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Central Elementary

Q: Is Central Elementary a good school?

Central Elementary ranks 159 th of 865 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

159^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 865 Maryland Elementary Schools

Better than 82% of Maryland elementary schools

Summary

Central Elementary is a K-5 public school in Edgewater, MD, serving 566 students within the Anne Arundel County Public Schools district, and it consistently ranks among the top 20% of elementary schools in Maryland.

This school stands out for its exceptional academic performance, dramatically outperforming both district and state averages in math (52.1% proficient vs. 29.3% district), English (65.7% vs. 55.9%), and science (56.0% vs. 37.8%). What truly sets Central Elementary apart, however, is its remarkable success with specific student groups. The school ranks in the 93rd percentile statewide for special education students and the 95th percentile for Hispanic students, demonstrating highly effective support systems that close achievement gaps. With a low chronic absenteeism rate of just 12.0%—roughly half the district average—the school benefits from strong family engagement. Interestingly, while Central Elementary and nearby Davidsonville Elementary are both academic leaders, Central achieves its results with a slightly higher percentage of students from lower-income households (17.14% vs. 8.27%) and a lower student-teacher ratio (13.7:1 vs. 17:1), suggesting more intensive resource allocation.

A notable contrast exists within the Edgewater community itself: Edgewater Elementary, located just over a mile away, serves a student body with more than double the rate of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch (38.47%) and holds a lower state ranking (70th percentile). Central Elementary's per-student spending of $18,437 is moderate compared to peers, yet it achieves far better outcomes than schools with significantly higher spending, such as Georgetown East Elementary ($27,181) and Tyler Heights Elementary ($26,430). While the school's state ranking has shown some fluctuation from its peak in 2015-2016, it remains a top-tier choice, particularly for families seeking a school that excels at supporting diverse learners.

566

Students ?

13.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,437

Per pupil spending ?

17.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

130 Stepney Ln
Edgewater, MD 21037-2801

(410) 222-1075

District: Anne Arundel County Public Schools

Students who attend Central Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Central Middle
High:	South River High

Racial breakdown:

White:

79.3%

Hispanic:

12.7%

Two or more races:

3.9%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 95th percentile in 2016 → 82nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Maryland average (58% vs 39% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 18% of Maryland elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Anne Arundel County Public Schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 13 percentile points since 2016

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school58%

District avg43%

Maryland avg39%

159^th of 865

Maryland public elementary schools ?

Top 18%▼ down 13 pts since 2016

From top 5% (2016) to top 18% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

18^th of 81Elementary Schools in the Anne Arundel County Public Schools

13^th of 24Anne Arundel County Public Schools among Maryland districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2026	82.5	159 of 865	81.6%	★★★★☆
2025	90.9	82 of 865	90.5%	★★★★★
2024	79.9	169 of 859	80.3%	★★★★☆
2023	77.7	184 of 855	78.5%	★★★★☆
2022	72.7	240 of 862	72.2%	★★★★☆
2021	75.6	144 of 802	82.0%	★★★★☆
2019	84.2	128 of 853	85.0%	★★★★☆
2018	87.0	94 of 857	89.0%	★★★★☆
2017	91.8	70 of 847	91.7%	★★★★★
2016	93.3	45 of 845	94.7%	★★★★★
2015	96.0	23 of 859	97.3%	★★★★★
2014	85.7	61 of 867	93.0%	★★★★★
2013	84.5	53 of 847	93.7%	★★★★★
2012	86.1	23 of 857	97.3%	★★★★★
2011	83.6	67 of 853	92.1%	★★★★★
2010	82.7	83 of 855	90.3%	★★★★★
2009	80.9	114 of 850	86.6%	★★★★☆
2008	84.1	66 of 838	92.1%	★★★★★
2007	10.7	740 of 818	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	2.2	790 of 804	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	6.3	758 of 805	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	9.8	730 of 803	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	69.9	153 of 796	80.8%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	88.2	16 of 347	95.4%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	75.4	135 of 788	82.9%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	69.2	5 of 23	78.3%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	85.8	10 of 136	92.6%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	58.1	191 of 528	63.8%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Hispanic (2021)95th percentile+13 vs school

Special Education (2021)93rd percentile+11 vs school

Male (2021)83rd percentile~ school

Female (2021)81st percentile~ school

Military Connected (2021)78th percentile-4 vs school

White (2021)64th percentile-18 vs school

By subject vs Maryland (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts66%+14 vs state

Science56%+24 vs state

Mathematics52%+25 vs state

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Schools Near Central Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MCAP Mathematics (2026)				MCAP English Language Arts (2026)				MCAP Science (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCAP Mathematics 3rd Grade	MCAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MCAP Mathematics All Grades	MCAP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts All Grades	MCAP Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Central Elementary	Public	K-5	130 Stepney Ln	Edgewater	21037	Anne Arundel County	Anne Arundel County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 222-1075	566	41	13.7	17.1%	449 (79.3%)	13 (2.3%)	72 (12.7%)	8 (1.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (3.9%)	82.5	159^th of 865 public elementary schools	81.6%		90.9	82^nd of 865 public elementary schools	90.5%	77	54.8	61.1	40.7	52.1	60.2	72.2	63.9	65.7	56.0	$18,437	$1,307	$17,130
Edgewater Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	121 Washington Rd	Edgewater	21037	Anne Arundel County	Anne Arundel County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 956-0830	577	38	15.0	38.5%	353 (61.2%)	19 (3.3%)	169 (29.3%)	9 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (4.7%)	69.4	261^st of 865 public elementary schools	69.8%		68.9	266^th of 865 public elementary schools	69.2%	5	59.8	55.3	33.9	48.9	62.0	60.2	48.2	56.4	33.0	$16,211	$1,117	$15,094
Mayo Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1260 Mayo Ridge Rd	Edgewater	21037	Anne Arundel County	Anne Arundel County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 798-9830	351	23	15.2	17.4%	295 (84.0%)	6 (1.7%)	33 (9.4%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.0%)	68	268^th of 865 public elementary schools	69.0%		73.9	221^st of 865 public elementary schools	74.5%	47	48.0	26.9	37.1	37.2	66.0	50.0	62.9	59.8	48.4	$17,703	$1,203	$16,500
Davidsonville Elementary	Public	K-5	962 Central Ave West	Davidsonville	21035	Anne Arundel County	Anne Arundel County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 222-1655	689	40	17.0	8.3%	539 (78.2%)	13 (1.9%)	53 (7.7%)	12 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	69 (10.0%)	90	91^st of 865 public elementary schools	89.5%		91.7	75^th of 865 public elementary schools	91.3%	16	74.8	54.3	50.0	60.1	85.7	72.1	66.0	75.0	57.0	$14,023	$1,067	$12,956
Tyler Heights Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	200 Janwall St	Annapolis	21403	Anne Arundel County	Anne Arundel County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(443) 482-9610	416	44	9.4	96.9%	12 (2.9%)	14 (3.4%)	388 (93.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	13.9	768^th of 865 public elementary schools	11.2%		16.4	739^th of 865 public elementary schools	14.6%	29	12.9	14.3	5.2	10.9	26.2	25.4	20.7	24.2	11.9	$26,430	$2,938	$23,493
Walter S. Mills - Parole Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1 George and Marion Phelps Lan	Annapolis	21401	Anne Arundel County	Anne Arundel County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 222-1626	559	55	10.1	95.0%	10 (1.8%)	202 (36.1%)	331 (59.2%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.1%)	19.4	691^st of 865 public elementary schools	20.1%		17.5	726^th of 865 public elementary schools	16.1%	35	20.0	22.7	7.7	16.7	31.3	35.6	24.7	30.4	5.1	$23,685	$2,512	$21,172
Hillsmere Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3052 Arundel On The Bay Rd	Annapolis	21403	Anne Arundel County	Anne Arundel County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 222-1622	402	32	12.4	40.0%	227 (56.5%)	82 (20.4%)	72 (17.9%)	6 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.7%)	84.6	134^th of 865 public elementary schools	84.5%		87.3	109^th of 865 public elementary schools	87.4%	25	54.4	56.3	54.1	54.9	73.7	68.8	62.3	68.1	49.2	$19,635	$1,676	$17,959
Monarch Academy Annapolis Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2000 Capital Drive	Annapolis	21401	Anne Arundel County	Anne Arundel County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 934-1444	634	55	11.6	73.8%	45 (7.1%)	301 (47.5%)	250 (39.4%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (5.5%)	33.8	537^th of 865 public elementary schools	37.9%		23.9	631^st of 865 public elementary schools	27.1%	94	28.6	16.3	27.6	23.7	42.9	28.3	40.0	36.5	28.8	$22,788	$3,584	$19,203
Georgetown East Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	111 Dogwood Rd	Annapolis	21403	Anne Arundel County	Anne Arundel County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 222-1610	330	32	10.2	90.0%	31 (9.4%)	142 (43.0%)	139 (42.1%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.5%)	10.5	817^th of 865 public elementary schools	5.5%		12.6	802^nd of 865 public elementary schools	7.3%	15	8.1	5.3	5.0	6.1	23.7	15.8	15.0	18.1	15.0	$27,181	$2,973	$24,208
Germantown Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	200 Windell Avenue	Annapolis	21401	Anne Arundel County	Anne Arundel County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 222-1615	467	43	10.9	75.6%	103 (22.1%)	88 (18.8%)	255 (54.6%)	5 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.2%)	33	549^th of 865 public elementary schools	36.5%		27.9	575^th of 865 public elementary schools	33.5%	26	40.3	15.8	22.2	25.6	46.3	27.6	31.0	34.6	24.7	$22,248	$2,211	$20,037

Frequently Asked Questions about Central Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Central Elementary?

Students at Central Elementary are 79% White, 13% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 2% African American, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Central Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 566 students attended Central Elementary.

What district is Central Elementary in?

Anne Arundel County Public Schools

What schools do graduates of Central Elementary attend?

Students who attend Central Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Central Middle
High : South River High

Is Central Elementary a good school?

Central Elementary ranks 159^th of 865 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Central Elementary!

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Latest Maryland data All new data »

2025–26 MCAP test scoresJul 28, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

2024–25 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 MCAP test scoresAug 26, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Maryland State Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.