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Sandalwood Elementary

Q: Is Sandalwood Elementary a good school?

Sandalwood Elementary ranks 563 rd of 865 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

563^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 865 Maryland Elementary Schools

Better than 35% of Maryland elementary schools

Summary

Sandalwood Elementary is a PK-5 school in the Essex-Middle River area of Baltimore, serving 440 students as part of the Baltimore County Public Schools district, and has shown a clear upward trend in recent years, moving from a 1-star rating to a 2-star rating for the last four years.

One of the school's biggest strengths is its English Language Arts (ELA) performance, with a 41.4% proficiency rate that is the second-highest among 11 nearby schools and notably far above its closest neighbor, Sussex Elementary (23.4%). Sandalwood also stands out for its exceptional work with Hispanic students, ranking in the 63rd percentile statewide for this group—a 3-star rating that is the school's highest subgroup ranking. Another major success story is the dramatic reduction in chronic absenteeism, which dropped from a staggering 52.6% in 2021-2022 to just 22.4% in 2024-2025, now below the district average and one of the lowest rates among nearby peers like Deep Creek Elementary and Mars Estates Elementary, where rates of 30-40% are common.

However, there are clear challenges. While 3rd-grade math proficiency (33.3%) is close to the district average, it plummets to just 7.2% by 5th grade—a massive 26-point gap from the district average (27.9%)—suggesting students struggle to build on foundational math skills in upper elementary. Science is also a weak point across the region, with Sandalwood's 5th-grade science score (17.6%) below the district average but actually the second-highest among nearby schools. Despite high per-pupil spending ($21,644), outcomes in math and science remain mixed, though the school is a clear "bright spot" in a cluster of very low-performing schools, outperforming neighbors like Middlesex Elementary (4th percentile) and Charlesmont Elementary (57th percentile) in key areas.

440

Students ?

14.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,644

Per pupil spending ?

83.0%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

900 S Marlyn Ave
Baltimore, MD 21221-5843

(410) 887-0174

District: Baltimore County Public Schools

Students who attend Sandalwood Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Deep Creek Middle
High:	Chesapeake High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

71.6%

Hispanic:

16.6%

Two or more races:

7.0%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 25th percentile in 2016 → 35th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 10 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Maryland average (29% vs 39% meeting standards)

!Science scores 15 pts below the Maryland average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school29%

District avg34%

Maryland avg39%

563^rd of 865

Maryland public elementary schools ?

Bottom 35%▲ up 10 pts since 2016

From bottom 25% (2016) to bottom 35% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

67^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	31.3	563 of 865	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.3	472 of 865	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.1	537 of 859	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.2	569 of 855	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.2	575 of 862	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	22.2	590 of 802	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.7	645 of 853	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.7	668 of 857	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	22.2	643 of 847	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	23.5	632 of 845	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	27.1	606 of 859	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	67.2	316 of 867	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	68.9	261 of 847	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	66.3	307 of 857	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2011	57.0	415 of 853	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2010	25.6	718 of 855	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	20.7	756 of 850	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	14.6	777 of 838	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	80.5	121 of 818	85.2%	★★★★☆
2006	81.1	130 of 804	83.8%	★★★★☆
2005	80.0	138 of 805	82.9%	★★★★☆
2004	81.7	127 of 803	84.2%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	36.8	313 of 504	37.9%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	25.6	555 of 796	30.3%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	44.6	127 of 347	63.4%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	41.7	287 of 546	47.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	21.2	600 of 788	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	19.2	421 of 528	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2021)63rd percentile+37 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2021)47th percentile+21 vs school

African American (2021)38th percentile+11 vs school

Female (2021)30th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2021)24th percentile-3 vs school

White (2021)20th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs Maryland (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts41%-10 vs state

Mathematics20%-7 vs state

Science18%-15 vs state

★

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Schools Near Sandalwood 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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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
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
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
Middleborough Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	313 West Rd	Baltimore	21221	Baltimore County	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 887-0160	288	21	13.8	48.3%	159 (55.2%)	64 (22.2%)	27 (9.4%)	4 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (11.8%)	46.6	438^th of 865 public elementary schools	49.4%		42.6	469^th of 865 public elementary schools	45.8%	31	28.9	38.0	28.6	32.1	45.5	42.0	40.5	42.6	34.9	$18,218	$1,363	$16,855
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
Battle Grove Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7828 St Patricia Ln	Baltimore	21222	Baltimore County	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 887-7500	333	26	13.0	76.9%	116 (34.8%)	98 (29.4%)	87 (26.1%)	5 (1.5%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (7.2%)	19.9	686^th of 865 public elementary schools	20.7%		24.9	611^th of 865 public elementary schools	29.4%	75	26.1	18.2	10.4	18.1	34.8	27.3	25.0	29.0	10.2	$32,452	$4,618	$27,835
Charlesmont Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7800 W Collingham Dr	Baltimore	21222	Baltimore County	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 887-7004	373	25	14.9	69.4%	163 (43.7%)	61 (16.4%)	108 (29.0%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (9.4%)	54.1	375^th of 865 public elementary schools	56.6%		46.9	430^th of 865 public elementary schools	50.3%	55	50.0	42.0	27.1	39.0	46.0	50.0	49.2	48.4	25.4	$21,255	$3,699	$17,556
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
Bear Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1601 Melbourne Rd	Baltimore	21222	Baltimore County	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 887-7007	461	32	14.5	76.8%	229 (49.7%)	72 (15.6%)	104 (22.6%)	6 (1.3%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (10.2%)	18.7	704^th of 865 public elementary schools	18.6%		20.2	681^st of 865 public elementary schools	21.3%	23	21.3	20.8	12.1	18.5	28.4	27.4	15.5	24.4	15.8	$21,770	$4,525	$17,244

Frequently Asked Questions about Sandalwood Elementary

How many students attend Sandalwood Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 440 students attended Sandalwood Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Sandalwood Elementary?

Students at Sandalwood Elementary are 72% African American, 17% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 4% White.

Is Sandalwood Elementary a good school?

Sandalwood Elementary ranks 563^rd of 865 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Sandalwood Elementary attend?

Students who attend Sandalwood Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Deep Creek Middle
High : Chesapeake High

What district is Sandalwood Elementary in?

Baltimore County 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.