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Arbutus Middle

Q: Is Arbutus Middle a good school?

Arbutus Middle ranks 147 th of 337 Maryland middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

147^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 337 Maryland Middle Schools

Better than 56% of Maryland middle schools

Summary

Arbutus Middle is a public middle school in Baltimore, Maryland, serving 983 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Baltimore County Public Schools district, which is ranked 17th out of 25 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Arbutus Middle has consistently maintained a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger, with its highest ranking being 92nd out of 303 Maryland middle schools in the 2020-2021 school year. However, the school has struggled with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 28.0% to 34.7% in recent years, significantly higher than the district and state averages. Academically, Arbutus Middle's mathematics proficiency rates are consistently lower than the district and state averages, while its English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency rates, though higher than its mathematics performance, still lag behind the district and state.

Comparing Arbutus Middle to nearby schools, Thomas Viaduct Middle and Bonnie Branch Middle have higher academic performance in both mathematics and ELA, while Meadowood Education Center has significantly lower performance and higher chronic absenteeism rates. The school's increased spending per student, from $12,949 in 2021-2022 to $16,403 in 2023-2024, has not yet translated into substantial improvements in student outcomes, suggesting that factors beyond just funding may be contributing to the school's challenges.

974

Students ?

16.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,403

Per pupil spending ?

54.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5525 Shelbourne Rd
Baltimore, MD 21227-2736

(410) 887-1402

District: Baltimore County Public Schools

Feeder schools for Arbutus Middle:

Elementary:	Arbutus Elementary
	Catonsville Elementary
	Halethorpe Elementary
	Relay Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

41.1%

Asian:

23.5%

African American:

18.0%

See top rated Maryland middle schools

Compare Arbutus Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 60th percentile in 2015 → 56th in 2025

Strengths

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Baltimore County Public Schools

✓Above the Maryland median (56th percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Mathematics scores 11 pts below the Maryland average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school33%

District avg31%

Maryland avg37%

147^th of 337

Maryland public middle schools ?

Top 44%▼ down 4 pts since 2015

From top 40% (2015) to top 44% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 28Middle Schools in the Baltimore County Public Schools

17^th of 25Baltimore 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2025	51.7	147 of 337	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.2	136 of 328	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.8	148 of 322	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.3	161 of 333	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	61.5	92 of 303	69.6%	★★★★☆
2019	40.5	172 of 316	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.5	195 of 328	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	52.3	149 of 317	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2016	54.4	124 of 314	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	55.2	126 of 315	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2014	55.2	168 of 339	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	54.0	151 of 316	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	55.2	163 of 314	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2011	61.9	135 of 309	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2010	67.2	127 of 324	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	67.3	114 of 301	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2008	59.4	138 of 283	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2007	60.4	101 of 264	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2006	56.3	108 of 254	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2005	51.4	126 of 255	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2004	57.1	108 of 252	57.1%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	37.7	165 of 259	36.3%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	18.7	104 of 116	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	63.6	89 of 303	70.6%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	37.8	123 of 207	40.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	57.9	89 of 273	67.4%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	54.6	115 of 288	60.1%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	34.3	82 of 136	39.7%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	40.4	124 of 210	41.0%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Female (2021)71st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2021)67th percentile~ school

Male (2021)60th percentile-10 vs school

White (2021)41st percentile-29 vs school

Hispanic (2021)41st percentile-29 vs school

Multi-racial (2021)40th percentile-30 vs school

African American (2021)36th percentile-33 vs school

Asian (2021)10th percentile-59 vs school

By subject vs Maryland (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts49%~ state avg

Social Studies46%+7 vs state

Science33%~ state avg

Geometry32%+5 vs state

Algebra I22%~ state avg

Mathematics15%-11 vs state

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Schools Near Arbutus Middle

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MCAP Mathematics (2025)							MCAP English Language Arts (2025)							MCAP Algebra I (2025)	MCAP Geometry (2025)	MCAP Science (2025)		MCAP Social Studies (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCAP Mathematics 3rd Grade	MCAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 6th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MCAP Mathematics All Grades	MCAP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts All Grades	MCAP Algebra I End of Course	MCAP Geometry End of Course	MCAP Science 5th Grade	MCAP Science 8th Grade	MCAP Social Studies 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Arbutus Middle	Public	6-8	5525 Shelbourne Rd	Baltimore	21227	Baltimore County	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 887-1402	974	60	16.1	54.6%	400 (41.1%)	175 (18.0%)	95 (9.8%)	229 (23.5%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	72 (7.4%)	51.7	147^th of 337 public middle schools	56.4%		49.2	136^th of 328 public middle schools	58.5%	11				19.7	3.9	6.6	15.3				49.7	52.1	43.8	48.7	22.0	32.3		33.4	46.3	$16,403	$1,299	$15,104
Elkridge Landing Middle	Public	6-8	7085 Montgomery Rd	Elkridge	21075	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-5040	686	51	13.3	31.0%	233 (34.0%)	171 (24.9%)	76 (11.1%)	153 (22.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (7.3%)	76.9	71^st of 337 public middle schools	78.9%		61.4	99^th of 328 public middle schools	69.8%	28				39.8	16.3	19.0	34.7				59.6	60.9	59.4	60.0	63.2	64.9		43.7	66.8	$19,549	$779	$18,770
Lansdowne Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	2400 Lansdowne Rd	Baltimore	21227	Baltimore County	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(410) 887-1411	661	51	12.9	70.2%	122 (18.5%)	153 (23.1%)	305 (46.1%)	18 (2.7%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (8.8%)	12	323^rd of 337 public middle schools	4.2%		7.4	319^th of 328 public middle schools	2.7%	4				3.8	0.6	0.0	2.0				17.3	21.0	13.0	17.0	3.6	3.3		6.2	13.1	$19,327	$2,109	$17,217
Bonnie Branch Middle	Public	6-8	4979 Ilchester Rd	Ellicott City	21043	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-2580	739	53	14.0	29.2%	255 (34.5%)	171 (23.1%)	125 (16.9%)	143 (19.4%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (5.7%)	78.5	66^th of 337 public middle schools	80.4%		67.7	83^rd of 328 public middle schools	74.7%	17				40.3	20.3	16.1	41.8				62.1	64.7	58.8	61.7	74.6	69.7		40.8	58.9	$18,541	$842	$17,699
Southwest Academy	Public, Magnet	6-8	6200 Johnnycake Rd	Baltimore	21207	Baltimore County	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(410) 887-0825	842	52	16.1	63.8%	61 (7.2%)	432 (51.3%)	202 (24.0%)	127 (15.1%)	5 (0.6%)	2 (0.2%)	13 (1.5%)	22.5	262^nd of 337 public middle schools	22.3%		17.3	270^th of 328 public middle schools	17.7%	8				11.4	2.5	1.7	6.6				32.9	26.2	28.8	29.4	10.1	11.1		18.6	16.7	$19,023	$2,019	$17,004
Catonsville Middle	Public	6-8	2301 Edmondson Ave	Catonsville	21228	Baltimore County	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 887-0803	818	47	17.4	36.6%	397 (48.5%)	143 (17.5%)	78 (9.5%)	155 (18.9%)	2 (0.2%)	3 (0.4%)	39 (4.8%)	67.2	103^rd of 337 public middle schools	69.4%		67.8	82^nd of 328 public middle schools	75.0%	21				29.5	5.5	1.0	21.7				57.4	59.2	59.8	58.8	25.6	37.6		41.3	52.3	$17,283	$1,238	$16,046
Lindale Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	415 Andover Rd	Linthicum	21090	Anne Arundel County	Anne Arundel County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(410) 691-4344	884	69	12.8	56.9%	281 (31.8%)	285 (32.2%)	206 (23.3%)	54 (6.1%)	1 (0.1%)	7 (0.8%)	50 (5.7%)	46.4	164^th of 337 public middle schools	51.3%		34.2	186^th of 328 public middle schools	43.3%	22				14.9	15.4	10.1	17.8				38.1	45.3	47.2	43.4	72.4			29.4	35.0	$16,526	$1,489	$15,036
The Historic Cherry Hill Elementary/Middle	Public	3-8	801 Bridgeview Road	Baltimore	21225	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-1392	513	34	15.0	92.6%	9 (1.8%)	456 (88.9%)	37 (7.2%)	3 (0.6%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.0%)	10.8	328^th of 337 public middle schools	2.7%		9.1	308^th of 328 public middle schools	6.1%	20	10.3	6.1	1.0	2.6	3.3	1.4	4.1	13.8	8.6	2.0	12.8	20.3	12.2	10.9			0.0	1.4	1.5	$24,985	$5,003	$19,982
Katherine Johnson Global Academy	Public	3-8	1101 Braddish Avenue	Baltimore	21216	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-0581	473	31	15.5	90.5%	13 (2.7%)	413 (87.3%)	37 (7.8%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.3%)	10	331^st of 337 public middle schools	1.8%		4.4	327^th of 328 public middle schools	0.3%	4	6.3	2.6	6.6	2.8	0.0	2.0	2.6	8.1	12.8	3.3	6.5	12.6	13.1	9.7			0.0	3.0	4.0	$25,625	$5,536	$20,089
Thomas Viaduct Middle	Public	6-8	7000 Banbury Drive	Hanover	21076	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-8711	758	58	13.1	47.5%	80 (10.6%)	335 (44.2%)	163 (21.5%)	129 (17.0%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (6.3%)	42.7	181^st of 337 public middle schools	46.3%		35.2	181^st of 328 public middle schools	44.8%					12.7	9.0	2.6	14.1				40.3	44.5	42.9	42.6	28.3	52.1		26.4	46.6	$19,005	$1,002	$18,003

Frequently Asked Questions about Arbutus Middle

What district is Arbutus Middle in?

Baltimore County Public Schools

Is Arbutus Middle a good school?

Arbutus Middle ranks 147^th of 337 Maryland middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Arbutus Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 974 students attended Arbutus Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Arbutus Middle?

Students at Arbutus Middle are 41% White, 24% Asian, 18% African American, 10% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races.

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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.