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Shady Spring Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

658^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 865 Maryland Elementary Schools

Better than 24% of Maryland elementary schools

Summary

Shady Spring Elementary is a small school in Baltimore, MD, serving approximately 375 students from Pre-K through 5th grade within the Baltimore County Public Schools district, where over 73% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Academically, Shady Spring is currently performing in the bottom quarter of Maryland elementary schools, ranking in the 24th percentile for the 2025-2026 school year. This represents a significant decline from a recent peak in the 2021-2022 school year, when the school ranked in the 43rd percentile. The school’s performance is notably below both the district and state averages in core subjects, particularly in Mathematics and Science. For example, overall Math proficiency (13.6%) is less than half that of nearby Fullerton Elementary (32%) and roughly a third of Rossville Elementary (38.8%). This gap is consistent across all grade levels and subjects. Interestingly, Shady Spring spends a significant amount per student ($20,699 in 2023-2024), which is higher than the district average and comparable to high-performing peers like Orems Elementary ($20,697), yet the academic return on this investment is poor.

On a positive note, Shady Spring has made a dramatic and sustained improvement in reducing chronic absenteeism, which has plummeted from a high of 32.3% in 2021-2022 to just 15.4% in 2024-2025. This is now the lowest chronic absenteeism rate among all its Baltimore County peers and is significantly better than the district average (25.6%). This indicates that the school has successfully implemented effective strategies to get students to school consistently, which is a foundational step for academic improvement. The fact that this success has not yet translated into higher test scores is a critical area for investigation. The school shows a clear disparity in performance between English Language Arts (ELA) and Math/Science, with ELA proficiency (35.1%) much closer to the district average (46.1%) than Math proficiency (13.6% vs. 21.9%). This suggests that while the school may have some effective literacy strategies, there is a critical and urgent need for intervention in mathematics and science instruction.

375

Students ?

13.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,699

Per pupil spending ?

73.1%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

8868 Goldenwood Rd
Baltimore, MD 21237-2221

(410) 887-0509

District: Baltimore County Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

African American:

61.6%

Hispanic:

22.4%

Asian:

5.3%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 25th percentile in 2016 → 24th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Maryland average (22% vs 39% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (24th percentile)

!Science scores 21 pts below the Maryland average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school22%

District avg34%

Maryland avg39%

658^th of 865

Maryland public elementary schools ?

Bottom 24%▼ down 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

84^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	22.0	658 of 865	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.5	651 of 865	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.0	497 of 859	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.0	537 of 855	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.2	489 of 862	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	18.2	657 of 802	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.8	668 of 853	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.5	613 of 857	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	27.5	591 of 847	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	23.0	637 of 845	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	33.5	540 of 859	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2014	47.7	536 of 867	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2013	37.5	586 of 847	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	48.1	507 of 857	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	49.6	482 of 853	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2010	45.1	554 of 855	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2009	41.9	567 of 850	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2008	48.7	503 of 838	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2007	47.1	482 of 818	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2006	49.8	444 of 804	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2005	57.2	384 of 805	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2004	57.9	405 of 803	49.6%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	34.2	335 of 504	33.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	21.4	616 of 796	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	34.0	214 of 347	38.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	27.1	453 of 546	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	17.3	675 of 788	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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)38th percentile+20 vs school

African American (2021)34th percentile+15 vs school

Female (2021)23rd percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2021)17th percentile~ school

Male (2021)14th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs Maryland (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts35%-17 vs state

Mathematics14%-13 vs state

Science11%-21 vs state

2.0

3 ratings · 2 written reviews

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, August 30, 2017

I am SO glad that we were able to move so that I did not have to deal with this school anymore. Of the schools my children have attended in MD this school is by far THE WORST!!! The PPW as well as the office were most unhelpful. There were multiple issues while my children attended and in order to have anything resolved I had to call the Board of Education. At one point when my children (Kindergarten and second grade) started taking the bus they were dropped off in front of the jail instead of their daycare!! I could never get a straight answer out of anyone who works there and EVERY SINGLE PERSON tells you something different. The most unorganized school ever!! The ONLY bright spot to this school is the teachers. Both were amazingly fantastic! Close Quote

by a parent
Friday, November 7, 2014

All I hear from the kids are "we have another substitute". I ask them daily what they've learned in school, and most of the time they'd tell me it's the same stuff they were learning from months ago. This is a sorry piece of crap school. Close Quote

Schools Near Shady Spring 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/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 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
Shady Spring Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	8868 Goldenwood Rd	Baltimore	21237	Baltimore County	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 887-0509	375	27	13.8	73.1%	18 (4.8%)	231 (61.6%)	84 (22.4%)	20 (5.3%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.5%)	22	658^th of 865 public elementary schools	23.9%		22.5	651^st of 865 public elementary schools	24.7%	7	19.5	15.6	8.3				13.6	30.0	40.3	33.3				35.1		11.0		$20,699	$2,627	$18,071
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
McCormick Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5101 Hazelwood Ave	Baltimore	21206	Baltimore city	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 887-0500	295	21	13.8	80.3%	22 (7.5%)	213 (72.2%)	34 (11.5%)	8 (2.7%)	3 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	14 (4.7%)	23	649^th of 865 public elementary schools	25.0%		12.4	805^th of 865 public elementary schools	6.9%	156	10.3	15.6	20.0				15.4	32.5	32.8	37.5				34.0		12.5		$23,623	$3,301	$20,322
Elmwood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	531 Dale Ave	Baltimore	21206	Baltimore city	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 887-5232	396	28	14.1	65.2%	70 (17.7%)	200 (50.5%)	84 (21.2%)	14 (3.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (6.6%)	18.3	708^th of 865 public elementary schools	18.2%		17.9	716^th of 865 public elementary schools	17.2%	8	14.3	14.3	11.7				13.4	20.6	35.2	27.1				27.3		17.2		$20,446	$2,234	$18,212
Rossville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7649 Gum Spring Road	Baltimore	21237	Baltimore County	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(443) 809-8519	726	47	15.3	59.2%	137 (18.9%)	349 (48.1%)	69 (9.5%)	128 (17.6%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	40 (5.5%)	64	289^th of 865 public elementary schools	66.6%		63.5	304^th of 865 public elementary schools	64.9%	15	51.0	42.3	27.0				38.8	63.1	55.4	54.3				57.2		34.5		$16,699	$1,392	$15,307
Fullerton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4400 Fullerton Ave	Baltimore	21236	Baltimore County	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 887-5234	383	26	14.7	52.2%	121 (31.6%)	144 (37.6%)	70 (18.3%)	9 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (10.2%)	46.8	437^th of 865 public elementary schools	49.5%		54.2	371^st of 865 public elementary schools	57.1%	66	42.6	32.9	20.0				32.0	45.6	42.5	46.2				44.7		30.8		$19,649	$1,863	$17,786
City Neighbors Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	4301 Raspe Avenue	Baltimore	21206	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(410) 325-2627	231	16	14.9	54.1%	54 (23.4%)	173 (74.9%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	38.2	498^th of 865 public elementary schools	42.4%		35.8	508^th of 865 public elementary schools	41.3%	10	16.0	34.8	17.9	3.6	7.4	3.8	13.2	40.0	60.9	39.3	53.6	74.1	35.7	50.3		17.9	7.1	$21,980	$4,222	$17,759
Hazelwood Elementary/Middle	Public	PK, KG-8	4517 Hazelwood Avenue	Baltimore	21206	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-9098	524	38	13.9	82.4%	8 (1.5%)	445 (84.9%)	54 (10.3%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	11 (2.1%)	13.1	780^th of 865 public elementary schools	9.8%		14	774^th of 865 public elementary schools	10.5%	6	14.0	6.9	10.7	6.9	6.2	4.7	8.1	23.2	20.3	18.2	20.3	40.3	32.3	26.3		12.5	1.5	$25,419	$4,938	$20,481
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
Glenmount Elementary/Middle	Public	PK, KG-8	6211 Walther Avenue	Baltimore	21206	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-6366	628	46	13.8	75.2%	18 (2.9%)	529 (84.2%)	62 (9.9%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (2.7%)	18	711^th of 865 public elementary schools	17.8%		30.3	554^th of 865 public elementary schools	36.0%	157	14.5	7.2	4.8	1.7	7.5	3.5	7.1	36.2	33.3	23.0	40.0	48.8	36.4	36.8		8.2	9.1	$21,762	$4,333	$17,429

Frequently Asked Questions about Shady Spring Elementary

Is Shady Spring Elementary a good school?

Shady Spring Elementary ranks in the bottom 23.9% of Maryland elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Shady Spring Elementary?

Students at Shady Spring Elementary are 62% African American, 22% Hispanic, 5% Asian, 5% White, 5% Two or more races, 1% American Indian.

What district is Shady Spring Elementary in?

Baltimore County Public Schools

What schools do graduates of Shady Spring Elementary attend?

Students who attend Shady Spring Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Overlea High

How many students attend Shady Spring Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 375 students attended Shady Spring Elementary.

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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.