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James McHenry Elementary/Middle

Q: Is James McHenry Elementary/Middle a good school?

James McHenry Elementary/Middle ranks 513 th of 864 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-8

513^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 864 Maryland Elementary Schools

Better than 41% of Maryland elementary schools

Summary

James McHenry Elementary/Middle in Baltimore, MD, is a public school serving 588 students from Pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade in a high-poverty community, where nearly 90% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. This school is in the midst of a powerful transformation, having improved its state ranking from the bottom 1% in 2019 to the 41st percentile in 2026—a remarkable turnaround that sets it apart from nearby schools. The most impressive gains are in English Language Arts (ELA), where the school achieved a 42.3% proficiency rate in 2025-2026, significantly higher than the district average of 32.9% and far surpassing every nearby school, including Charles Carroll Barrister Elementary (26.9% ELA proficiency) and The Historic Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Elementary (35.6%).

A key driver of this success appears to be a dramatic reduction in chronic absenteeism, which dropped from 64.3% in 2022-2023 to 40.5% in 2024-2025—now below the Baltimore City Public Schools district average of 46.4%. This improvement in attendance has likely fueled the school’s academic gains, especially in middle school grades (6-8), where ELA proficiency rates are well above district averages. For example, 6th-grade ELA proficiency is 55.6% compared to the district’s 32%, and 7th-grade ELA is 50% versus 37.7%. While math proficiency overall (20.2%) is above the district average (13.3%), early elementary math scores in 4th and 5th grades (10% and 7.7%) remain a challenge, suggesting the school’s focus on literacy has been particularly effective.

Compared to nearby schools like Harlem Park Elementary/Middle and Southwest Baltimore Charter School, where middle school proficiency rates often fall into single digits, James McHenry stands out as a clear leader in preparing older students for high school. The school’s per-student spending has increased to $22,282, and this investment appears to be yielding positive results, particularly in literacy and attendance. For parents seeking a school with a strong upward trajectory and a proven focus on getting students to class and improving reading skills, James McHenry is a standout choice in the district.

588

Students ?

13.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,282

Per pupil spending ?

89.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

31 S Schroeder Street
Baltimore, MD 21223-2559

(410) 396-1621

District: Baltimore City Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

African American:

90.8%

Hispanic:

4.4%

White:

2.0%

See top rated Maryland elementary schools

Compare James McHenry Elementary/Middle to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 3rd percentile in 2012 → 41st in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 38 percentile points since 2012

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Baltimore City Public Schools

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Maryland average (29% vs 37% meeting standards)

!Science scores 16 pts below the Maryland average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school29%

District avg21%

Maryland avg37%

Elementary school

513^th of 864

Maryland public elementary schools ?

Bottom 41%▲ up 40 pts since 2017

From bottom 1% (2017) to bottom 41% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

128^th of 339

Maryland public middle schools ?

Top 38%▲ up 61 pts since 2017

From bottom 1% (2017) to top 38% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

18^th of 103Elementary Schools in the Baltimore City Public Schools

24^th of 25Baltimore City 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2026	36.0	513 of 864	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	20.2	682 of 865	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.1	784 of 859	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.3	748 of 862	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.8	760 of 802	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.3	844 of 853	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.2	837 of 857	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	6.0	841 of 847	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	3.3	838 of 867	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	3.1	832 of 857	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	14.2	770 of 853	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	52.9	465 of 855	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	40.0	585 of 850	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	38.8	589 of 838	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	80.9	114 of 818	86.1%	★★★★☆
2006	80.9	133 of 804	83.5%	★★★★☆
2005	89.2	24 of 805	97.0%	★★★★★
2004	81.0	133 of 803	83.4%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	15.6	717 of 796	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2026	57.7	128 of 339	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	31.2	218 of 337	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	22.8	235 of 328	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.8	255 of 322	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.0	259 of 333	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.7	263 of 303	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	10.0	301 of 316	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.3	293 of 328	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	6.7	313 of 317	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	1.2	338 of 339	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	23.7	213 of 259	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	15.1	262 of 303	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	16.0	256 of 288	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Female (2021)10th percentile+5 vs school

Middle school

African American (2021)18th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2021)14th percentile~ school

Male (2021)11th percentile~ school

By subject vs Maryland (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts42%-9 vs state

Algebra I26%+5 vs state

Mathematics20%-7 vs state

Science16%-16 vs state

★

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Schools Near James McHenry Elementary/Middle

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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 Algebra I (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	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 6th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 8th 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 6th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts All Grades	MCAP Algebra I End of Course	MCAP Science 5th Grade	MCAP Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
James McHenry Elementary/Middle	Public	PK, KG-8	31 S Schroeder Street	Baltimore	21223	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-1621	588	43	13.6	89.5%	12 (2.0%)	534 (90.8%)	26 (4.4%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.0%)	36	513^th of 864 public elementary schools	40.6%		20.2	682^nd of 865 public elementary schools	21.2%	169	25.6	10.0	7.7	29.6	19.2	14.6	20.2	34.1	17.5	24.5	55.6	50.0	44.9	42.3	26.3	7.1	23.2	$22,282	$4,541	$17,741
Franklin Square Elementary/Middle	Public	PK, KG-8	1400 W Lexington Street	Baltimore	21223	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-0795	490	33	15.0	86.5%	15 (3.1%)	380 (77.6%)	82 (16.7%)	3 (0.6%)	6 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.8%)	10.3	819^th of 864 public elementary schools	5.2%		11	821^st of 865 public elementary schools	5.1%	2	9.4	12.8	5.3	3.3	8.7	7.0	7.6	15.4	12.8	13.2	24.6	27.7	32.8	22.1		5.3	2.9	$21,891	$4,724	$17,167
Southwest Baltimore Charter School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	1300 Herkimer Street	Baltimore	21223	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(443) 984-3385	363	28	13.2	81.3%	19 (5.2%)	283 (78.0%)	26 (7.2%)	7 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (7.7%)	7.2	850^th of 864 public elementary schools	1.6%		10.6	826^th of 865 public elementary schools	4.5%	24	12.9	2.9	3.8	0.0	5.0	2.5	4.4	9.7	11.4	7.4	17.1	12.8	18.4	13.2		3.8	7.9	$28,416	$5,431	$22,984
George Washington Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	800 Scott Street	Baltimore	21230	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-1445	137	11	12.4	82.5%	13 (9.5%)	104 (75.9%)	11 (8.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	8 (5.8%)	18.7	701^st of 864 public elementary schools	18.9%		28.6	566^th of 865 public elementary schools	34.6%	135	42.9	4.3	5.3				17.5	33.3	21.7	15.8				23.8		10.5		$26,566	$4,777	$21,789
Charles Carroll Barrister Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1327 Washington Boulevard	Baltimore	21230	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-5973	266	24	11.0	70.3%	36 (13.5%)	89 (33.5%)	136 (51.1%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.8%)	28.9	586^th of 864 public elementary schools	32.2%		11.6	814^th of 865 public elementary schools	5.9%	228	23.7	47.2	22.9				31.2	32.4	22.2	25.7				26.9		11.4		$28,439	$4,668	$23,771
Harlem Park Elementary/Middle	Public	PK, KG-8	1401 W Lafayette Avenue	Baltimore	21217	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-0633	402	30	13.4	93.5%	3 (0.7%)	388 (96.5%)	6 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.2%)	10.9	813^th of 864 public elementary schools	5.9%		8.2	847^th of 865 public elementary schools	2.1%	34	30.8	10.3	0.0	0.0	2.4	22.0	11.0	7.5	15.4	5.7	25.5	11.4	19.6	15.0		0.0	13.5	$20,251	$4,743	$15,508
Furman Templeton Preparatory Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	1200 Pennsylvania Avenue	Baltimore	21217	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-0882	433	26	16.6	92.8%	4 (0.9%)	420 (97.0%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)	11.3	808^th of 864 public elementary schools	6.5%		14.2	770^th of 865 public elementary schools	11.0%	38	16.2	10.2	1.7				9.7	25.0	25.4	18.6				23.1		1.7		$31,185	$7,736	$23,449
The Historic Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	507 W Preston Street	Baltimore	21201	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-0783	236	14	16.8	95.8%	2 (0.8%)	225 (95.3%)	4 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.1%)	20.8	672^nd of 864 public elementary schools	22.2%		11.8	811^th of 865 public elementary schools	6.2%	139	27.7	0.0	2.4				11.9	42.6	40.0	24.4				35.6		5.0		$28,022	$6,120	$21,902
Mary Ann Winterling Elementary at Bentalou	Public	PK, KG-5	220 N Bentalou Street	Baltimore	21223	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-1385	296	16	18.5	92.2%	0 (0.0%)	283 (95.6%)	10 (3.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	6.2	859^th of 864 public elementary schools	0.6%		7.8	852^nd of 865 public elementary schools	1.5%	7	6.8	6.1	2.3				5.2	11.4	10.2	9.5				10.4		2.5		$26,929	$5,369	$21,559
Frederick Elementary	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	2501 Frederick Avenue	Baltimore	21223	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-0830	320	20	16.0	88.8%	12 (3.8%)	239 (74.7%)	50 (15.6%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.0%)	6.7	853^rd of 864 public elementary schools	1.3%		5.3	863^rd of 865 public elementary schools	0.2%	10	6.8	2.3	1.8				3.5	11.1	4.4	14.5				10.3		7.8		$30,078	$6,680	$23,398

Frequently Asked Questions about James McHenry Elementary/Middle

What schools do graduates of James McHenry Elementary/Middle attend?

Students who attend James McHenry Elementary/Middle usually go on to attend:

Middle : Booker T. Washington Middle
Middle : Stadium School
Middle : The Crossroads School
Middle : Vanguard Collegiate Middle
High : Academy for College and Career Exploration
High : Augusta Fells Savage Institute of Visual Arts
High : Baltimore City College
High : Baltimore Design School
High : Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women
High : Baltimore Polytechnic Institute
High : Baltimore School for the Arts
High : Benjamin Franklin High School at Masonville Cove
High : Carver Vocational-Technical High
High : City Neighbors High
High : ConneXions: A Community Based Arts School
High : Coppin Academy
High : Digital Harbor High School
High : Edmondson-Westside High
High : Forest Park High
High : Frederick Douglass High
High : Green Street Academy
High : Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High
High : National Academy Foundation
High : Patterson High
High : Paul Laurence Dunbar High
High : Reginald F. Lewis High
High : Renaissance Academy
High : The Reach! Partnership School
High : Vivien T. Thomas Medical Arts Academy
High : Western High

Is James McHenry Elementary/Middle a good school?

James McHenry Elementary/Middle ranks 513^th of 864 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is James McHenry Elementary/Middle in?

Baltimore City Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of James McHenry Elementary/Middle?

Students at James McHenry Elementary/Middle are 91% African American, 4% Hispanic, 2% White, 2% Two or more races.

How many students attend James McHenry Elementary/Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 588 students attended James McHenry Elementary/Middle.

Rate James McHenry Elementary/Middle!

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Latest Maryland data All new data »

2025–26 MCAP test scoresNewJul 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.