Best Elementary Schools in Jessup, MD

Jessup, Maryland is home to two elementary schools, Bollman Bridge Elementary and Jessup Elementary, both serving grades PK through 5, but belonging to different school districts—Howard County Public Schools and Anne Arundel County Public Schools, respectively.

Despite being in a lower-ranked district, Jessup Elementary stands out as the higher-performing school in Jessup. It holds a higher state percentile rank (55th) compared to Bollman Bridge Elementary (48th) and shows a positive upward trend. Jessup Elementary significantly outperforms Bollman Bridge in English Language Arts (ELA) and Science, with its 5th-grade scores exceeding both its district and state averages. This is particularly notable because Bollman Bridge Elementary benefits from being in the top-tier Howard County district and spends 23% more per student ($20,412 vs. $16,562) with a lower student-teacher ratio (12.1 vs. 15.4). This "resource inversion" suggests that school-level factors at Jessup Elementary are driving stronger academic results despite fewer resources.

Both schools struggle with math proficiency, with nearly identical rates around 30%. However, a key difference emerges in ELA and Science, where Jessup Elementary excels. Interestingly, Jessup Elementary achieves this despite a higher chronic absenteeism rate (23.4%) than Bollman Bridge Elementary (18.8%), further highlighting the effectiveness of its instructional strategies. For parents, this data indicates that Jessup Elementary offers a more efficient and effective academic environment, particularly in literacy and science, while Bollman Bridge Elementary has the advantage of district reputation and resources but has not yet translated those into top-tier results.