District of Columbia K-12 Email Security Intelligence:
DNS Authentication Profiling of 70 School District LEAs

Lokentra Research Team
Lokentra U.S. Email Security Index (ESI) — State Intelligence Series
April 22, 2026
research@monitorworkspace.com • monitorworkspace.com/scorecard

Abstract

We present DNS email security profiling for 70 K-12 LEAs in District of Columbia, of which 70 have active domains (100.0% coverage). Domains were scored on the Lokentra 100-point Email Security Index (ESI) rubric (SPF 30 pts + DKIM 30 pts + DMARC 40 pts). District of Columbia K-12 districts achieve an average ESI score of 54.0/100, with 30.0% earning Grade A or B (strong posture) and 22.9% receiving Grade F (minimal authentication). Only 65.7% have any DMARC record, and just 27.1% have DMARC at an enforcement level (quarantine or reject) — leaving 34.3% of districts fully vulnerable to email domain spoofing. This report provides entity-level data for all 70 scored domains including provider classification, authentication status, and ESI score, sourced from NCES CCD 2024-2025 and live DNS resolution conducted April 22, 2026.

Keywords: District of Columbia, K-12 email security, DMARC, SPF, school district cybersecurity, DNS authentication, Google Workspace, education technology

1. Dataset Overview

Table 1. District of Columbia K-12 Dataset Summary
MetricValue
Total K-12 LEAs in state70
Regular school districts1
Charter LEAs69
Other LEA types (state-operated, regional, etc.)0
LEAs with active internet domain70 (100.0%)
Domains DNS-profiled70
Data freshness (NCES CCD)2024-2025 school year
DNS scan dateApril 22, 2026

2. The Human Impact: Populations at Risk

To estimate human exposure, NCES national averages are applied to CCD 2024-2025 operational school counts: 381 students per school, 51 staff per school, and 2 parents or guardians per student. District of Columbia K-12 districts collectively operate approximately 242 schools.

Table 2. Estimated Population Exposure from K-12 Email Security Gaps — District of Columbia
PopulationTotal in DatasetAt Risk (No DMARC, 34.3%)Critically Exposed (Grade F, 22.9%)
Students92,20231,62521,114
Parents and guardians184,40463,25042,228
Staff and educators12,3424,2332,826
Total people288,94899,10966,169

Estimates based on NCES national averages. Individual district enrollment data can be linked via NCES LEAID for precise counts.

3. Authentication Findings

3.1 Protocol Adoption

Table 3. Email Authentication Protocol Adoption — District of Columbia K-12
ProtocolDistrict of ColumbiaNational K-12 (ESI)vs. National
SPF (any configuration)82.9%79.7%+3.2pp
DKIM (key published)62.9%59.6%+3.3pp
DMARC (any policy)65.7%55.5%+10.2pp
DMARC at enforcement (quarantine/reject)27.1%~21.0%+6.1pp
DMARC at reject (full enforcement)11.4%~12.2%-0.8pp
No MX records (not receiving email)2.9%~10.0%-7.1pp

3.2 ESI Grade Distribution

Table 4. ESI Score Grade Distribution — District of Columbia K-12
GradeScoreDistrictsShareInterpretation
A90–100912.9%Full enforcement
B70–891217.1%Strong posture
C50–692434.3%Partial protection
D30–49912.9%Weak configuration
F0–291622.9%Minimal/no authentication
Average score54.0 / 100

3.3 Email Provider Distribution

Table 5. Email Provider Distribution — District of Columbia K-12 (top providers)
ProviderDistrictsShare
Google Workspace4665.7%
Microsoft 3651420.0%
Barracuda11.4%
Sophos11.4%
GoDaddy11.4%

4. District-Level Data

4.1 Top Performing Districts (Best ESI Scores)

Table 6. Top 15 District of Columbia K-12 Districts by ESI Score
DistrictDomainCountyProviderSPFDKIMDMARC PolicyScoreGrade
Latin American Montessori Bilingual PCS lambpcs.org District of Columbia Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Perry Street Preparatory PCS pspdc.org District of Columbia Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 95 A
KIPP DC PCS kippdc.org District of Columbia Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 95 A
Capital City PCS ccpcs.org District of Columbia Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 95 A
Two Rivers PCS tworiverspcs.org District of Columbia Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 95 A
Bridges PCS bridgespcs.org District of Columbia Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 95 A
Mundo Verde Bilingual PCS mundoverdepcs.org District of Columbia Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 95 A
Friendship PCS friendshipschools.org District of Columbia Barracuda ✓ ✓ reject 93 A
St. Coletta Special Education PCS stcoletta.org District of Columbia Microsoft 365 ✓ ✓ quarantine 90 A
Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom PCS ewstokes.org District of Columbia — ✓ ✓ quarantine 88 B
DC Prep PCS dcprep.org District of Columbia Microsoft 365 ✓ ✓ quarantine 88 B
Maya Angelou PCS seeforever.org District of Columbia Google Workspace ✓ ✓ quarantine 85 B
The Next Step/El Proximo Paso PCS nextsteppcs.org District of Columbia Google Workspace ✓ ✓ quarantine 85 B
Richard Wright PCS for Journalism and Media Arts richardwrightpcs.org District of Columbia Google Workspace ✓ ✓ quarantine 85 B
DC Scholars PCS dcscholars.org District of Columbia — ✓ ✓ quarantine 85 B

4.2 Districts Most in Need of Improvement (Lowest ESI Scores)

Table 7. Bottom 15 District of Columbia K-12 Districts by ESI Score
DistrictDomainCountyProviderSPFDKIMDMARC PolicyScoreGrade
Meridian PCS mpcs-dc.org District of Columbia — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
District of Columbia Public Schools dcps.dc.gov District of Columbia — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
IDEA PCS ideapcs.org District of Columbia Google Workspace ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Monument Academy PCS monumentacademy.org District of Columbia — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
LAYC Career Academy PCS laycca.org District of Columbia Google Workspace ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Harmony DC PCS harmonydc.org District of Columbia Sophos ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Washington Leadership Academy PCS washingtonleadershipacademy.org District of Columbia GoDaddy ✗ ✗ — 0 F
I Dream PCS idreampcs.org District of Columbia Google Workspace ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Social Justice PCS thesocialjusticeschool.org District of Columbia Google Workspace ✗ ✗ — 0 F
The Sojourner Truth School PCS thetruthschool.org District of Columbia Google Workspace ✗ ✗ none 10 F
Mary McLeod Bethune Day Academy PCS mmbethune.org District of Columbia Google Workspace ✓ ✗ — 25 F
Shining Stars Montessori Academy PCS shiningstarspcs.org District of Columbia Google Workspace ✓ ✗ — 25 F
Center City PCS centercitypcs.org District of Columbia Google Workspace ✓ ✗ — 25 F
Creative Minds International PCS creativemindspcs.org District of Columbia Google Workspace ✓ ✗ — 25 F
Washington Global PCS washingtonglobal.org District of Columbia Google Workspace ✓ ✗ — 25 F

4.3 County-Level Summary (Top 10 Counties by District Count)

Table 8. District of Columbia County Distribution
CountyDistrictsWebsite Coverage
District of Columbia70100.0%

5. Policy Implications

These findings identify specific, actionable gaps in District of Columbia's K-12 email security posture. The 34.3% DMARC gap represents districts that can be impersonated by any sender, enabling phishing campaigns targeting parents, students, and educators with no authentication failure. Key observations:

6. Data Availability

The full District of Columbia K-12 dataset — 70 entities with NCES CCD enrichment (phone, address, grade span, school count, LEAID) and DNS authentication profiles — is available as part of the Lokentra ESI State Pack.

Table 9. Licensing Tiers
TierScopeSuggested Use
State Pack: District of ColumbiaAll 70 K-12 LEAs, full DNS profile + CCD enrichmentRegional studies, state policy, outreach
K-12 NationalAll 50 states, 20,021+ K-12 LEAsNational K-12 cybersecurity research
Full Registry801,359+ entities across all sectorsComprehensive multi-sector research
API + UpdatesQuarterly re-scan, REST APILongitudinal studies, live dashboards

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Citation: Lokentra Research Team (2026). District of Columbia K-12 Email Security Intelligence: DNS Authentication Profiling of 70 School District LEAs. Lokentra U.S. Email Security Index (ESI) — State Intelligence Series. https://lokentra-site.web.app/research/states/dc-k12-paper.html

Data sources: NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-2025; DNS records resolved via Google Public DNS (8.8.8.8) and Cloudflare (1.1.1.1). All entity data derived from publicly accessible government registries.

National baseline figures from Lokentra U.S. Education Sector Email Security Intelligence Dataset (March 2026). See education-dataset-paper.html for full methodology.