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Sandy Hill Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

708^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 864 Maryland Elementary Schools

Better than 18% of Maryland elementary schools

Summary

Sandy Hill Elementary in Cambridge, MD, serves 393 students in grades PK-5 within the Dorchester County Public Schools district, a district ranked in the bottom 16% of Maryland. The school faces significant challenges, with nearly 81% of students qualifying for free and reduced lunch and a chronic absenteeism rate of 39.5% in the 2024-2025 school year—more than double the rates of higher-performing nearby schools like White Marsh Elementary (15.2%) and South Dorchester School (16.2%).

Academically, Sandy Hill struggles with persistently low performance. In the 2025-2026 school year, only 13.6% of students were proficient in Math and 30.9% in English Language Arts (ELA)—roughly half the state average. This is a stark contrast to nearby schools like Easton Elementary (75% free/reduced lunch) and Preston Elementary School, which achieve significantly higher scores despite serving similar or even higher poverty populations. Interestingly, Sandy Hill’s 3rd-grade ELA proficiency rate of 34.1% is its strongest subject, suggesting early literacy efforts may be having some impact, though this progress is not sustained into 4th and 5th grades.

A notable paradox is that Sandy Hill spends $25,218 per student—the highest of any school in the comparison set and over $6,000 more than high-performing schools like White Marsh Elementary ($18,503) and South Dorchester School ($19,962). Despite this investment and a favorable student-teacher ratio of 11.9:1, academic outcomes remain critically low. This suggests that while resources are available, they may not be effectively directed toward core instruction, and systemic district-level issues within Dorchester County Public Schools may be holding the school back.

393

Students ?

11.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,218

Per pupil spending ?

80.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1503 Glasgow Road
Cambridge, MD 21613

(410) 228-7978

District: Dorchester County Public Schools

Students who attend Sandy Hill Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Mace's Lane Middle School
High:	Cambridge-South Dorchester High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

59.5%

White:

18.8%

Hispanic:

12.7%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 6th percentile in 2022 → 18th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 18th (2026) from a 6th-percentile low (2022)

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Maryland average (20% vs 39% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (18th percentile)

!Science scores 24 pts below the Maryland average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school20%

District avg26%

Maryland avg39%

708^th of 864

Maryland public elementary schools ?

Bottom 18%▼ down 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 7Elementary Schools in the Dorchester County Public Schools

21^st of 25Dorchester 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	18.3	708 of 864	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.0	731 of 865	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.3	802 of 859	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.4	778 of 855	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.7	808 of 862	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	17.9	696 of 853	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.4	723 of 857	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	10.8	789 of 847	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	19.4	675 of 845	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	23.4	649 of 859	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	17.5	757 of 867	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	19.9	729 of 847	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	30.6	659 of 857	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	15.0	763 of 853	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	21.7	751 of 855	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	33.6	636 of 850	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	31.9	643 of 838	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	67.9	276 of 818	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2006	71.6	234 of 804	70.9%	★★★★☆
2005	66.3	291 of 805	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2004	64.2	336 of 803	58.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	19.1	635 of 788	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Male (2021)19th percentile

By subject vs Maryland (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts31%-21 vs state

Mathematics14%-13 vs state

Science8%-24 vs state

★

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Schools Near Sandy Hill 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 Algebra I (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 6th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 8th 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 6th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts All Grades	MCAP Algebra I End of Course	MCAP Science 5th Grade	MCAP Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Sandy Hill Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1503 Glasgow Road	Cambridge	21613	Dorchester County	Dorchester County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 228-7978	393	33	11.9	80.9%	74 (18.8%)	234 (59.5%)	50 (12.7%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (8.4%)	18.3	708^th of 864 public elementary schools	18.1%		17	731^st of 865 public elementary schools	15.5%	23	22.0	14.0	6.1				13.6	34.1	30.0	29.2				30.9		8.2		$25,218	$5,510	$19,707
Judith P. Hoyer Early Childhood Center	Public	PK, KG-5	1405 Glasgow Road	Cambridge	21613	Dorchester County	Dorchester County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 221-5268	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Choptank Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1103 Mace's Lane	Cambridge	21613	Dorchester County	Dorchester County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 228-4950	319	27	11.8	95.0%	16 (5.0%)	230 (72.1%)	46 (14.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (7.8%)	8.3	840^th of 864 public elementary schools	2.8%		14.4	762^nd of 865 public elementary schools	11.9%	78	8.3	4.0	0.0				3.8	17.6	28.0	10.4				18.9		0.0		$25,055	$5,903	$19,151
Maple Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5225 Egypt Rd.	Cambridge	21613	Dorchester County	Dorchester County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 228-8577	483	33	14.6	79.7%	97 (20.1%)	183 (37.9%)	160 (33.1%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	38 (7.9%)	28.2	593^rd of 864 public elementary schools	31.4%		25.4	606^th of 865 public elementary schools	29.9%	13	27.9	20.6	9.8				19.8	43.3	34.9	34.4				37.7		18.0		$23,531	$4,964	$18,567
White Marsh Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4322 Lovers Ln	Trappe	21673	Talbot County	Talbot County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 476-3144	289	23	12.7	57.1%	178 (61.6%)	32 (11.1%)	55 (19.0%)	8 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.5%)	69.2	262^nd of 864 public elementary schools	69.7%		76.4	210^th of 865 public elementary schools	75.7%	52	62.8	45.2	35.0				48.0	60.5	61.9	45.0				56.0		35.9		$18,503	$1,807	$16,696
Warwick Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	155 Main Street	Secretary	21664	Dorchester County	Dorchester County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 943-3588	346	23	15.0	51.2%	283 (81.8%)	23 (6.6%)	17 (4.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (6.4%)	48.3	425^th of 864 public elementary schools	50.8%		70.2	256^th of 865 public elementary schools	70.4%	169	48.9	34.8	15.8				32.1	46.7	65.2	28.1				47.6		25.9		$19,026	$2,650	$16,376
Hurlock Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	301 Charles St.	Hurlock	21643	Dorchester County	Dorchester County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 943-3303	391	29	13.4	75.4%	149 (38.1%)	145 (37.1%)	48 (12.3%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	45 (11.5%)	33.6	538^th of 864 public elementary schools	37.7%		41.5	477^th of 865 public elementary schools	44.9%	61	39.5	23.0	16.1				24.4	36.8	45.9	35.7				40.5		12.7		$23,879	$4,784	$19,095
Easton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	307 Glenwood Ave	Easton	21601	Talbot County	Talbot County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 822-0686	1,075	97	11.0	75.2%	294 (27.3%)	192 (17.9%)	486 (45.2%)	35 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	68 (6.3%)	25.7	620^th of 864 public elementary schools	28.2%		22.8	645^th of 865 public elementary schools	25.4%	25	23.5	14.6	19.0				19.1	24.5	36.4	36.2				32.1		23.4		$19,911	$2,490	$17,421
Preston Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	225 Main St	Preston	21655	Caroline County	Caroline County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 479-2897	381	28	13.6	60.1%	271 (71.1%)	32 (8.4%)	46 (12.1%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (7.3%)	66.8	277^th of 864 public elementary schools	67.9%		62.9	310^th of 865 public elementary schools	64.2%	33	55.4	49.3	27.7				45.8	55.4	52.2	51.1				53.1		42.6		$20,066	$2,685	$17,381
South Dorchester School	Public	PK, KG-8	3485 Golden Hill Road	Church Creek	21622	Dorchester County	Dorchester County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 901-6934	230	16	14.3	49.6%	197 (85.7%)	7 (3.0%)	11 (4.8%)	4 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.8%)	72.6	249^th of 864 public elementary schools	71.2%		72	238^th of 865 public elementary schools	72.5%	11	41.2	47.8	50.0	32.0	40.9	10.5	40.4	58.8	52.2	65.0	68.0	72.7	72.4	65.4	80.0	33.3	42.9	$19,962	$2,889	$17,073

Frequently Asked Questions about Sandy Hill Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Sandy Hill Elementary?

Students at Sandy Hill Elementary are 60% African American, 19% White, 13% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races.

What district is Sandy Hill Elementary in?

Dorchester County Public Schools

What schools do graduates of Sandy Hill Elementary attend?

Students who attend Sandy Hill Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Mace's Lane Middle School
High : Cambridge-South Dorchester High School

How many students attend Sandy Hill Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 393 students attended Sandy Hill Elementary.

Is Sandy Hill Elementary a good school?

Sandy Hill Elementary ranks in the bottom 18.1% of Maryland elementary schools.

Rate Sandy Hill Elementary!

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Latest Maryland data All new data »

2025–26 MCAP test scoresNewJul 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.