Maple Elementary School

Maple Elementary School in Cambridge, MD, serves 483 students from Pre-K through 5th grade and is part of the Dorchester County Public Schools district, which faces significant systemic challenges. The school has historically performed in the bottom third of Maryland elementary schools, but recent data shows a promising upward trend. Math proficiency has nearly doubled from 10.6% to 19.8% over the past four years, and English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency has surged from 21.5% to 37.7% in just two years. This improvement is particularly notable when compared to nearby Sandy Hill Elementary, where ELA proficiency has stagnated around 26-30% over the same period.

A standout bright spot is Maple's 3rd-grade ELA proficiency rate of 43.3%, which outperforms the district average of 38.4% and suggests strong early literacy instruction. However, the school faces a critical challenge in 5th-grade math, where proficiency drops to just 9.8%—a steep decline from 27.9% in 3rd grade. This "5th grade wall" is a major concern that the school's curriculum and support systems are not yet adequately addressing. On a positive note, chronic absenteeism has been cut in half from 50.6% to 24.5%, now the lowest rate among Cambridge-area elementary schools and well below the district average of 37.1%. This improvement is likely a key driver of the recent academic gains.

Maple stands out as an "island of improvement" within its district. While Choptank Elementary (1.06 miles away) ranks in the bottom 3% of the state with a 0-star rating and 46% chronic absenteeism, Maple has earned a 2-star rating—its highest in years. However, the school's per-student spending of $23,531 is the second-highest among comparable schools, yet academic outcomes lag behind schools with similar or lower spending, such as South Dorchester School ($19,962) and Warwick Elementary School ($19,026), which achieve much higher proficiency rates. This suggests a need for more effective resource allocation to sustain the positive momentum.