The neighborhood
Plummer Elementary School is located at the intersection of Capitol View, Benning Heights, and Marshall Heights, residential neighborhoods in Ward 7 of Southeast DC. Ward 7 is home to just over 70 thousand residents, nearly 95 percent of whom identify as either Black or African American (District of Columbia Office of Planning, 2014). The median household income tops 39 thousand dollars annually, while the mean household income is just over 50 thousand dollars per year. Further, 22.8 percent of families experienced poverty in the previous 12 months, according to data that was collected in 2014 ( District of Columbia Office of Planning, 2014). Ward 7 has one of the highest crimes rates in the District, with nearly half of the murders in 2016 taking place within the ward’s boundaries.
The neighborhood is home to various local businesses, like Laundromats, restaurants, and convenience stores. The U5 and U6 buses service the area, and have bus stops directly in front of Plummer. The Benning Road Metro Station is also a 5-minute walk from the school, providing residents with access to downtown DC, as well as Maryland and Virginia. The Benning Stoddert Recreation Center is located less than a mile away from Plummer. The newly renovated recreation center includes a basketball court, tennis courts, baseball fields, as well as a fitness center. Two DC Public Libraries are located in the area, and allow residents to check out up to 50 books at a time. Residents and families also have access to healthcare services through Unity Healthcare, a healthcare organization which focuses on serving the homeless and low-income residents of DC (Unity Healthcare, 2016). Unity Healthcare has 3 locations that are within a mile of Plummer Elementary School. Also, Safeway Grocery Store is located within a mile of Plummer.