’s 2022 Principal of the Year Finalist.

May 2023

100% of the Class of 2023 was accepted to a 2-or-4 year post secondary college or university.

June 2023

For the first time ever, E.L. Haynes participated in the DC Pride Parade. Students, staff, and families walked in solidarity with and for all members of the Haynes community who identify as LGBTQ+.

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