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Matthew A. Henson Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

723^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 864 Maryland Elementary Schools

Better than 16% of Maryland elementary schools

Summary

Matthew A. Henson Elementary is a small PK-5 school in the Sandtown-Winchester/Harlem Park area of West Baltimore, serving 199 students in a high-poverty community where 86% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and it is part of the Baltimore City Public Schools district.

Henson stands out as a remarkable turnaround story in a challenging district. After ranking at the very bottom of Maryland elementary schools in 2019, it has climbed steadily to the 16th percentile by 2026. Its biggest strength is mathematics, where 18.3% of students are proficient—significantly higher than the district average of 13.3% and far above nearby schools like Sandtown-Winchester Achievement Academy (0.5%) and Rosemont Elementary/Middle (1.7%). This math success is especially strong in upper grades, with 27.3% of 4th graders and 25% of 5th graders proficient. The school also spends a high $28,098 per student, more than most nearby peers, and has dramatically reduced chronic absenteeism from 65.1% to 39.9%—now below the district average.

However, Henson faces clear challenges. English Language Arts proficiency is 22%, well below the state average of 51.7%, and it is outperformed in this area by Empowerment Academy (33.2%). Science is a critical gap, with 0% of 5th graders proficient in 2025. Compared to Harlem Park Elementary/Middle (11% math) and Gwynns Falls Elementary (60.7% chronic absenteeism), Henson is a relative bright spot, but it still has significant work ahead to reach state averages.

199

Students ?

15.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$28,098

Per pupil spending ?

85.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1600 N Payson Street
Baltimore, MD 21217-1121

(410) 396-0776

District: Baltimore City Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

African American:

88.9%

Hispanic:

7.5%

White:

2.0%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 11th percentile in 2015 → 16th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Maryland average (17% vs 39% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (16th percentile)

!Science scores 32 pts below the Maryland average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school17%

District avg23%

Maryland avg39%

723^rd of 864

Maryland public elementary schools ?

Bottom 16%▲ up 14 pts since 2016

From bottom 3% (2016) to bottom 16% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

48^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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2026	17.0	723 of 864	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	26.0	600 of 865	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	16.7	697 of 859	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	11.1	793 of 855	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.2	826 of 862	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.4	853 of 853	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.0	838 of 857	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	15.5	725 of 847	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	7.7	823 of 845	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	14.7	766 of 859	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	11.6	783 of 867	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	11.9	788 of 847	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	1.5	845 of 857	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	6.7	836 of 855	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	9.0	822 of 850	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	31.5	645 of 838	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	80.9	111 of 818	86.4%	★★★★☆
2006	83.9	88 of 804	89.1%	★★★★☆
2005	87.0	60 of 805	92.5%	★★★★★
2004	79.5	142 of 803	82.3%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Maryland (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts22%-30 vs state

Mathematics18%-9 vs state

Science0%-32 vs state

★

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Schools Near Matthew A. Henson 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
Matthew A. Henson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1600 N Payson Street	Baltimore	21217	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-0776	199	13	15.9	85.9%	4 (2.0%)	177 (88.9%)	15 (7.5%)	2 (1.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17	723^rd of 864 public elementary schools	16.3%		26	600^th of 865 public elementary schools	30.6%	123	8.3	27.3	25.0				18.3	19.4	27.3	20.8				22.0		0.0		$28,098	$5,944	$22,154
New Song Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	1530 Presstman Street	Baltimore	21217	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(410) 728-2091	182	13	14.0	87.4%	0 (0.0%)	182 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7.3	848^th of 864 public elementary schools	1.9%		7.7	853^rd of 865 public elementary schools	1.4%	5	14.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	14.3	4.0	7.1	4.5	0.0	25.0	28.6	42.9	18.4		9.1	21.4	$24,869	$4,763	$20,107
Robert W. Coleman Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2400 Windsor Avenue	Baltimore	21216	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-0764	201	15	13.4	91.5%	0 (0.0%)	193 (96.0%)	4 (2.0%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	9.6	829^th of 864 public elementary schools	4.1%		9.9	835^th of 865 public elementary schools	3.5%	6	16.7	10.7	5.4				10.1	20.8	17.9	10.8				15.7		2.9		$28,406	$5,754	$22,652
Sandtown-Winchester Achievement Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	701 Gold Street	Baltimore	21217	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-0800	410	30	13.6	95.1%	1 (0.2%)	403 (98.3%)	5 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	5.5	860^th of 864 public elementary schools	0.5%		6	862^nd of 865 public elementary schools	0.3%	2	3.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	10.0	3.9	10.3	4.8	5.9	7.9	7.0		3.3	0.0	$22,903	$5,044	$17,859
Billie Holiday Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	2400 W Mosher Street	Baltimore	21216	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-0506	242	22	11.0	86.0%	2 (0.8%)	229 (94.6%)	9 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)								(n/a)																		$31,423	$6,416	$25,006
Rosemont Elementary/Middle	Public	PK, KG-8	2777 Presstman Street	Baltimore	21216	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-0574	294	19	15.4	90.1%	4 (1.4%)	288 (98.0%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6.6	855^th of 864 public elementary schools	1.0%		14.7	759^th of 865 public elementary schools	12.3%	96	8.0	3.9	3.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.7	16.7	18.5	6.1	1.9	25.0	23.9	14.8		0.0	6.4	$25,006	$5,902	$19,105
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
Empowerment Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	851 Braddish Avenue	Baltimore	21216	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(443) 984-2381	344	30	11.4	79.7%	3 (0.9%)	335 (97.4%)	5 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	16.1	739^th of 864 public elementary schools	14.5%		22.7	648^th of 865 public elementary schools	25.1%	91	6.7	8.8	13.3	0.0	8.6		6.3	15.6	29.4	43.3	17.5	57.1	43.6	33.2	2.6	20.0	10.3	$22,994	$3,716	$19,278
Gwynns Falls Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2700 Gwynns Falls Parkway	Baltimore	21216	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-0638	201	19	10.5	84.6%	1 (0.5%)	196 (97.5%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	10.1	824^th of 864 public elementary schools	4.6%		12.6	800^th of 865 public elementary schools	7.5%	24	15.8	12.1	2.4				9.8	13.2	20.6	19.5				17.7		4.8		$26,772	$6,267	$20,505
Dorothy I. Height Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2011 Linden Avenue	Baltimore	21217	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-0837	435	30	14.5	88.3%	17 (3.9%)	368 (84.6%)	29 (6.7%)	13 (3.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	6 (1.4%)	7.7	844^th of 864 public elementary schools	2.3%		9.5	841^st of 865 public elementary schools	2.8%	3	10.8	4.1	6.5				7.4	13.8	8.2	14.8				12.6		5.0		$25,354	$5,225	$20,128

Frequently Asked Questions about Matthew A. Henson Elementary

What district is Matthew A. Henson Elementary in?

Baltimore City Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Matthew A. Henson Elementary?

Students at Matthew A. Henson Elementary are 89% African American, 8% Hispanic, 2% White, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Matthew A. Henson Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 199 students attended Matthew A. Henson Elementary.

Is Matthew A. Henson Elementary a good school?

Matthew A. Henson Elementary ranks in the bottom 16.3% of Maryland elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Matthew A. Henson Elementary attend?

Students who attend Matthew A. Henson 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

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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.