Summary:
The city of Cresaptown, Maryland, is home to two public schools within the Allegany County Public Schools district: Cresaptown Elementary, serving grades PK-5, and the Center for Career & Technical Education (CCTE), a specialized high school for 11th and 12th graders. This creates a unique educational landscape where the two schools serve very different student populations and have vastly different performance profiles.
Cresaptown Elementary is a standout performer, significantly outperforming both district and state averages in math and English Language Arts (ELA). With 44.5% of students proficient in math and 55.5% in ELA, it ranks in the 68th percentile among Maryland elementary schools. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 21.0% is notably lower than the district average of 33.6%, indicating strong student engagement. In contrast, the Center for Career & Technical Education struggles academically, ranking in the bottom 15th percentile of Maryland high schools. Its math proficiency rate is just 4.2%, and its ELA proficiency is 30.6%, both well below district averages. CCTE also faces a critical challenge with a 38.0% chronic absenteeism rate, which likely contributes to its lower graduation rate of 87.7% compared to the district's 93.0%.
A key takeaway is the stark disparity in academic outcomes despite high spending at CCTE, which spends over $29,000 per student—54% more than Cresaptown Elementary's $18,903. This suggests that the investment in specialized technical programs does not translate into strong core academic proficiency. Furthermore, the data hints at a "pipeline" problem: students at Cresaptown Elementary perform well above average, but by the time they reach CCTE, proficiency has dropped dramatically. This could be due to the transition to a different school type or gaps in middle school instruction, making it a critical area for further investigation by parents and the district.
Thank you for your feedback!