Washington Will Launch Student Stipend Pilot Program
The District of Columbia will provide weekly cash incentives to students to help reduce chronic absenteeism.
Updated on Oct. 2, 2026 in Financial Aid
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Do you support using cash stipends to incentivize high school students to attend school?
During the 2027 to 2028 school year, the District of Columbia will launch a pilot program offering $50 weekly stipends to select high school students. The initiative aims to determine if financial incentives can effectively reduce high rates of chronic absenteeism.
Why it matters
The pilot seeks to address the significant challenge of student engagement, as 57.6 percent of D.C. high school students were reported as chronically absent during the 2024 to 2025 school year. It follows evidence from a Digital Pioneers Academy study where 52 percent of participating students improved their attendance.
The program provides a $50 weekly stipend over 40 weeks, totaling up to $2,000 per student in schools where over 60 percent of students are at risk. Eligibility is based on the chronic absenteeism rates observed in the 2024 to 2025 academic term.
The players
Office of the State Superintendent of Education
This government agency oversees the administration of education policy and school programs in the District of Columbia.
Digital Pioneers Academy
This institution is a public charter school located in Southeast D.C. that previously conducted a study on student attendance incentives.
The details
Participating students will be divided into intervention and control groups to measure the program impact on student well-being and attendance. The Office of the State Superintendent of Education is required to contract with an external research organization to evaluate these outcomes.
Timeline
May 1, 2027: Deadline for OSSE to contract with an external research organization.
July 1, 2027: Deadline to design the student selection and distribution process.
2027 to 2028 school year: The pilot program will officially operate.
September 30, 2028: Deadline for the submission of the final impact report.
Roadmap
This initiative represents a strategic shift toward using direct financial incentives to address chronic absenteeism within the D.C. public school system. It builds upon previous small-scale trials to determine if such measures can be scaled across high-risk schools.
Eligible high school students in schools with high at-risk populations will receive recurring cash payments to encourage school attendance. Families should monitor school communications to see if their specific institution will participate in the pilot during the 2027-2028 school year.
The takeaway
Direct financial incentives are being tested as a tool to boost student presence in the classroom. Tracking the success of this pilot will determine if this model becomes a permanent solution for D.C. schools struggling with attendance.
What happens next
The Office of the State Superintendent of Education must finalize an external research contract by May 1, 2027, and complete a final impact report by September 30, 2028.
Further reading
Learn more about local educational funding initiatives on the Financial Aid section page.
Live Poll
Do you support using cash stipends to incentivize high school students to attend school?
