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Dowell Elementary

Q: Is Dowell Elementary a good school?

Dowell Elementary ranks 337 th of 864 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

337^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 864 Maryland Elementary Schools

Better than 61% of Maryland elementary schools

Summary

Dowell Elementary in Lusby, MD, is a mid-sized school serving 541 students from Pre-K through 5th grade as part of the highly-rated Calvert County Public Schools district, which ranks 3rd in Maryland.

Dowell’s biggest strength is math, where 37.5% of students are proficient—matching the district average and far exceeding the state average of 27.1%. However, English Language Arts (ELA) is a significant challenge: only 49.7% of students are proficient, which is 17 percentage points below the district average and slightly below the state average. This gap is most pronounced in 3rd grade, where just 43% of students meet ELA standards compared to 66.7% district-wide. Chronic absenteeism is another concern, with 22% of students missing too many days—higher than the district average of 17.3%, though improved from a peak of 36.6% in 2021-2022. On a positive note, Dowell maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio of 13.6:1, and its per-student spending of $17,732 is lower than nearby Calvert peers like St Leonard Elementary ($21,782) and Patuxent Appeal Elementary Campus ($21,045), suggesting efficient resource use.

Compared to schools in neighboring St. Mary's County Public Schools, Dowell performs average to above-average. It significantly outperforms struggling schools like Lexington Park Elementary (7.1% math, 20.9% ELA) and George Washington Carver Elementary (12.7% math, 33.5% ELA). However, it is outclassed by top-tier St. Mary’s schools like Evergreen Elementary School (58.8% math, 65.4% ELA) and Hollywood Elementary (53.2% math, 68.2% ELA). Dowell’s state ranking has improved from the 52nd percentile in 2021-2022 to the 61st percentile currently, showing a positive trajectory, but it still has work to do to reach its pre-pandemic peak of the 71st percentile. The school’s defining challenge is closing the ELA achievement gap and reducing chronic absenteeism to help all students succeed.

541

Students ?

13.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,732

Per pupil spending ?

47.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

12680 H G Trueman Rd
Lusby, MD 20657

(443) 550-9480

District: Calvert County Public Schools

Students who attend Dowell Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Mill Creek Middle
High:	Patuxent High

Racial breakdown:

White:

68.9%

Two or more races:

12.2%

African American:

9.8%

See top rated Maryland elementary schools

Compare Dowell Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 62nd percentile in 2016 → 61st in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Maryland median (61st percentile)

Worth a look

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

!Near the bottom of Calvert County Public Schools's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school43%

District avg52%

Maryland avg39%

337^th of 864

Maryland public elementary schools ?

Top 39%▼ down 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

11^th of 12Elementary Schools in the Calvert County Public Schools

3^rd of 25Calvert 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	58.6	337 of 864	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	58.8	347 of 865	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.7	355 of 859	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.0	387 of 855	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.0	410 of 862	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	36.6	397 of 802	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.4	293 of 853	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.3	336 of 857	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	71.7	248 of 847	70.7%	★★★★☆
2016	59.2	322 of 845	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2015	51.4	378 of 859	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2014	64.3	352 of 867	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	60.3	359 of 847	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2012	72.6	217 of 857	74.7%	★★★★☆
2011	67.2	293 of 853	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2010	55.2	443 of 855	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2009	56.3	430 of 850	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2008	59.1	401 of 838	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2007	33.5	595 of 818	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	42.3	511 of 804	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2005	48.4	457 of 805	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2004	46.5	495 of 803	38.4%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	45.3	321 of 796	59.7%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	40.9	302 of 546	44.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	38.4	373 of 788	52.7%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	25.7	383 of 528	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)60th percentile+9 vs school

Male (2021)53rd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2021)45th percentile-6 vs school

White (2021)27th percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs Maryland (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts50%~ state avg

Science43%+10 vs state

Mathematics38%+10 vs state

2.3

3 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★2

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, May 31, 2013

A kindergartner who brought a cowboy-style cap gun onto his Calvert County school bus was suspended for 10 days after showing a friend the orange-tipped toy, which he had tucked inside his backpack on his way to school, according to his family and a lawyer.

The child was questioned for more than two hours before his mother was called, she said, adding that he uncharacteristically wet his pants during the episode. The boy is 5 — “all bugs and frogs and cowboys,” his mother said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/cowboy-style-cap-gun-gets-5-year-old-ousted-from-school-in-calvert-county/2013/05/30/a3a8a178-c93c-11e2-9245-773c0123c027_story.html Close Quote

by a parent
Saturday, October 2, 2010

I have found this principal to be very difficult to work with when issues are brought forth. My wife and I have consulted with an attourney in regards to this principal, and her dictator attitude. The attourney has sued this school before, and won. I would have sued this school if I had a $7,000 retainer fee. Close Quote

Schools Near Dowell 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
Dowell Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	12680 H G Trueman Rd	Lusby	20657	Calvert County	Calvert County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(443) 550-9480	541	40	13.6	47.3%	373 (68.9%)	53 (9.8%)	37 (6.8%)	9 (1.7%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	66 (12.2%)	58.6	337^th of 864 public elementary schools	61.0%		58.8	347^th of 865 public elementary schools	59.9%	10	40.0	40.7	31.3	37.5	43.0	50.0	56.3	49.7	42.7	$17,732	$1,577	$16,155
Patuxent Appeal Elementary Campus	Public	PK, KG-5	11655 Hg Trueman Rd	Lusby	20657	Calvert County	Calvert County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(443) 550-9710	641	45	14.1	59.8%	365 (56.9%)	121 (18.9%)	54 (8.4%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	99 (15.4%)	54.6	369^th of 864 public elementary schools	57.3%		61	325^th of 865 public elementary schools	62.4%	44	41.7	43.6	26.7	37.2	46.4	48.5	46.1	47.0	35.6	$21,045	$2,426	$18,619
Town Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	45805 Dent Dr	Lexington Park	20653	St. Mary's County	St. Mary's County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 863-4044	220	16	13.4	56.4%	114 (51.8%)	42 (19.1%)	32 (14.5%)	4 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (12.7%)	54.7	367^th of 864 public elementary schools	57.5%		63.3	305^th of 865 public elementary schools	64.7%	62	50.0	42.2	25.8	39.2	50.0	48.9	41.9	47.1	29.0	$22,451	$1,023	$21,428
Green Holly Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	46060 Millstone Landing Rd	Lexington Park	20653	St. Mary's County	St. Mary's County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 863-4064	478	38	12.4	63.0%	157 (32.8%)	168 (35.1%)	81 (16.9%)	21 (4.4%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.6%)	47 (9.8%)	61.5	307^th of 864 public elementary schools	64.5%		56.9	355^th of 865 public elementary schools	59.0%	48	45.8	55.8	32.1	44.4	54.2	59.6	47.2	53.6	24.5	$25,215	$2,575	$22,640
Hollywood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	44345 Joy Chapel Rd	Hollywood	20636	St. Mary's County	St. Mary's County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 373-4350	414	26	15.6	32.1%	263 (63.5%)	43 (10.4%)	43 (10.4%)	13 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	50 (12.1%)	84.5	136^th of 864 public elementary schools	84.3%		81.6	163^rd of 865 public elementary schools	81.2%	27	64.9	52.0	42.3	53.2	73.0	69.3	62.0	68.2	54.9	$19,331	$1,351	$17,980
Greenview Knolls Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	45711 Military Ln	Great Mills	20634	St. Mary's County	St. Mary's County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 863-4095	294	24	12.3	57.1%	87 (29.6%)	110 (37.4%)	30 (10.2%)	14 (4.8%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	51 (17.3%)	40.4	474^th of 864 public elementary schools	45.1%		47.4	427^th of 865 public elementary schools	50.6%	47	29.8	32.0	18.8	26.9	46.8	54.0	39.6	46.9	14.6	$24,270	$2,669	$21,600
Lexington Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	46763 Shangri La Dr	Lexington Park	20653	St. Mary's County	St. Mary's County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 863-4085	383	31	12.4	76.0%	47 (12.3%)	197 (51.4%)	84 (21.9%)	7 (1.8%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (12.0%)	11.9	795^th of 864 public elementary schools	8.0%		20.9	673^rd of 865 public elementary schools	22.2%	122	3.3	9.1	9.0	7.1	13.6	25.0	23.9	20.9	10.6	$22,618	$3,474	$19,144
Evergreen Elementary School	Public	K-5	43765 Wildewood Parkway	California	20619	St. Mary's County	St. Mary's County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 863-4060	715	42	16.9	23.5%	445 (62.2%)	92 (12.9%)	81 (11.3%)	37 (5.2%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	57 (8.0%)	83.2	153^rd of 864 public elementary schools	82.3%		81.1	170^th of 865 public elementary schools	80.3%	17	47.7	63.1	65.7	58.8	59.5	68.9	67.6	65.4	51.5	$14,965	$949	$14,016
George Washington Carver Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	46155 Carver School Blvd	Great Mills	20634	St. Mary's County	St. Mary's County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 863-4076	460	38	12.0	76.3%	62 (13.5%)	218 (47.4%)	127 (27.6%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (10.4%)	23.5	640^th of 864 public elementary schools	25.9%		26.7	591^st of 865 public elementary schools	31.7%	49	10.5	12.3	14.9	12.7	22.8	38.4	37.3	33.5	20.9	$23,748	$3,740	$20,008
St Leonard Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5370 St Leonard Rd	Saint Leonard	20685	Calvert County	Calvert County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(443) 550-9760	401	32	12.6	48.6%	233 (58.1%)	80 (20.0%)	39 (9.7%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (11.2%)	61.8	304^th of 864 public elementary schools	64.8%		67.5	275^th of 865 public elementary schools	68.2%	29	59.7	27.9	28.3	39.2	69.4	41.0	54.7	55.1	38.5	$21,782	$2,832	$18,950

Frequently Asked Questions about Dowell Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Dowell Elementary?

Students at Dowell Elementary are 69% White, 12% Two or more races, 10% African American, 7% Hispanic, 2% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Dowell Elementary attend?

Students who attend Dowell Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Mill Creek Middle
High : Patuxent High

What district is Dowell Elementary in?

Calvert County Public Schools

Is Dowell Elementary a good school?

Dowell Elementary ranks 337^th of 864 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Dowell Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 541 students attended Dowell Elementary.

Rate Dowell 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.