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Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School

Q: Is Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School a good school?

Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School ranks 294 th of 865 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

294^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 865 Maryland Elementary Schools

Better than 66% of Maryland elementary schools

Summary

Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School is a public elementary school in Newburg, Maryland, serving 408 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Charles County Public Schools district, which is ranked 21 out of 25 districts in the state.

Academically, the school has consistently ranked in the top 50% of Maryland elementary schools over the past 10 years, with a current ranking of 294 out of 865 schools. The school's performance on English Language Arts (ELA) tests is generally higher than the district and state averages, with a proficiency rate of 53.9% in 2024-2025 compared to 43.8% for the district and 50.8% for the state. However, the school's mathematics performance lags behind, with a proficiency rate of 36.6% compared to 16.9% for the district and 26.5% for the state. The school's 5th-grade science proficiency rate is also higher than the district and state at 43.5%.

The school has a relatively high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with 40.93% receiving free or reduced-price lunch in 2023-2024. Additionally, the school has experienced high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 27.0% to 36.9% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the district and state averages. Despite these challenges, the school's per-student spending has increased from $17,266 in 2021-2022 to $21,137 in 2023-2024, which is higher than the district and state averages, and the school has a relatively low student-teacher ratio of 14.1 in 2023-2024.

428

Students ?

15.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,137

Per pupil spending ?

40%

Free/discounted lunch ?

12872 Rock Point Rd
Newburg, MD 20664-2514

(301) 934-4091

District: Charles County Public Schools

Students who attend Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Piccowaxen Middle School
High:	La Plata High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

68.9%

African American:

16.4%

Two or more races:

8.4%

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Compare Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 46th percentile in 2021 → 66th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Maryland average (45% vs 38% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 66th (2025) from a 46th-percentile low (2021)

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Charles County Public Schools

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school45%

District avg29%

Maryland avg38%

294^th of 865

Maryland public elementary schools ?

Top 34%▼ down 7 pts since 2015

From top 27% (2015) to top 34% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 22Elementary Schools in the Charles County Public Schools

21^st 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
2025	64.6	294 of 865	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.2	373 of 859	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.6	374 of 855	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.3	380 of 862	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	33.9	430 of 802	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	76.9	205 of 853	76.0%	★★★★☆
2018	79.6	174 of 857	79.7%	★★★★☆
2017	75.4	213 of 847	74.9%	★★★★☆
2016	76.5	200 of 845	76.3%	★★★★☆
2015	71.9	235 of 859	72.6%	★★★★☆
2014	68.6	303 of 867	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	66.2	289 of 847	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	50.5	489 of 857	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	60.9	370 of 853	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2010	61.4	379 of 855	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2009	60.8	378 of 850	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2008	45.4	534 of 838	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2007	53.6	434 of 818	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2006	64.2	313 of 804	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2005	55.7	394 of 805	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2004	50.1	462 of 803	42.5%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	51.2	165 of 504	67.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	41.5	368 of 796	53.8%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	68.4	67 of 546	87.7%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	32.9	445 of 788	43.5%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	25.2	385 of 528	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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)88th percentile+41 vs school

African American (2021)67th percentile+21 vs school

Female (2021)54th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2021)44th percentile-3 vs school

White (2021)27th percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs Maryland (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts54%+3 vs state

Science44%+18 vs state

Mathematics37%+10 vs state

★

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Schools Near Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MCAP Mathematics (2025)				MCAP English Language Arts (2025)				MCAP Science (2025)	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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	12872 Rock Point Rd	Newburg	20664	Charles County	Charles County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 934-4091	428	28	15.2	40.0%	295 (68.9%)	70 (16.4%)	18 (4.2%)	3 (0.7%)	5 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	36 (8.4%)	64.6	294^th of 865 public elementary schools	66.0%		50.2	373^rd of 859 public elementary schools	56.6%	79	43.6	26.5	41.2	36.6	58.9	45.6	58.0	53.9	43.5	$21,137	$1,349	$19,788
Dynard Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	23510 Bushwood Rd	Chaptico	20621	St. Mary's County	St. Mary's County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 769-4804	422	24	17.2	39.6%	324 (76.8%)	37 (8.8%)	22 (5.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	36 (8.5%)	70.6	250^th of 865 public elementary schools	71.1%		60.8	302^nd of 859 public elementary schools	64.8%	52	47.0	43.8	43.4	44.7	51.5	60.3	51.3	54.4	42.1	$17,408	$1,004	$16,404
Walter J. Mitchell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	400 Willow Ln	La Plata	20646	Charles County	Charles County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 934-4687	663	36	18.4	36.3%	340 (51.3%)	161 (24.3%)	79 (11.9%)	9 (1.4%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	71 (10.7%)	67.3	276^th of 865 public elementary schools	68.1%		51.2	365^th of 859 public elementary schools	57.5%	89	46.7	36.6	38.7	40.4	60.0	50.5	55.0	55.0	37.5	$17,623	$1,113	$16,510
White Marsh Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	29090 Thompson Corner Rd	Mechanicsville	20659	St. Mary's County	St. Mary's County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 472-4600	220	15	14.3	35.5%	149 (67.7%)	23 (10.5%)	25 (11.4%)	3 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (9.1%)	93.2	58^th of 865 public elementary schools	93.3%		84.2	131^st of 859 public elementary schools	84.7%	73	73.2	74.5	59.4	70.0	75.6	76.6	64.5	73.1	56.3	$20,517	$969	$19,548
Mechanicsville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	28585 Three Notch Rd	Mechanicsville	20659	St. Mary's County	St. Mary's County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 472-4800	273	17	15.9	36.6%	222 (81.3%)	13 (4.8%)	21 (7.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	15 (5.5%)	69.5	259^th of 865 public elementary schools	70.1%		54.1	338^th of 859 public elementary schools	60.7%	79	56.1	41.3	34.8	43.3	56.1	54.0	58.7	56.0	37.0	$18,653	$1,096	$17,557
Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	37840 New Market Turner Rd	Mechanicsville	20659	St. Mary's County	St. Mary's County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 472-4500	479	27	17.6	38.4%	385 (80.4%)	30 (6.3%)	28 (5.8%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (6.7%)	42.4	470^th of 865 public elementary schools	45.7%		46.8	401^st of 859 public elementary schools	53.3%	69	33.3	33.8	20.7	29.1	44.4	48.8	37.8	43.6	17.1	$17,427	$945	$16,483
F. B. Gwynn Educational Center	Public	PK, KG-8	5998 Radio Station Rd	La Plata	20646	Charles County	Charles County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 934-3884	0	32	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)				0.0				7.7
Mary H. Matula Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6025 Radio Station Rd	La Plata	20646	Charles County	Charles County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 934-5412	610	42	14.5	40.5%	181 (29.7%)	260 (42.6%)	67 (11.0%)	25 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	77 (12.6%)	60	337^th of 865 public elementary schools	61.0%		63.4	284^th of 859 public elementary schools	66.9%	53	47.2	28.9	31.3	35.3	57.8	51.8	55.4	54.7	29.3	$20,021	$1,284	$18,737
T. C. Martin Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6315 Olivers Shop Rd	Bryantown	20617	Charles County	Charles County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 274-3182	538	33	16.3	37.0%	232 (43.1%)	177 (32.9%)	63 (11.7%)	8 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (10.8%)	52.1	387^th of 865 public elementary schools	55.3%		48	392^nd of 859 public elementary schools	54.4%	5	51.0	27.4	23.4	34.8	63.6	45.2	37.9	49.4	21.1	$17,319	$1,347	$15,972
Benjamin Banneker Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	27180 Point Lookout Rd	Loveville	20656	St. Mary's County	St. Mary's County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 475-0260	543	40	13.7	36.6%	416 (76.6%)	55 (10.1%)	25 (4.6%)	8 (1.5%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	36 (6.6%)	59.1	344^th of 865 public elementary schools	60.2%		56	329^th of 859 public elementary schools	61.7%	15	39.3	33.3	39.8	37.5	52.8	46.0	53.7	50.8	31.0	$21,411	$1,540	$19,871

Frequently Asked Questions about Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Piccowaxen Middle School
High : La Plata High School

What district is Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School in?

Charles County Public Schools

How many students attend Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 428 students attended Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School?

Students at Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School are 69% White, 16% African American, 8% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic, 1% American Indian.

Is Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School a good school?

Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School ranks 294^th of 865 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School!

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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.