Summary:
The six middle schools in Calvert County Public Schools, serving grades 6 through 8 in a highly-rated Maryland district, show a clear north-south performance divide that parents should consider when evaluating options.
Northern Middle stands out as the top performer, ranking 27th in the state with a 5-star rating, leading in math (41.6% proficiency) and ELA (76.9% proficiency), and boasting the lowest chronic absenteeism rate at 10.8%. Windy Hill Middle is also exceptional, ranking 34th statewide with a 5-star rating and the lowest student-teacher ratio (15.7:1). In contrast, Southern Middle and Mill Creek Middle lag significantly, with Southern Middle ranking 175th and having the highest chronic absenteeism (26.9%) and lowest math proficiency (16.1%). Plum Point Middle and Calvert Middle fall in the middle range, with Plum Point outperforming Calvert in most metrics.
A critical takeaway is that higher per-student spending does not guarantee better results—Southern Middle spends $20,483 per student yet underperforms Northern Middle, which spends only $15,776. Chronic absenteeism strongly predicts academic outcomes, with lower rates at Northern and Windy Hill correlating with higher test scores. Advanced math is a key differentiator: Northern Middle achieves 91.3% proficiency in Geometry, far exceeding the district average of 36.5%, while Southern Middle manages only 19.3% in Algebra I. For parents, focusing on attendance and advanced course offerings may be more impactful than school funding levels.
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