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Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary

Q: Is Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary a good school?

Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary ranks 581 st of 864 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

581^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 864 Maryland Elementary Schools

Better than 33% of Maryland elementary schools

Summary

Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary is a mid-sized school in Waldorf, MD, serving 412 students from Pre-K through 5th grade as part of the Charles County Public Schools district, where about 68% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

One of the school's standout features is its strong performance in mathematics, which sets it apart from many nearby schools. In the 2025-2026 school year, 26.8% of all students were proficient in math, nearly matching the state average and far exceeding the district average of 17%. This is a significant contrast to struggling peers like Eva Turner Elementary (9.4%) and Dr. Samuel A. Mudd Elementary (9.2%). The school's 3rd graders are particularly strong, with 40.4% proficient in math—outperforming the district and nearly matching the state. However, this success is followed by a sharp "4th grade slump," where math proficiency drops to 19.3% and English Language Arts falls from 42.1% to 22.8%, a more severe decline than at higher-performing schools like C. Paul Barnhart Elementary.

Despite higher per-student spending ($21,532) than many local schools, Dr. Gustavus Brown faces persistent challenges. Chronic absenteeism sits at 28.1%, above the district average, and science proficiency is a critical weakness—only 10.7% of 5th graders are proficient, less than half the district rate. For comparison, C. Paul Barnhart Elementary, just 2.3 miles away, serves a similar percentage of low-income students but achieves much better results across all subjects with lower spending ($19,356 per student) and lower absenteeism (23.8%). This suggests Dr. Gustavus Brown has room to improve instructional effectiveness and operational efficiency.

412

Students ?

12.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,532

Per pupil spending ?

67.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

421 University Dr
Waldorf, MD 20602

(301) 645-1330

District: Charles County Public Schools

Students who attend Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Benjamin Stoddert Middle School
High:	St. Charles High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

61.4%

Hispanic:

26.2%

Two or more races:

8.5%

See top rated Maryland elementary schools

Compare Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 49th percentile in 2016 → 33rd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Maryland average (27% vs 39% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 16 percentile points since 2016

!Science scores 22 pts below the Maryland average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school27%

District avg31%

Maryland avg39%

581^st of 864

Maryland public elementary schools ?

Bottom 33%▼ down 16 pts since 2016

From bottom 49% (2016) to bottom 33% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

16^th of 22Elementary Schools in the Charles County Public Schools

20^th of 25Charles 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	29.4	581 of 864	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	28.1	574 of 865	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.0	595 of 859	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.8	579 of 855	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.8	583 of 862	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	19.7	628 of 802	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.5	563 of 853	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	28.4	583 of 857	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	54.1	357 of 847	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2016	44.7	435 of 845	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	47.1	412 of 859	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2014	32.2	662 of 867	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	15.6	758 of 847	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	22.1	729 of 857	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	32.1	638 of 853	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	22.7	743 of 855	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	18.9	766 of 850	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	16.6	759 of 838	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	75.5	184 of 818	77.5%	★★★★☆
2006	71.0	243 of 804	69.8%	★★★★☆
2005	68.2	270 of 805	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2004	68.2	284 of 803	64.6%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	26.9	399 of 504	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	16.3	703 of 796	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	34.2	211 of 347	39.2%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	39.7	317 of 546	41.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	21.5	596 of 788	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2021)42nd percentile+20 vs school

Hispanic (2021)39th percentile+17 vs school

Male (2021)24th percentile+3 vs school

African American (2021)21st percentile~ school

Female (2021)12th percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs Maryland (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts33%-18 vs state

Mathematics27%~ state avg

Science11%-22 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent on FaceBook
Thursday, July 18, 2013

Fabulous teachers and a fabulous principal! We can't complain a bit! Close Quote

Schools Near Dr. Gustavus Brown 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	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
Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	421 University Dr	Waldorf	20602	Charles County	Charles County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 645-1330	412	32	12.8	67.7%	12 (2.9%)	253 (61.4%)	108 (26.2%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (8.5%)	29.4	581^st of 864 public elementary schools	32.8%		28.1	574^th of 865 public elementary schools	33.6%	7	40.4	19.3	20.4	26.8	42.1	22.8	35.2	33.3	10.7	$21,532	$1,746	$19,786
Arthur Middleton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1109 Copley Ave	Waldorf	20602	Charles County	Charles County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 645-3338	774	49	15.7	48.8%	34 (4.4%)	456 (58.9%)	193 (24.9%)	24 (3.1%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	65 (8.4%)	23.5	641^st of 864 public elementary schools	25.8%		33.5	525^th of 865 public elementary schools	39.3%	116	27.4	24.6	8.3	20.5	30.1	41.1	25.0	31.7	11.7	$18,013	$1,948	$16,066
Eva Turner Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1000 Bannister Cir	Waldorf	20602	Charles County	Charles County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 645-4828	494	34	14.5	68.2%	21 (4.3%)	351 (71.1%)	97 (19.6%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	20 (4.0%)	11.4	803^rd of 864 public elementary schools	7.1%		12.7	799^th of 865 public elementary schools	7.6%	4	12.5	13.0	3.0	9.4	21.4	30.4	10.4	20.8	3.1	$21,506	$2,089	$19,417
Dr. Samuel A. Mudd Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	820 Stone Ave	Waldorf	20602	Charles County	Charles County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 645-3686	497	34	14.6	77.9%	15 (3.0%)	325 (65.4%)	113 (22.7%)	4 (0.8%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (7.4%)	11.1	811^th of 864 public elementary schools	6.1%		14	775^th of 865 public elementary schools	10.4%	36	14.6	5.5	7.1	9.2	24.7	17.8	13.1	18.5	12.0	$21,243	$2,706	$18,537
Mary B. Neal Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	12105 St. George's Dr	Waldorf	20602	Charles County	Charles County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 638-2617	626	40	15.6	48.6%	21 (3.4%)	474 (75.7%)	62 (9.9%)	24 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	43 (6.9%)	33	546^th of 864 public elementary schools	36.8%		44.3	458^th of 865 public elementary schools	47.1%	88	32.0	16.8	22.9	23.8	38.1	38.6	33.3	36.6	26.4	$20,646	$947	$19,699
William B. Wade Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2300 Smallwood Dr W	Waldorf	20603	Charles County	Charles County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 932-4304	651	40	16.2	57.1%	33 (5.1%)	447 (68.7%)	81 (12.4%)	23 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	67 (10.3%)	32.2	554^th of 864 public elementary schools	35.9%		32.4	538^th of 865 public elementary schools	37.8%	16	27.4	15.2	20.2	21.0	35.8	41.8	41.9	39.9	21.5	$17,227	$688	$16,539
C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4800 Lancaster Circle	Waldorf	20603	Charles County	Charles County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 645-9053	598	36	16.6	60.5%	13 (2.2%)	408 (68.2%)	104 (17.4%)	19 (3.2%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	50 (8.4%)	51.7	399^th of 864 public elementary schools	53.8%		51.2	397^th of 865 public elementary schools	54.1%	2	53.7	38.5	26.3	40.2	44.2	53.1	40.0	46.1	21.3	$19,356	$2,322	$17,035
Billingsley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	10069 Billingsley Road	White Plains	20695	Charles County	Charles County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 753-2088	687	45	15.2	49.3%	39 (5.7%)	485 (70.6%)	91 (13.2%)	19 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (7.7%)	36.6	506^th of 864 public elementary schools	41.4%		32.8	533^rd of 865 public elementary schools	38.4%	27	31.4	26.9	14.8	23.8	37.2	51.9	33.9	41.3	24.8	$17,514	$905	$16,608
J. P. Ryon Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	12140 Vivian Adams Dr	Waldorf	20601	Charles County	Charles County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 645-3090	640	44	14.5	68.4%	31 (4.8%)	366 (57.2%)	186 (29.1%)	8 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (7.7%)	20.2	677^th of 864 public elementary schools	21.6%		17.5	725^th of 865 public elementary schools	16.2%	48	20.4	20.2	13.1	18.2	22.3	32.3	26.8	27.1	16.9	$18,854	$1,897	$16,958
Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2820 Jenifer School Ln	Waldorf	20603	Charles County	Charles County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 932-9603	661	41	16.1	59.9%	22 (3.3%)	428 (64.8%)	137 (20.7%)	25 (3.8%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	45 (6.8%)	20.4	676^th of 864 public elementary schools	21.8%		20.8	675^th of 865 public elementary schools	22.0%	1	22.7	10.8	5.0	12.4	30.7	37.3	29.6	32.9	15.0	$16,941	$745	$16,196

Frequently Asked Questions about Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary

What schools do graduates of Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary attend?

Students who attend Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Benjamin Stoddert Middle School
High : St. Charles High School

What district is Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary in?

Charles County Public Schools

Is Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary a good school?

Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary ranks 581^st of 864 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 412 students attended Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary?

Students at Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary are 61% African American, 26% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 3% White.

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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.