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John Ruhrah Elementary/Middle

Q: Is John Ruhrah Elementary/Middle a good school?

John Ruhrah Elementary/Middle ranks in the bottom 4.5% of Maryland elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend John Ruhrah Elementary/Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,061 students attended John Ruhrah Elementary/Middle.

Q: What is the racial makeup of John Ruhrah Elementary/Middle?

Students at John Ruhrah Elementary/Middle are 90% Hispanic, 6% White, 3% African American.

Public Grades PK, KG-8

825^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 864 Maryland Elementary Schools

Better than 5% of Maryland elementary schools

Summary

John Ruhrah Elementary/Middle is a large PK-8 school in Baltimore's Highlandtown area, serving 1,061 students within the Baltimore City Public Schools district.

Despite high per-pupil spending of over $24,000 and a low student-teacher ratio of 12:1, John Ruhrah is one of the lowest-performing schools in its area. In the 2025-2026 school year, only 8.2% of students were proficient in Math and 16.5% in English Language Arts—far below district averages of 13.3% and 32.9%, respectively. A particularly troubling trend is the sharp decline in performance as students move from elementary to middle school: 3rd-grade Math proficiency is 17.1%, but by 6th grade it drops to just 2.1%. The school also struggles with chronic absenteeism at 22.9%, though this rate is actually lower than several nearby schools like Highlandtown Elementary/Middle #215 (42.6%) and Holabird Academy (35.6%).

The contrast with nearby schools is stark. Hampstead Hill Academy, just 1.31 miles away, achieves a 50% Math proficiency rate and 65.6% ELA proficiency while spending less per student ($21,452). Even Patterson Park Public Charter School, which serves a similar demographic, outperforms John Ruhrah significantly with 19.1% Math and 41.4% ELA proficiency. There is one bright spot: 7th-grade ELA proficiency jumps to 21.9%, the highest of any grade level, which may indicate an effective teacher or program at that level. Overall, however, the data suggests John Ruhrah is failing to translate its resources into academic success for its students.

1,061

Students ?

12.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$24,297

Per pupil spending ?

57.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

701 Rappolla Street
Baltimore, MD 21224

(410) 396-9125

District: Baltimore City Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

89.7%

White:

6.0%

African American:

3.4%

See top rated Maryland elementary schools

Compare John Ruhrah Elementary/Middle to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 11th percentile in 2015 → 5th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Maryland average (11% vs 38% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (5th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school11%

District avg22%

Maryland avg38%

Elementary school

825^th of 864

Maryland public elementary schools ?

Bottom 5%▼ down 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

324^th of 339

Maryland public middle schools ?

Bottom 4%▼ down 16 pts since 2016

From bottom 20% (2016) to bottom 4% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

82^nd 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	10.1	825 of 864	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.4	829 of 865	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.8	839 of 859	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.9	828 of 855	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.2	797 of 862	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.9	826 of 853	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.7	780 of 857	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	11.1	784 of 847	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	9.8	795 of 845	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	14.8	764 of 859	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	10.7	794 of 867	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	23.7	703 of 847	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	27.2	690 of 857	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	32.9	632 of 853	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	34.8	634 of 855	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	40.6	581 of 850	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	35.9	612 of 838	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	75.6	177 of 818	78.4%	★★★★☆
2006	78.1	162 of 804	79.9%	★★★★☆
2005	87.0	57 of 805	92.9%	★★★★★
2004	82.3	118 of 803	85.3%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	8.5	789 of 796	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	13.1	544 of 546	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	8.8	783 of 788	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	5.5	525 of 528	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2026	12.6	324 of 339	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	15.8	304 of 337	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.3	299 of 328	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.8	309 of 322	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	21.2	272 of 333	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	6.5	299 of 303	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	17.5	254 of 316	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.5	268 of 328	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	14.5	279 of 317	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	19.4	250 of 314	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	21.0	249 of 315	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	16.9	280 of 339	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	19.8	267 of 316	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	27.5	237 of 314	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	30.3	229 of 309	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	41.3	219 of 324	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	59.6	150 of 301	50.2%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	6.9	297 of 303	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	25.3	238 of 273	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Female (2021)1st percentile

Male (2021)1st percentile

White (2021)1st percentile

Low Socio Economic Status (2021)<1st percentile

Middle school

Low Socio Economic Status (2021)13th percentile+12 vs school

Female (2021)2nd percentile~ school

By subject vs Maryland (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts16%-35 vs state

Mathematics8%-19 vs state

Science4%-28 vs state

★

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Schools Near John Ruhrah 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
John Ruhrah Elementary/Middle	Public	PK, KG-8	701 Rappolla Street	Baltimore	21224	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-9125	1,061	88	12.0	57.5%	64 (6.0%)	36 (3.4%)	952 (89.7%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.5%)	10.1	825^th of 864 public elementary schools	4.5%		10.4	829^th of 865 public elementary schools	4.2%	4	17.1	12.4	7.5	2.1	3.8	2.3	8.2	14.5	16.7	12.5	13.7	21.9	19.8	16.5		4.7	3.2	$24,297	$4,187	$20,110
Graceland Park/O'Donnell Heights Elementary/Middle	Public	PK, KG-8	6300 O'Donnell Street	Baltimore	21224	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-9083	831	61	13.6	62.3%	43 (5.2%)	101 (12.2%)	674 (81.1%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	8 (1.0%)	17.5	721^st of 864 public elementary schools	16.6%		16.9	733^rd of 865 public elementary schools	15.3%	12	15.2	9.0	14.3	3.9	5.4	2.3	8.8	26.6	16.9	24.7	39.2	35.9	37.9	30.3		15.8	16.8	$20,150	$3,712	$16,437
Highlandtown Elementary/Middle #237	Public	PK, KG-8	231 S Eaton Street	Baltimore	21224	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(443) 642-2792	899	57	15.7	66.1%	14 (1.6%)	76 (8.5%)	794 (88.3%)	7 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (0.9%)	8.6	839^th of 864 public elementary schools	2.9%		7.8	851^st of 865 public elementary schools	1.6%	12	10.3	2.3	4.7	1.0	2.2	12.5	5.4	20.8	8.0	10.7	15.2	15.2	26.6	16.0		11.6	3.7	$19,728	$3,667	$16,061
Clay Hill Public Charter School	Public, Charter	K-6	6410 E Pratt Street	Baltimore	21224	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(410) 450-4556	335	26	12.8	60.3%	16 (4.8%)	56 (16.7%)	252 (75.2%)	4 (1.2%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.5%)	20.2	680^th of 864 public elementary schools	21.3%		28.1	572^nd of 865 public elementary schools	33.9%	108	29.2	10.2	2.2	4.2	20.0		13.4	37.5	32.7	13.6	50.0	55.0		34.1		6.5		$25,039	$4,706	$20,333
Holabird Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	1500 Imla Street	Baltimore	21224	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-9086	650	54	12.1	74.9%	26 (4.0%)	210 (32.3%)	395 (60.8%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.3%)	15.7	750^th of 864 public elementary schools	13.2%		11.4	817^th of 865 public elementary schools	5.5%	67	15.6	10.0	1.4	8.9	5.8	0.0	8.7	26.6	8.7	16.2	50.9	41.2	35.5	29.0	38.9	4.4	17.5	$22,516	$4,260	$18,256
Highlandtown Elementary/Middle #215	Public	PK, KG-8	3223 E Pratt Street	Baltimore	21224	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-9381	405	36	11.2	63.7%	4 (1.0%)	43 (10.6%)	356 (87.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11	812^th of 864 public elementary schools	6.0%		13.3	788^th of 865 public elementary schools	8.9%	24	15.4	11.9	5.8	3.6	0.0	6.1	6.7	18.4	21.4	15.4	19.6	17.8	8.0	16.6		3.9	2.1	$23,016	$4,324	$18,692
Commodore John Rodgers Elementary/Middle	Public	PK, KG-8	6820 Fait Ave	Baltimore	21224	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-9300	774	65	11.9	73.5%	42 (5.4%)	353 (45.6%)	350 (45.2%)	12 (1.6%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (1.7%)	19.4	689^th of 864 public elementary schools	20.3%		29.6	558^th of 865 public elementary schools	35.5%	131	24.3	18.0	12.2	9.6	13.5		13.7	26.0	16.4	27.0	31.9	51.6	40.8	34.0	8.7	10.5	9.8	$25,596	$4,415	$21,180
Hampstead Hill Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	500 S Linwood Avenue	Baltimore	21224	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	Yes	No	No	No	(410) 396-9146	933	47	19.8	40.1%	341 (36.5%)	158 (16.9%)	337 (36.1%)	26 (2.8%)	10 (1.1%)	2 (0.2%)	59 (6.3%)	70.5	257^th of 864 public elementary schools	70.3%		80.8	172^nd of 865 public elementary schools	80.1%	85	40.7	44.3	37.8	61.5	55.8	25.8	50.0	50.8	55.1	54.4	79.8	82.6	75.5	65.6	79.4	38.2	61.3	$21,452	$4,264	$17,188
Armistead Gardens Elementary/Middle	Public	PK, KG-8	5001 E Eager Street	Baltimore	21205	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-9090	773	64	12.0	74.0%	108 (14.0%)	68 (8.8%)	573 (74.1%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	20 (2.6%)	42.2	465^th of 864 public elementary schools	46.2%		39.3	487^th of 865 public elementary schools	43.7%	22	45.2	46.5	20.9	11.0	19.3	9.6	25.4	43.1	43.7	34.8	42.3	50.0	54.0	44.7	15.4	17.6	34.4	$24,687	$4,278	$20,409
Patterson Park Public Charter School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	27 N Lakewood Avenue	Baltimore	21224	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(410) 558-1230	730	52	14.0	62.2%	87 (11.9%)	312 (42.7%)	307 (42.1%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (2.7%)	33	547^th of 864 public elementary schools	36.7%		24.7	617^th of 865 public elementary schools	28.7%	70	39.0	26.3	13.3	6.5	22.7	0.0	19.1	36.4	28.9	40.0	51.6	57.6	37.1	41.4	4.7	17.3	17.7	$25,628	$5,469	$20,158

Frequently Asked Questions about John Ruhrah Elementary/Middle

Is John Ruhrah Elementary/Middle a good school?

John Ruhrah Elementary/Middle ranks in the bottom 4.5% of Maryland elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of John Ruhrah Elementary/Middle?

Students at John Ruhrah Elementary/Middle are 90% Hispanic, 6% White, 3% African American.

How many students attend John Ruhrah Elementary/Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,061 students attended John Ruhrah Elementary/Middle.

What district is John Ruhrah Elementary/Middle in?

Baltimore City Public Schools

What schools do graduates of John Ruhrah Elementary/Middle attend?

Students who attend John Ruhrah 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

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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.