Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer Elementary School

Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer Elementary School is a public school in Waldorf, MD, serving 661 students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as part of the Charles County Public Schools district.

Jenifer Elementary faces significant academic challenges, with only 12.4% of students proficient in math and 32.9% in English Language Arts. These scores are notably lower than nearby schools like C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School, which achieved 40.2% math and 46.1% ELA proficiency, despite being less than a mile away. A particularly concerning trend is the steep drop in math performance by fifth grade, where only 5% of students are proficient—the lowest among all neighboring schools and far below the district average of 18.6%. The school also struggles with chronic absenteeism, with 28.5% of students missing significant school time, a rate that has remained above the district average for five years. This absenteeism is strongly linked to lower test scores, as seen in higher-performing schools like William A. Diggs Elementary School, which has a much lower chronic absenteeism rate of 13.7%.

Interestingly, the school spends $16,941 per student, more than some higher-performing peers like William A. Diggs ($15,627), suggesting that funding alone isn't the issue. There are also notable differences in performance among student groups: while overall scores are low, Hispanic students performed relatively better at the 48th percentile, and male students scored critically low at the 4th percentile. These patterns point to potential differences in school culture, instruction, or support systems that could be addressed to improve outcomes. Tackling chronic absenteeism and understanding what works for specific student groups may be key levers for improvement.