Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Matthew Henson Middle School

Public Grades 6-8
198th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 342 Maryland Middle Schools
Better than 42% of Maryland middle schools
Summary

Matthew Henson Middle School in Indian Head, MD, serves 701 students in grades 6-8 and is part of the Charles County Public Schools district, where nearly half of the student body qualifies for free or reduced lunch.

This school has a notable strength in English Language Arts (ELA), with a 47.2% proficiency rate that outpaces the district average and many nearby schools, including Benjamin Stoddert Middle School (36.3%) and John Hanson Middle School (40.6%). Additionally, Matthew Henson has a strong Algebra I acceleration program, with 16.7% of students proficient—significantly higher than the district average of 10.6% and far above schools like Phoenix International School of the Arts (7.7%). The school also reports lower chronic absenteeism (21.8%) than the district average (26.6%), suggesting better student engagement than peers like General Smallwood Middle School (35.2%).

However, the school faces a significant challenge in math, where only 10.8% of students are proficient—less than half the state average and well below the district average of 17%. This gap is especially stark in 8th grade, where math proficiency drops to just 0.7%. While the school has a high student-teacher ratio of 18.4, which is higher than higher-performing schools like Theodore G. Davis Middle School (15.3), its consistent 2-star rating over the past decade indicates stability but also a need for improvement, particularly in math instruction.

701
Students ?
18.4
Student/teacher ratio ?
$17,015
Per pupil spending ?
48.5%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 3535 Livingston Rd
       Indian Head, MD  20640

(301) 375-8550

District: Charles County Public Schools


Feeder schools for Matthew Henson Middle School:

Elementary:    J. C. Parks Elementary School
Racial breakdown:

African American:
62.8%
Hispanic:
14.0%
White:
11.6%
more
 See top rated Maryland middle schools

 Compare Matthew Henson Middle School to nearby middle schools!
At a glance
▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 33rd percentile in 2024 → 42nd in 2026
Strengths
✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 42nd (2026) from a 33rd-percentile low (2024)
Worth a look
!Test scores below the Maryland average (27% vs 37% meeting standards)
!Mathematics scores 16 pts below the Maryland average
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school27%
District avg29%
Maryland avg37%
198th of 342
Maryland public middle schools ?
Bottom 42%▼ down 11 pts since 2016
From top 46% (2016) to bottom 42% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Maryland Middle Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
4th of 9Middle Schools in the Charles County Public Schools
20th of 24Charles 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMaryland percentileRating
202638.8198 of 34242.1%★★☆☆☆
202530.6220 of 33734.7%★★☆☆☆
202426.2220 of 32832.9%★★☆☆☆
202328.4213 of 32233.9%★★☆☆☆
202245.2174 of 33347.7%★★☆☆☆
202134.4193 of 30336.3%★★☆☆☆
201935.5192 of 31639.2%★★☆☆☆
201833.9211 of 32835.7%★★☆☆☆
201744.4174 of 31745.1%★★☆☆☆
201649.2146 of 31453.5%★★★☆☆
201541.3188 of 31540.3%★★☆☆☆
201454.9170 of 33949.9%★★★☆☆
201345.2185 of 31641.5%★★☆☆☆
201247.4183 of 31441.7%★★☆☆☆
201150.3164 of 30946.9%★★☆☆☆
201062.1143 of 32455.9%★★★☆☆
200949.9182 of 30139.5%★★☆☆☆
200849.9167 of 28341.0%★★☆☆☆
200749.3139 of 26447.3%★★☆☆☆
200657.8102 of 25459.8%★★★☆☆
200553.2121 of 25552.5%★★★☆☆
200447.1135 of 25246.4%★★☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMaryland percentileRating
202137.9163 of 25937.1%★★☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMaryland percentileRating
202142.6162 of 30346.5%★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMaryland percentileRating
202164.549 of 20776.3%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMaryland percentileRating
202147.7131 of 27352.0%★★★☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMaryland percentileRating
202131.5196 of 28831.9%★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMaryland percentileRating
202150.560 of 13655.9%★★★☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMaryland percentileRating
202134.6133 of 21036.7%★★☆☆☆
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)76th percentile+40 vs school
Multi-racial (2021)56th percentile+20 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2021)52nd percentile+16 vs school
Female (2021)47th percentile+10 vs school
African American (2021)37th percentile~ school
White (2021)37th percentile~ school
Male (2021)32nd percentile-4 vs school
By subject vs Maryland (2025-2026) ?
English Language Arts47%-5 vs state
Algebra I17%-5 vs state
Science16%-15 vs state
Mathematics11%-16 vs state

★
No ratings yet
Be the first to rate Matthew Henson Middle School and help other families decide.
Rate Matthew Henson Middle School
Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.
Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.
Tap a star to rate
Reviews
No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.



Schools Near Matthew Henson Middle School

Ranking:
Map legend
E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private






Frequently Asked Questions about Matthew Henson Middle School

Students at Matthew Henson Middle School are 63% African American, 14% Hispanic, 12% White, 9% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

Matthew Henson Middle School ranks 198th of 342 Maryland middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

In the 2024-25 school year, 701 students attended Matthew Henson Middle School.

Rate Matthew Henson Middle School!



Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Matthew Henson Middle School!


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.

Diagnostics