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Forest Ridge Elementary

Q: Is Forest Ridge Elementary a good school?

Forest Ridge Elementary ranks 388 th of 865 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

388^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 865 Maryland Elementary Schools

Better than 55% of Maryland elementary schools

Summary

Forest Ridge Elementary is a public elementary school in Laurel, Maryland, serving 679 students in grades PK-5 and part of the Howard County Public Schools district.

While Forest Ridge Elementary has a relatively high per-student spending of $18,100 and a low student-teacher ratio of 13:1, its academic performance lags behind the district and state averages. The school's proficiency rates in MCAP Mathematics and English Language Arts were 35.7% and 47.4%, respectively, compared to the district's 42% and 65.2%, and the state's 26.5% and 50.8%. Forest Ridge's performance is particularly weak in MCAP Science, with only 21.9% of 5th-grade students proficient or better, compared to the district's 37.6% and the state's 25.6%. Additionally, the school has consistently higher chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 17.3% to 22.3% in recent years.

Interestingly, Forest Ridge Elementary's performance varies significantly across different student subgroups. While White students and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds perform relatively well, ranking in the top 30% and top 20% of Maryland elementary schools, respectively, Asian students and African American students perform much worse, ranking in the bottom 15% and bottom 40%, respectively. Compared to nearby schools in the Howard County Public Schools district, such as Hammond Elementary and Gorman Crossing Elementary, Forest Ridge Elementary's performance is generally lower. However, it performs better than some schools in neighboring districts, such as Scotchtown Hills Elementary and Maryland City Elementary in Prince George's County Public Schools, and Brock Bridge Elementary in Anne Arundel County Public Schools.

659

Students ?

12.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,100

Per pupil spending ?

40.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

9550 Gorman Rd
Laurel, MD 20723

(410) 880-5950

District: Howard County Public Schools

Students who attend Forest Ridge Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Patuxent Valley Middle
High:	Hammond High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

42.8%

Hispanic:

22.0%

Asian:

15.3%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 57th percentile in 2015 → 55th in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the Maryland median (55th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school39%

District avg52%

Maryland avg38%

388^th of 865

Maryland public elementary schools ?

Top 45%▼ down 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

31^st of 42Elementary Schools in the Howard County Public Schools

4^th of 25Howard 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	52.1	388 of 865	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.2	409 of 859	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.1	363 of 855	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.3	320 of 862	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	53.5	267 of 802	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.1	315 of 853	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	66.4	278 of 857	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2017	58.4	319 of 847	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2016	52.9	364 of 845	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2015	53.4	367 of 859	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2014	66.8	320 of 867	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	63.7	326 of 847	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2012	60.5	397 of 857	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2011	63.2	340 of 853	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2010	69.4	281 of 855	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2009	69.4	285 of 850	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2008	69.3	270 of 838	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2007	31.8	606 of 818	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	31.6	600 of 804	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	31.4	599 of 805	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	25.2	646 of 803	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	48.6	185 of 504	63.3%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	16.3	113 of 128	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	54.9	244 of 796	69.3%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	42.1	144 of 347	58.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	63.6	91 of 546	83.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	47.8	296 of 788	62.4%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	68.4	149 of 528	71.8%	★★★★☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2021)83rd percentile+17 vs school

White (2021)72nd percentile+5 vs school

Female (2021)69th percentile+3 vs school

African American (2021)63rd percentile-3 vs school

Male (2021)62nd percentile-4 vs school

Hispanic (2021)59th percentile-8 vs school

Asian (2021)12th percentile-55 vs school

By subject vs Maryland (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts47%-3 vs state

Mathematics36%+9 vs state

Science22%-4 vs state

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Schools Near Forest Ridge Elementary

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 Science (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 All Grades	MCAP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts All Grades	MCAP Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Forest Ridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	9550 Gorman Rd	Laurel	20723	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 880-5950	659	52	12.6	40.8%	87 (13.2%)	282 (42.8%)	145 (22.0%)	101 (15.3%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (0.8%)	36 (5.5%)	52.1	388^th of 865 public elementary schools	55.1%		46.2	409^th of 859 public elementary schools	52.4%	21	38.3	39.4	29.8	35.7	45.7	55.9	41.2	47.4	21.9	$18,100	$851	$17,250
Bollman Bridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	8200 Savage-Guilford Road	Jessup	20794	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 880-5920	775	64	12.1	52.9%	167 (21.5%)	288 (37.2%)	226 (29.2%)	46 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (6.2%)	32.3	540^th of 865 public elementary schools	37.6%		33.7	500^th of 859 public elementary schools	41.8%	40	32.2	24.5	21.4	26.1	37.6	35.0	31.9	34.8	14.7	$20,412	$1,524	$18,888
Laurel Woods Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	9250 N Laurel Rd	Laurel	20723	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 880-5960	625	51	12.2	58.4%	42 (6.7%)	277 (44.3%)	221 (35.4%)	53 (8.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (5.1%)	32.4	539^th of 865 public elementary schools	37.7%		31	529^th of 859 public elementary schools	38.4%	10	38.6	19.8	19.4	26.0	42.6	36.2	31.5	36.9	8.5	$22,128	$1,589	$20,539
Gorman Crossing Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	9999 Winter Sun Rd	Laurel	20723	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 880-5900	750	59	12.6	21.5%	138 (18.4%)	285 (38.0%)	104 (13.9%)	183 (24.4%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	38 (5.1%)	80.1	181^st of 865 public elementary schools	79.1%		78.3	179^th of 859 public elementary schools	79.2%	2	66.1	47.9	38.9	51.1	66.7	67.5	61.1	65.0	37.6	$16,929	$779	$16,150
Laurel Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	516 Montgomery St	Laurel	20707	Prince George's County	Prince George's County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 497-3660	472	36	13.1	90.9%	25 (5.3%)	126 (26.7%)	308 (65.3%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.7%)	21.9	666^th of 865 public elementary schools	23.0%		23.2	606^th of 859 public elementary schools	29.5%	60	22.1	16.7	8.9	15.4	37.3	28.8	26.6	30.8	11.4	$21,445	$2,227	$19,218
Hammond Elementary	Public	K-5	8110 Aladdin Dr	Laurel	20723	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 880-5890	763	48	15.8	18.6%	300 (39.3%)	190 (24.9%)	76 (10.0%)	132 (17.3%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	62 (8.1%)	82.6	156^th of 865 public elementary schools	82.0%		80.2	165^th of 859 public elementary schools	80.8%	9	54.8	51.4	49.2	51.8	67.2	65.4	65.1	65.9	43.4	$16,153	$795	$15,358
Guilford Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7335 Oakland Mills Rd	Columbia	21046	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 880-5930	437	37	11.9	46.5%	57 (13.0%)	214 (49.0%)	89 (20.4%)	52 (11.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.7%)	45.1	450^th of 865 public elementary schools	48.0%		43.3	435^th of 859 public elementary schools	49.4%	15	29.2	24.1	22.7	25.2	41.7	47.5	48.0	45.8	28.9	$21,939	$1,483	$20,457
Scotchtown Hills Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	15950 Dorset Rd	Laurel	20707	Prince George's County	Prince George's County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 497-3994	589	42	13.9	90.3%	20 (3.4%)	233 (39.6%)	283 (48.0%)	26 (4.4%)	8 (1.4%)	2 (0.3%)	17 (2.9%)	16.8	734^th of 865 public elementary schools	15.1%		13.5	752^nd of 859 public elementary schools	12.5%	18	17.6	12.0	9.3	13.1	30.4	26.7	22.7	26.6	6.8	$20,968	$1,421	$19,547
Maryland City Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3359 Crumpton South	Laurel	20724	Anne Arundel County	Anne Arundel County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 725-4256	450	39	11.4	79.8%	14 (3.1%)	169 (37.6%)	237 (52.7%)	9 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.7%)	25.9	601^st of 865 public elementary schools	30.5%		19.4	661^st of 859 public elementary schools	23.1%	60	31.9	17.8	12.3	20.8	40.0	32.9	25.9	33.0	9.1	$20,794	$2,484	$18,311
Brock Bridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	405 Brock Bridge Rd	Laurel	20724	Anne Arundel County	Anne Arundel County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 498-6280	514	51	10.1	69.6%	23 (4.5%)	212 (41.2%)	238 (46.3%)	14 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (5.3%)	22.2	662^nd of 865 public elementary schools	23.5%		21.9	624^th of 859 public elementary schools	27.4%	38	25.6	15.4	5.6	16.2	40.5	32.5	20.0	31.6	8.7	$20,556	$2,449	$18,107

Frequently Asked Questions about Forest Ridge Elementary

What district is Forest Ridge Elementary in?

Howard County Public Schools

What schools do graduates of Forest Ridge Elementary attend?

Students who attend Forest Ridge Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Patuxent Valley Middle
High : Hammond High

What is the racial makeup of Forest Ridge Elementary?

Students at Forest Ridge Elementary are 43% African American, 22% Hispanic, 15% Asian, 13% White, 5% Two or more races.

How many students attend Forest Ridge Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 659 students attended Forest Ridge Elementary.

Is Forest Ridge Elementary a good school?

Forest Ridge Elementary ranks 388^th of 865 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Forest Ridge Elementary!

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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.