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Johnston Square Elementary

Q: Is Johnston Square Elementary a good school?

Johnston Square Elementary ranks in the bottom 0.2% of Maryland elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Johnston Square Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 271 students attended Johnston Square Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Johnston Square Elementary?

Students at Johnston Square Elementary are 96% African American, 3% Hispanic.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

862^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 864 Maryland Elementary Schools

Better than 0% of Maryland elementary schools

Summary

Johnston Square Elementary is a PK-5 school in Baltimore, MD, serving 271 students within the Baltimore City Public Schools district, where over 94% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Johnston Square Elementary is currently facing significant challenges. The school's academic performance has declined dramatically over the past two decades, from a high ranking in the 90th percentile in 2007 to the bottom 1% of Maryland elementary schools today. In the most recent school year, only 1.7% of students were proficient in Mathematics and 4.2% in English Language Arts—far below district averages of 13.3% and 32.9%, respectively. A major factor is critically high chronic absenteeism, with 59.6% of students missing too many days, compared to the district average of 46.4%. This creates a cycle where students fall further behind, making it extremely difficult to catch up. For example, 0% of 4th and 5th graders were proficient in Math, and 0% of 5th graders were proficient in Science. Despite spending $25,290 per student—higher than many nearby schools—the school has struggled to translate resources into academic gains.

Interestingly, Baltimore Montessori Public Charter School, located just half a mile away and serving the same community, shows dramatically different results. It has a chronic absenteeism rate of only 20.4% and proficiency rates of 18.8% in Math and 39.8% in ELA. This comparison suggests that Johnston Square's struggles are not solely due to neighborhood demographics but are tied to school-specific issues like attendance and family engagement. There is a small glimmer of hope: 3rd-grade Math proficiency was 5.6%, slightly higher than other grades, which could indicate early interventions beginning to show results. For parents, the most urgent takeaway is that the school's primary challenge is getting students into the classroom consistently before academic recovery can begin.

271

Students ?

16.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,290

Per pupil spending ?

94.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1101 Valley Street
Baltimore, MD 21202-5542

(410) 396-1477

District: Baltimore City Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

African American:

96.3%

Hispanic:

3.3%

Two or more races:

0.4%

See top rated Maryland elementary schools

Compare Johnston Square Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 90th percentile in 2007 → <1st in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Maryland average (2% vs 39% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (<1st percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 90 percentile points since 2007

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school2%

District avg23%

Maryland avg39%

862^nd of 864

Maryland public elementary schools ?

Bottom 1%▼ down 3 pts since 2017

From bottom 4% (2017) to bottom 1% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

102^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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2026	4.4	862 of 864	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	5.0	864 of 865	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.7	862 of 862	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.1	815 of 857	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	8.5	817 of 847	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	1.0	861 of 867	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	20.3	757 of 855	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	65.4	323 of 850	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2008	74.6	218 of 838	74.0%	★★★★☆
2007	83.5	85 of 818	89.6%	★★★★☆
2006	90.1	12 of 804	98.5%	★★★★★
2005	86.8	64 of 805	92.0%	★★★★★
2004	87.6	14 of 803	98.3%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	10.8	776 of 796	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Female (2021)3rd percentile

By subject vs Maryland (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts4%-48 vs state

Mathematics2%-25 vs state

Science0%-32 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, October 4, 2017

I'm so glad this is my grandson's last year. He only gets math homework, the principal and staff are rude and unprofessional. The kids are all over the place, in the halls on cell phones. Close Quote

Schools Near Johnston Square 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 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
Johnston Square Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1101 Valley Street	Baltimore	21202	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-1477	271	17	16.4	94.5%	0 (0.0%)	261 (96.3%)	9 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	4.4	862^nd of 864 public elementary schools	0.2%		5	864^th of 865 public elementary schools	0.1%	2	5.6	0.0	0.0				1.7	2.8	8.8	2.0				4.2		0.0		$25,290	$5,509	$19,780
Dr. Bernard Harris Senior Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1400 N Caroline Street	Baltimore	21213	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-1452	300	21	14.6	93.7%	0 (0.0%)	286 (95.3%)	7 (2.3%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.3%)	3.8	863^rd of 864 public elementary schools	0.1%		4.9	865^th of 865 public elementary schools	0.0%	2	0.0	0.0	0.0				0.0	9.3	2.2	0.0				4.1		0.0		$25,987	$6,018	$19,969
Baltimore Montessori Public Charter School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	1600 Guilford Avenue	Baltimore	21202	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(410) 528-5393	604	31	19.4	53.6%	123 (20.4%)	398 (65.9%)	36 (6.0%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	41 (6.8%)	32.1	557^th of 864 public elementary schools	35.5%		27.5	579^th of 865 public elementary schools	33.1%	22	34.7	17.3	16.3	4.6	17.1	0.0	18.8	55.1	34.6	30.6	34.9	45.7	39.5	39.8	61.5	24.5	23.7	$20,781	$4,967	$15,815
Cecil Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2000 Cecil Avenue	Baltimore	21218	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-6385	348	22	15.8	85.1%	3 (0.9%)	328 (94.3%)	10 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.0%)	8.1	841^st of 864 public elementary schools	2.7%		7.4	857^th of 865 public elementary schools	0.9%	16	9.4	8.2	5.3				7.9	16.7	14.3	13.2				14.9		5.3		$25,070	$4,804	$20,265
Dallas F. Nicholas Senior Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	201 E 21st Street	Baltimore	21218	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-4525	189	15	13.0	81.5%	2 (1.1%)	142 (75.1%)	35 (18.5%)	2 (1.1%)	1 (0.5%)	5 (2.6%)	2 (1.1%)	11.3	807^th of 864 public elementary schools	6.6%		7.4	856^th of 865 public elementary schools	1.0%	49	16.7	4.0	14.3				11.1	25.0	12.0	21.4				19.0		7.1		$33,806	$6,232	$27,574
Harford Heights Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1919 N Broadway Street	Baltimore	21213	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-9341	435	34	12.7	87.4%	5 (1.1%)	393 (90.3%)	30 (6.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.6%)	19.3	691^st of 864 public elementary schools	20.0%		21.8	669^th of 865 public elementary schools	22.7%	22	31.3	14.3	3.8				17.1	39.7	27.1	21.2				29.7		1.9		$27,664	$5,785	$21,879
Sharp-Leadenhall Elementary/Middle	Public	K-8	1919 N Broadway Street	Baltimore	21213	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 396-4325	23	9	2.5	82.6%	0 (0.0%)	21 (91.3%)	2 (8.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)							0.0							11.8
Elmer A. Henderson: A Johns Hopkins Partnership	Public	PK, KG-8	2100 Ashland Avenue	Baltimore	21205	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(443) 642-2060	636	44	14.4	82.4%	6 (0.9%)	610 (95.9%)	13 (2.0%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.6%)	13	781^st of 864 public elementary schools	9.6%		15	754^th of 865 public elementary schools	12.8%	27	19.4	8.7	1.6	4.6	6.8		7.4	22.4	15.9	11.5	38.5	30.5	39.1	26.4	2.9	1.6	7.2	$23,823	$5,200	$18,623
Collington Square Elementary/Middle	Public	PK, KG-8	1409 N Collington Avenue	Baltimore	21213	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-9198	230	15	15.8	89.6%	3 (1.3%)	204 (88.7%)	19 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	6.6	856^th of 864 public elementary schools	0.9%		8.2	846^th of 865 public elementary schools	2.2%	10	5.3	0.0	13.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.7	10.5	5.6	0.0	7.3	17.4	21.2	12.2		0.0	10.0	$25,362	$5,886	$19,476
Midtown Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	1398 W Mount Royal Avenue	Baltimore	21217	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(410) 225-3257	184	12	15.3	70.1%	13 (7.1%)	162 (88.0%)	3 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.6%)	17.5	720^th of 864 public elementary schools	16.7%		21	670^th of 865 public elementary schools	22.5%	50	10.5	0.0	9.1	0.0	0.0	4.7	4.1	42.1	33.3	27.3	15.8	31.6	52.4	33.9		18.2	4.7	$25,174	$6,275	$18,899

Frequently Asked Questions about Johnston Square Elementary

What schools do graduates of Johnston Square Elementary attend?

Students who attend Johnston Square Elementary 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

How many students attend Johnston Square Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 271 students attended Johnston Square Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Johnston Square Elementary?

Students at Johnston Square Elementary are 96% African American, 3% Hispanic.

Is Johnston Square Elementary a good school?

Johnston Square Elementary ranks in the bottom 0.2% of Maryland elementary schools.

What district is Johnston Square Elementary in?

Baltimore City Public Schools

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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.