Summary:
Ridge, Maryland, is home to a single public school, Ridge Elementary, which serves grades PK through 5 with 209 students as part of the St. Mary's County Public Schools district.
Ridge Elementary is a school of notable contrasts and strong recent improvement. The school has shown impressive academic momentum, jumping from a 2-star rating (44th percentile) in 2024-2025 to a 3-star rating (59th percentile) in 2025-2026, a leap of 125 places in state rankings. Its standout performance is in 5th Grade Science, where 44.8% of students are proficient—well above the district (38.1%) and state (32.4%) averages. The school also excels in 5th Grade English Language Arts (ELA), with a 55.2% proficiency rate outperforming both the district and state. However, this success is uneven across grades and subjects. While 3rd graders perform at or above district averages in Math and ELA, 4th graders face a significant challenge, particularly in Math where only 13.6% are proficient compared to 42.8% in the district. Overall, the school's math proficiency is 31.3% (above the state average of 27.1% but below the district's 36%), and its ELA proficiency is 51.8% (slightly above the state average of 51.7% but below the district's 58.5%).
Key challenges include a high chronic absenteeism rate of 31.2%, which is nearly 4 percentage points above the district average and a concern for sustaining academic gains. The school also serves a majority economically disadvantaged population, with 54.55% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch. Despite spending a substantial $21,930 per student, results are mixed, suggesting the resources are addressing significant student needs. The dramatic year-over-year improvements—such as 5th Grade Science proficiency jumping from 13.2% to 44.8%—indicate that recent instructional changes are having a positive impact, making Ridge Elementary a school to watch for continued progress.
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