The DC Office of Planning’s (OP) forecasts displayed below were developed prior to 2015, at a time when the population of the District of Columbia was growing at a significant rate. The forecasts were formally adopted by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments in 2016. OP is in the process of updating the forecasts for the District using the most recent Census data; EdScape will be updated thereafter.
The DC Office of Planning forecasts that the child population (ages 0-17) will grow at a faster rate than the overall population between 2015 and 2020 (a 11% increase compared to an 8.8% increase, respectively). However, this rate of growth will decrease in later years. The Office of Planning estimates that children ages 0-17 will account for 18.4% of the total population in 2030 compared to 16.8% as of 2010.
The DC Office of Planning forecasts that the most substantial growth will occur in the elementary age category (ages 3-10) between 2015 and 2020 and then 2020 to 2025 (an increase of more than 9,000 and 6,500 children, respectively). The large increase in infants and toddlers (ages 0-2) that was experienced earlier in the decade tapers off between 2020 and 2025. Middle and high school aged children aren't estimated to start increasing until after 2020.
Sources: US Census Bureau and DC Office of Planning Forecasts
