Summary:
Friendsville, Maryland is home to a single public school, Friendsville Elementary, a small, rural school serving 137 students from Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade as part of the Garrett County Public Schools district.
Friendsville Elementary stands out as a "Math school" in a district that is stronger in English Language Arts (ELA). The school consistently outperforms both its district and the state in overall Math proficiency, with 38.8% of students proficient compared to 32.3% for the district and 27.1% for the state. However, this strength is contrasted by a notable weakness in early literacy, particularly in 3rd grade ELA, where only 27.8% of students were proficient—dramatically lower than the district (53.3%) and state (50.4%) averages. The school's 5th grade class is an exceptional bright spot, significantly outperforming the district in both Math (47.4% vs. 31.9%) and Science (50% vs. 31.9%), suggesting a particularly effective teacher or strong cohort. The school's state ranking has fluctuated, dropping to the 53rd percentile in 2025-2026 after reaching the 62nd percentile the previous year, which aligns with the decline in overall ELA scores.
With a low student-to-teacher ratio of 12.2:1 and a high per-student spending of $21,981—likely due to its small size and fixed costs—the school offers potential for individualized attention. However, this high spending does not guarantee top-tier results, as overall ELA proficiency (36.7%) remains well below the state average (51.7%). A positive sign is that chronic absenteeism at 17.6% is notably lower than the district average of 22.9%, especially given that nearly 57% of students are eligible for free or reduced lunch. This suggests effective family engagement or support programs are helping keep students in class more consistently than at other county schools facing similar economic challenges.
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