Elementary Schools in Harford County Public Schools

Harford County Public Schools oversees 33 elementary schools serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade across a mix of suburban and rural communities in northeastern Maryland. The district ranks 11th out of 25 in the state, but performance varies dramatically between schools, with top-tier institutions like Churchville Elementary and Bel Air Elementary consistently earning 5-star ratings and ranking in the top 10% statewide, while schools such as Magnolia Elementary and Joppatowne Elementary face significant challenges and rank in the bottom quarter.

Academic achievement spans a wide gap: Jarrettsville Elementary leads in math proficiency at 65.4%, while Deerfield Elementary posts the lowest at 14.2%. In English Language Arts, Churchville Elementary achieves 79.7% proficiency, compared to Magnolia Elementary at 25.4%. Chronic absenteeism is a powerful indicator of success: top performers like Bel Air Elementary have only 6.2% of students chronically absent, while Old Post Road Elementary struggles with 29.9%. Per-student spending varies widely from $14,192 at Youths Benefit Elementary to $42,650 at Darlington Elementary, yet higher spending does not guarantee better results—many top schools spend less than $17,000 per student.

A standout finding is Bakerfield Elementary, which defies expectations by earning a 3-star rating and maintaining a low 7.5% chronic absenteeism rate despite serving a high-poverty population. Across the district, many schools show declining math proficiency from 3rd to 5th grade, suggesting a systemic curriculum challenge. For parents, the data clearly shows that schools with the lowest absenteeism and strongest community engagement—like Forest Hill Elementary and Forest Lakes Elementary—consistently outperform their peers, making attendance a critical factor in school choice.