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Essex Elementary

Q: Is Essex Elementary a good school?

Essex Elementary ranks 570 th of 865 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

570^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 865 Maryland Elementary Schools

Better than 34% of Maryland elementary schools

Summary

Essex Elementary is a mid-sized school in Baltimore, MD, serving 481 students in grades PK-5 within the Baltimore County Public Schools district, where over 70% of students come from low socio-economic backgrounds. The school has shown a modest upward trend, recently earning a 2-star rating and reaching its highest percentile rank (34th) in several years, signaling stabilization and improvement after a period of lower performance.

A standout feature of Essex Elementary is its strong 3rd-grade performance, with proficiency rates in Math (42.2%) and English Language Arts (51.6%) that exceed both district and state averages—a notable achievement compared to nearby schools like Mars Estates Elementary and Sussex Elementary, which fall below state averages. However, there is a significant drop-off in upper grades, with 4th-grade proficiency plummeting to 12.9% in Math and 24.6% in ELA, a decline more severe than at higher-performing neighbors like Orems Elementary or Middleborough Elementary. This pattern suggests strong early instruction but potential challenges in transitioning to more complex skills in later grades.

Essex Elementary also demonstrates exceptional effectiveness with African American students, ranking in the 80th percentile statewide for this subgroup, while struggling with other groups. Chronic absenteeism has improved dramatically from 35.8% to 21.3%, now below the district average and better than nearby Sussex Elementary (36.1%) and Deep Creek Elementary (31.7%). Despite spending less per student ($19,225) than peers like Mars Estates Elementary ($23,567), the school outperforms many higher-spending neighbors, indicating efficient resource use. The contrast with nearby Orems Elementary (51st percentile, low absenteeism) and Sussex Elementary (13th percentile, high absenteeism) highlights how school-level factors like leadership and culture drive outcomes beyond neighborhood demographics.

481

Students ?

16.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,225

Per pupil spending ?

70.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

100 Mace Ave
Baltimore, MD 21221-6925

(410) 887-0117

District: Baltimore County Public Schools

Students who attend Essex Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Stemmers Run Middle
High:	Kenwood High

Racial breakdown:

White:

42.8%

Hispanic:

26.8%

African American:

16.8%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 24th percentile in 2022 → 34th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 34th (2026) from a 24th-percentile low (2022)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Maryland average (28% vs 39% meeting standards)

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

!English Language Arts scores 16 pts below the Maryland average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school28%

District avg34%

Maryland avg39%

570^th of 865

Maryland public elementary schools ?

Bottom 34%▼ down 9 pts since 2016

From bottom 43% (2016) to bottom 34% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

70^th of 108Elementary Schools in the Baltimore County Public Schools

18^th of 24Baltimore 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	30.8	570 of 865	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	28.4	570 of 865	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	21.8	625 of 859	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.4	615 of 855	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.4	655 of 862	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.3	569 of 802	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.2	588 of 853	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.2	511 of 857	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	26.9	599 of 847	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	39.6	478 of 845	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2015	34.1	532 of 859	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2014	65.6	335 of 867	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	60.2	361 of 847	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	65.7	317 of 857	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	59.1	394 of 853	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2010	69.6	278 of 855	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2009	62.4	357 of 850	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2008	68.6	282 of 838	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2007	58.2	381 of 818	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2006	70.5	259 of 804	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2005	55.4	397 of 805	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2004	62.2	358 of 803	55.4%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	62.5	99 of 504	80.4%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	22.4	602 of 796	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	46.6	238 of 546	56.4%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	31.1	465 of 788	41.0%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	42.3	74 of 136	45.6%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	11.2	494 of 528	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2021)80th percentile+51 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2021)56th percentile+27 vs school

Special Education (2021)46th percentile+17 vs school

Male (2021)41st percentile+12 vs school

Female (2021)24th percentile-5 vs school

White (2021)6th percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs Maryland (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts36%-16 vs state

Mathematics22%-5 vs state

Science21%-11 vs state

★

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Schools Near Essex 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
Essex Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	100 Mace Ave	Baltimore	21221	Baltimore County	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 887-0117	481	29	16.4	70.5%	206 (42.8%)	81 (16.8%)	129 (26.8%)	9 (1.9%)	5 (1.0%)	3 (0.6%)	48 (10.0%)	30.8	570^th of 865 public elementary schools	34.1%		28.4	570^th of 865 public elementary schools	34.1%		42.2	12.9	13.9	22.1	51.6	24.6	32.1	35.5	21.0	$19,225	$2,696	$16,528
Sussex Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	515 S Woodward Dr	Baltimore	21221	Baltimore County	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 887-0182	475	32	14.8	78.9%	136 (28.6%)	131 (27.6%)	136 (28.6%)	10 (2.1%)	5 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	56 (11.8%)	15.5	752^nd of 865 public elementary schools	13.1%		15.6	746^th of 865 public elementary schools	13.8%	6	13.0	16.1	12.1	13.7	20.3	35.5	15.2	23.4	10.1	$19,256	$2,469	$16,787
Deep Creek Elementary	Public	K-5	1101 E Homberg Ave	Baltimore	21221	Baltimore County	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 887-0110	385	28	13.7	80.3%	35 (9.1%)	251 (65.2%)	62 (16.1%)	4 (1.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (8.1%)	11.5	803^rd of 865 public elementary schools	7.2%		12.6	801^st of 865 public elementary schools	7.4%	2	4.7	8.9	9.2	7.6	20.0	26.8	21.5	22.6	6.1	$20,623	$2,941	$17,682
Mars Estates Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1500 E Homberg Ave	Baltimore	21221	Baltimore County	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 887-0154	400	27	14.6	75.8%	43 (10.8%)	218 (54.5%)	94 (23.5%)	9 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (9.0%)	10.9	815^th of 865 public elementary schools	5.8%		17.3	727^th of 865 public elementary schools	16.0%	88	8.6	4.7	10.4	8.1	22.8	24.4	12.2	19.7	10.0	$23,567	$2,999	$20,568
Sandalwood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	900 S Marlyn Ave	Baltimore	21221	Baltimore County	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 887-0174	440	30	14.7	83.0%	16 (3.6%)	315 (71.6%)	73 (16.6%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (7.0%)	31.3	563^rd of 865 public elementary schools	34.9%		42.3	472^nd of 865 public elementary schools	45.4%	91	33.3	17.6	7.2	20.0	40.5	41.2	42.6	41.4	17.6	$21,644	$3,404	$18,240
Orems Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	711 Highvilla Rd	Baltimore	21221	Baltimore County	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 887-0172	402	25	16.3	66.4%	139 (34.6%)	94 (23.4%)	119 (29.6%)	25 (6.2%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	21 (5.2%)	48.6	423^rd of 865 public elementary schools	51.1%		50.3	405^th of 865 public elementary schools	53.2%	18	43.3	31.0	34.2	36.4	51.5	46.6	38.4	45.2	23.0	$20,697	$2,814	$17,883
Middlesex Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	142 Bennett Rd	Baltimore	21221	Baltimore County	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 887-0170	448	36	12.5	80.4%	128 (28.6%)	146 (32.6%)	122 (27.2%)	9 (2.0%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	38 (8.5%)	17.7	716^th of 865 public elementary schools	17.2%		10.2	832^nd of 865 public elementary schools	3.8%	116	16.7	15.9	6.8	13.5	25.7	29.0	30.0	28.1	15.4	$22,136	$2,851	$19,285
Berkshire Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7431 Poplar Ave	Baltimore	21224	Baltimore city	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 887-7008	514	39	13.3	73.3%	162 (31.5%)	71 (13.8%)	230 (44.7%)	6 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	43 (8.4%)	13.4	778^th of 865 public elementary schools	10.1%		15.2	751^st of 865 public elementary schools	13.2%	27	15.9	13.2	3.4	10.4	29.5	18.9	21.6	24.0	10.6	$20,411	$2,908	$17,503
Colgate Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7735 Gough Street	Baltimore	21224	Baltimore city	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(443) 809-7010	533	35	15.4	66.8%	90 (16.9%)	31 (5.8%)	384 (72.0%)	6 (1.1%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	18 (3.4%)	11.5	801^st of 865 public elementary schools	7.4%		13.4	787^th of 865 public elementary schools	9.0%	14	18.3	12.6	8.9	13.1	16.9	15.8	19.0	17.1	6.1	$19,629	$2,283	$17,346
Red House Run Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1717 Weyburn Rd	Baltimore	21237	Baltimore County	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 887-0506	694	51	13.6	66.3%	184 (26.5%)	205 (29.5%)	206 (29.7%)	62 (8.9%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	35 (5.0%)	29.5	581^st of 865 public elementary schools	32.8%		30.2	555^th of 865 public elementary schools	35.8%	26	28.3	17.5	15.0	20.3	34.7	42.9	34.8	37.6	21.4	$20,094	$2,292	$17,802

Frequently Asked Questions about Essex Elementary

What district is Essex Elementary in?

Baltimore County Public Schools

Is Essex Elementary a good school?

Essex Elementary ranks 570^th of 865 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Essex Elementary attend?

Students who attend Essex Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Stemmers Run Middle
High : Kenwood High

How many students attend Essex Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 481 students attended Essex Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Essex Elementary?

Students at Essex Elementary are 43% White, 27% Hispanic, 17% African American, 10% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 1% American Indian.

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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.