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Central Middle

Public, Magnet Grades 6-8
25th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 337 Maryland Middle Schools
Better than 93% of Maryland middle schools
Summary

Central Middle is a public magnet middle school located in Edgewater, Maryland, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 1,257 students. It is part of the Anne Arundel County Public Schools district, which is ranked 13 out of 25 in Maryland and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Central Middle consistently ranks among the top 25-45 middle schools in Maryland, with a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger in several recent years. The school's proficiency rates in MCAP/Mathematics and MCAP/English Language Arts are significantly higher than the district and state averages across all grade levels. Central Middle's Algebra I proficiency rate is exceptionally high, reaching over 80% in the 2024-2025 school year, far surpassing the district and state averages. The school's performance in MCAP/Science and MCAP/Social Studies for 8th grade is also notably strong, with proficiency rates well above the district and state.

Central Middle has a relatively low student-teacher ratio of around 15, which is lower than some of the nearby middle schools, such as Severna Park Middle and Samuel Ogle Middle. The school's per-student spending has increased over the years, reaching $15,465 in the 2023-2024 school year, which is higher than the district and state averages. These investments in resources may be contributing to Central Middle's academic success, as the school consistently ranks among the top performers in the region.

1,204
Students ?
15.3
Student/teacher ratio ?
$15,465
Per pupil spending ?
20%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 221 Central Ave E
       Edgewater, MD  21037-2802

(410) 956-5800

District: Anne Arundel County Public Schools


Students who attend Central Middle usually attend:

High:    South River High

Feeder schools for Central Middle:

Elementary:    Central Elementary
    Davidsonville Elementary
    Edgewater Elementary
    Mayo Elementary
Racial breakdown:

White:
71.8%
Hispanic:
15.2%
African American:
5.6%
more
 See top rated Maryland middle schools

 Compare Central Middle to nearby middle schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Improving — 88th percentile in 2015 → 93rd in 2025
Strengths
Test scores above the Maryland average (60% vs 37% meeting standards)
Ranks in the top 7% of Maryland middle schools
Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2015
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school60%
District avg41%
Maryland avg37%
25th of 337
Maryland public middle schools ?
Top 7%▲ up 5 pts since 2015
From top 12% (2015) to top 7% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Maryland Middle Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
3rd of 19Middle Schools in the Anne Arundel County Public Schools
13th of 25Anne Arundel County Public Schools among Maryland districts
Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMaryland percentileRating
202591.925 of 33792.6%★★★★★
202488.133 of 32889.9%★★★★★
202382.345 of 32286.0%★★★★☆
202289.330 of 33391.0%★★★★★
202177.059 of 30380.5%★★★★☆
201992.124 of 31692.4%★★★★★
201895.015 of 32895.4%★★★★★
201790.331 of 31790.2%★★★★★
201680.146 of 31485.4%★★★★☆
201583.538 of 31587.9%★★★★☆
201484.146 of 33986.4%★★★★☆
201381.053 of 31683.2%★★★★☆
201283.742 of 31486.6%★★★★☆
201186.723 of 30992.6%★★★★★
201084.533 of 32489.8%★★★★★
200985.228 of 30190.7%★★★★★
200883.542 of 28385.2%★★★★☆
20079.6237 of 26410.2%★☆☆☆☆
200613.6219 of 25413.8%★☆☆☆☆
200514.9221 of 25513.3%★☆☆☆☆
200426.0194 of 25223.0%★☆☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMaryland percentileRating
202186.317 of 25993.4%★★★★★

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMaryland percentileRating
202173.922 of 11681.0%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMaryland percentileRating
202174.058 of 30380.9%★★★★☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMaryland percentileRating
202161.061 of 20770.5%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMaryland percentileRating
202168.546 of 27383.2%★★★★☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMaryland percentileRating
202180.744 of 28884.7%★★★★☆

Military Connected

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMaryland percentileRating
202159.210 of 2763.0%★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMaryland percentileRating
202158.348 of 13664.7%★★★☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMaryland percentileRating
202163.725 of 12079.2%★★★★☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMaryland percentileRating
202159.085 of 21059.5%★★★☆☆
How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)
African American (2021)93rd percentile+13 vs school
Male (2021)85th percentile+4 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2021)83rd percentile+3 vs school
Asian (2021)81st percentile~ school
Female (2021)81st percentile~ school
Special Education (2021)79th percentile~ school
Hispanic (2021)71st percentile-10 vs school
Multi-racial (2021)65th percentile-16 vs school
Military Connected (2021)63rd percentile-18 vs school
White (2021)60th percentile-21 vs school
By subject vs Maryland (2024-2025) ?
Algebra I82%+60 vs state
English Language Arts73%+23 vs state
Social Studies62%+23 vs state
Science55%+23 vs state
Mathematics45%+19 vs state

3.3
3 ratings · 2 written reviews
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What people are saying
by a parent
Thursday, May 9, 2019

Open Quote This school needs new leadership. My child and other peers who are model students (smart, hardworking, talented) are very unhappy here. This school has STEM magnet program but we have not heard of many kids who love it. Some very dedicated teachers, but the band teacher is an extremely mean bully. Some teachers like the band teacher get away with singling out kids and bullying them openly in front of other kids. The principal clearly is unable to manages this since it has been going on for years. The school is far too packed and we know of too many kids who are miserable. This school offers little for smart kids who are not in STEM. Smart kids get dumbed down in most classes. Social innovations teacher Ms. Knell is a savior because she is kind, calming, and compassionate. The principal Beall needs to retire -- no passion, poor interpersonal interactions with parents, and doesn't relate well to the kids. This school is literally destroying some kids...esp the model students. Very upsetting. Close Quote


by a parent
Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Open Quote I have two students at the school right now. We came from a private "academic" school that we felt was not providing the education we were paying for. I was pleasantly surprised at the curriculum when my oldest first started going there. The 2011-2012 school year was a bit of a disaster as the school had tried to change their curriculum by doing heterogenous grouping. Fast forward to 2012-13 school year and things have changed dramatically. My kids are in the advanced classes and excelling. The language arts curriculum has the 8th grade students writing essays comparable to what I did at an honors college! They are enthusiastic about their classes and while not all the teachers are great, most of them are. You definitely have a wide selection of children going to school there from all different socioeconomic backgrounds; expect your children to be exposed to things they may need to make choices about. I see this as part of life's lessons. If you are bringing them up right, you have nothing to worry about. Because our year last year was marginal as far as the academics go, I am unable to give a full 5 stars. If I were rating on this year alone, I'd go 4.5. I think the 6th graders coming into the school who were in advanced math in 5th grade could use a more challenging math curriculum than the STEMathmatics. Other than that, I have no complaints! Close Quote





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Frequently Asked Questions about Central Middle

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,204 students attended Central Middle.

Students at Central Middle are 72% White, 15% Hispanic, 6% African American, 5% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Yes. Central Middle ranks in the top 7.4% of Maryland middle schools.

Students who attend Central Middle usually go on to attend South River High


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Maryland State Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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