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Riverside Elementary

Q: Is Riverside Elementary a good school?

Riverside Elementary ranks 512 th of 864 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

512^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 864 Maryland Elementary Schools

Better than 41% of Maryland elementary schools

Summary

Riverside Elementary in Joppa, MD, is a mid-sized school serving 481 students from Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade within the Harford County Public Schools district, where about 67% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic need.

Riverside Elementary has consistently earned a 2-star rating over the past several years, with state ranking percentiles fluctuating between the 35th and 47th percentiles since the 2021-2022 school year. A notable bright spot is 5th-grade English Language Arts (ELA), where 53.2% of students were proficient in the 2025-2026 school year—higher than the state average of 46.8% and nearly matching the district average. However, the school faces a significant challenge in 4th-grade mathematics, with proficiency dropping dramatically from 32.6% in 3rd grade to just 14.3% in 4th grade, compared to district and state averages of 42% and 34.8%, respectively. Chronic absenteeism is a persistent issue, with rates exceeding 24% in the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years, though it improved to 18.9% in 2024-2025. Despite spending $20,701 per student—higher than nearby schools like Abingdon Elementary ($17,424)—academic outcomes remain below average, likely due to the high level of student need.

Comparing Riverside to nearby schools in the Baltimore County Public Schools district highlights stark contrasts. Chapel Hill Elementary, just 5.21 miles away, is a 5-star school ranked in the 98th percentile with only 5.4% chronic absenteeism and 25.6% of students on free/reduced lunch, achieving math proficiency over 3.5 times higher than Riverside's. Similarly, Oliver Beach Elementary, 2.32 miles away, is a 4-star school ranked in the 84th percentile with 6.4% chronic absenteeism and 40% of students on free/reduced lunch, achieving math proficiency over 2.5 times higher. These comparisons underscore how socioeconomic factors and chronic absenteeism are powerful differentiators, even among schools in close geographic proximity.

481

Students ?

12.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,701

Per pupil spending ?

67.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

211 Stillmeadow Dr
Joppa, MD 21085-4799

(410) 612-1560

District: Harford County Public Schools

Students who attend Riverside Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Magnolia Middle
High:	Joppatowne High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

39.3%

White:

32.6%

Hispanic:

15.2%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 35th percentile in 2016 → 41st in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 6 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Maryland average (31% vs 39% meeting standards)

!Near the bottom of Harford County Public Schools's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school31%

District avg44%

Maryland avg39%

512^th of 864

Maryland public elementary schools ?

Bottom 41%▲ up 6 pts since 2016

From bottom 35% (2016) to bottom 41% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

26^th of 33Elementary Schools in the Harford County Public Schools

11^th of 25Harford 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	36.2	512 of 864	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	31.5	549 of 865	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.1	458 of 859	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.3	496 of 855	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.1	560 of 862	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	16.5	688 of 802	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.7	535 of 853	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	21.4	662 of 857	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	45.2	423 of 847	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	32.7	548 of 845	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2015	39.0	493 of 859	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2014	40.3	595 of 867	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	20.7	724 of 847	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	34.2	633 of 857	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	32.6	635 of 853	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	45.6	549 of 855	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2009	48.3	507 of 850	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2008	36.7	605 of 838	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	67.4	281 of 818	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2006	63.6	325 of 804	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2005	62.2	348 of 805	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2004	69.5	268 of 803	66.6%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	22.4	423 of 504	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	17.5	680 of 796	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	25.7	286 of 347	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	35.7	364 of 546	33.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	16.3	697 of 788	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	16.5	454 of 528	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆

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)33rd percentile+19 vs school

Hispanic (2021)18th percentile+3 vs school

African American (2021)16th percentile~ school

Female (2021)15th percentile~ school

White (2021)14th percentile~ school

Male (2021)12th percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs Maryland (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts44%-8 vs state

Science24%-8 vs state

Mathematics21%-6 vs state

★

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Schools Near Riverside 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 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 (2025)	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 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
Riverside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	211 Stillmeadow Dr	Joppa	21085	Harford County	Harford County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 612-1560	481	38	12.5	67.2%	157 (32.6%)	189 (39.3%)	73 (15.2%)	10 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	50 (10.4%)	36.2	512^th of 864 public elementary schools	40.7%		31.5	549^th of 865 public elementary schools	36.5%	37	32.6	14.3	14.3	21.0	46.5	31.4	53.2	44.2	24.1	$20,701	$3,456	$17,245
Magnolia Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	901 Trimble Rd	Joppa	21085	Harford County	Harford County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 612-1553	545	45	12.2	88.1%	58 (10.6%)	342 (62.8%)	71 (13.0%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	69 (12.7%)	15.4	752^nd of 864 public elementary schools	13.0%		18.3	710^th of 865 public elementary schools	17.9%	42	20.9	7.2	15.3	14.6	27.2	23.8	25.0	25.4	6.8	$20,682	$2,979	$17,703
Joppatowne Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	407 Trimble Rd	Joppa	21085	Harford County	Harford County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 612-1546	495	39	12.5	65.3%	220 (44.4%)	171 (34.5%)	46 (9.3%)	7 (1.4%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	48 (9.7%)	21.5	663^rd of 864 public elementary schools	23.3%		22	663^rd of 865 public elementary schools	23.4%		26.7	18.1	7.5	17.8	29.2	37.5	28.4	31.8	10.4	$20,213	$2,100	$18,113
Oliver Beach Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	12912 Cunninghill Cove Rd	Baltimore	21220	Baltimore County	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 887-5943	150	12	12.7	40.0%	116 (77.3%)	4 (2.7%)	14 (9.3%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (10.0%)	83.8	141^st of 864 public elementary schools	83.7%		81.6	164^th of 865 public elementary schools	81.0%	23	54.5	57.9	55.6	55.9	66.7	63.2	83.3	70.7	44.4	$28,220	$1,731	$26,489
Edgewood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2100 Cedar Dr	Edgewood	21040	Harford County	Harford County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 612-1540	428	37	11.6	72.7%	96 (22.4%)	232 (54.2%)	60 (14.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	37 (8.6%)	29.7	578^th of 864 public elementary schools	33.1%		27.7	577^th of 865 public elementary schools	33.3%	1	40.6	11.9	15.9	19.5	56.3	36.7	28.1	37.2	17.7	$22,106	$3,605	$18,502
Deerfield Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2307 Willoughby Beach Rd	Edgewood	21040	Harford County	Harford County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 612-1535	708	56	12.7	74.9%	137 (19.4%)	349 (49.3%)	130 (18.4%)	8 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	84 (11.9%)	23.1	646^th of 864 public elementary schools	25.2%		24.3	623^rd of 865 public elementary schools	28.0%	23	24.8	12.9	5.6	14.2	39.0	44.0	21.3	34.9	14.8	$18,567	$1,978	$16,589
Vincent Farm Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6019 Ebenezer Rd	White Marsh	21162	Baltimore County	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 887-2983	776	47	16.4	46.9%	199 (25.6%)	372 (47.9%)	79 (10.2%)	75 (9.7%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (6.2%)	39.7	478^th of 864 public elementary schools	44.7%		47	429^th of 865 public elementary schools	50.4%	49	31.0	28.8	23.6	28.0	40.5	44.7	38.7	41.5	26.7	$18,340	$1,744	$16,596
Chase Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	11701 Eastern Ave	Baltimore	21220	Baltimore County	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 887-5940	366	23	15.8	69.4%	146 (39.9%)	92 (25.1%)	94 (25.7%)	4 (1.1%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	26 (7.1%)	36.2	510^th of 864 public elementary schools	41.0%		42.6	468^th of 865 public elementary schools	45.9%	42	41.5	11.9	14.3	21.7	42.6	37.3	44.4	41.5	27.4	$19,808	$2,180	$17,628
Chapel Hill Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5200 E Joppa Rd	Perry Hall	21128	Baltimore County	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 887-5119	535	32	16.6	25.6%	203 (37.9%)	139 (26.0%)	43 (8.0%)	113 (21.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	34 (6.4%)	97.2	16^th of 864 public elementary schools	98.1%		93	59^th of 865 public elementary schools	93.2%	43	82.2	67.6	79.2	75.7	85.6	81.9	84.4	83.8	76.3	$17,183	$1,330	$15,853
Abingdon Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3001 S. Tollgate Road	Abingdon	21009	Harford County	Harford County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 638-3910	641	48	13.4	46.5%	290 (45.2%)	177 (27.6%)	53 (8.3%)	35 (5.5%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	83 (12.9%)	63	296^th of 864 public elementary schools	65.7%		61.4	323^rd of 865 public elementary schools	62.7%	27	53.8	30.8	29.7	38.5	60.2	54.9	56.4	57.3	34.0	$17,424	$878	$16,546

Frequently Asked Questions about Riverside Elementary

Is Riverside Elementary a good school?

Riverside Elementary ranks 512^th of 864 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Riverside Elementary attend?

Students who attend Riverside Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Magnolia Middle
High : Joppatowne High

What district is Riverside Elementary in?

Harford County Public Schools

How many students attend Riverside Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 481 students attended Riverside Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Riverside Elementary?

Students at Riverside Elementary are 39% African American, 33% White, 15% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

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Latest Maryland data All new data »

2025–26 MCAP test scoresJul 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.