Sugarloaf Elementary

Sugarloaf Elementary in Frederick, MD, is a high-performing K-5 school serving 845 students in a community where only 12.19% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and it has earned a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger for six consecutive years.

Sugarloaf consistently outperforms both the Frederick County Public Schools district and state averages by wide margins, with 64.2% of students proficient in Math and 74.9% in English Language Arts—roughly 1.7 times the district average in Math. The school also boasts an exceptionally low chronic absenteeism rate of just 6.0%, less than half the district average of 16.7%, indicating strong student engagement. Notably, Sugarloaf achieves these results with a lower per-student spending of $14,145 compared to lower-performing peers like Ballenger Creek Elementary, which spends $16,481 per student. While its state ranking has slipped from 27th to 79th in recent years, its test scores have remained stable, suggesting other schools are improving faster rather than a decline in Sugarloaf’s quality.

Located just 1.68 miles from Centerville Elementary—the highest-ranked school in the area—Sugarloaf is part of a corridor of educational excellence in Frederick County. Both schools share similar demographics and produce nearly identical, stellar test scores. Interestingly, Sugarloaf has a higher student-teacher ratio (18.9) than nearby schools like Carroll Manor Elementary (15.3) and Ballenger Creek (13.7), yet achieves far better academic outcomes, highlighting the impact of teaching quality and a supportive parent community. The school also excels with its Hispanic students, ranking 14th out of 347 schools statewide for this subgroup in 2020-2021, earning a 5-star rating.