Elementary Schools in Talbot County Public Schools

The five elementary schools in Talbot County Public Schools serve students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade across Maryland's Eastern Shore, ranging from a small rural school of 99 students to a large centrally-located school of 1,075 students.

Chapel District Elementary stands out as the district's top academic performer, with math proficiency rates (51.9%) more than double the next best school and nearly triple the district average, while also having the lowest rate of economic disadvantage (40.11%) and the lowest per-student spending ($18,349). In contrast, Easton Elementary, the largest school, faces significant challenges with the highest economic disadvantage rate (75.16%) and the lowest academic performance, despite having a chronic absenteeism rate (20.3%) below the district average. Tilghman Elementary, the smallest school, has the highest per-student spending ($23,455) but struggles with the highest chronic absenteeism (29.8%) and very low math proficiency (19.4%), with rankings that fluctuate dramatically year to year due to its small size.

White Marsh Elementary provides consistent, above-average performance with rankings in the 70th-76th percentile range and test scores generally above district averages. St. Michaels Elementary demonstrates strong community engagement with the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (14.0%) and solid academic results at or above district averages. A key takeaway is that higher spending does not guarantee better outcomes—the school spending the most has the lowest performance, while the school spending the least achieves the highest results, suggesting that factors like school culture and family support play a more critical role in student success than financial input alone.