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William S. James Elementary

Q: Is William S. James Elementary a good school?

William S. James Elementary ranks 252 nd of 865 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

252^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 865 Maryland Elementary Schools

Better than 71% of Maryland elementary schools

Summary

William S. James Elementary in Abingdon, MD, is a mid-sized school serving 463 students in grades K-5 within the Harford County Public Schools district, a 3-star district ranked 11th in Maryland.

This school stands out for its exceptional performance in mathematics, with 42.9% of students proficient in the 2025-2026 school year—dramatically higher than the district average of 28.4% and the state average of 27.1%. This is a consistent trend over the past four years, making William S. James a top choice for families who prioritize a strong math foundation. The school also excels at supporting students from low socio-economic backgrounds, ranking in the 91st percentile statewide for this subgroup in 2020-2021, which demonstrates a powerful commitment to equity. Additionally, chronic absenteeism is remarkably low at just 8.4%, compared to the district average of 18.5% and much lower than nearby schools like Deerfield Elementary (24.0%) and Old Post Road Elementary (29.9%).

While William S. James is a solid, above-average school with a 4-star rating (71st percentile statewide), it operates in a neighborhood of very high-performing peers like Bel Air Elementary and Homestead/Wakefield Elementary, which rank in the 80th-90th percentile. Its English Language Arts proficiency (63%) is slightly above the district average but trails these top performers. Science scores for 5th graders have also declined recently, dropping from 39.5% proficiency in 2022-2023 to 25.9% in 2024-2025, which is below the district average of 31.4%. Despite these areas for growth, the school's consistent math excellence, low absenteeism, and strong support for all students make it a reliable and effective choice for families in Abingdon.

463

Students ?

15.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,840

Per pupil spending ?

29.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1 Laurentum Pkw
Abingdon, MD 21009-1709

(410) 638-3900

District: Harford County Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

66.5%

African American:

11.2%

Two or more races:

9.1%

See top rated Maryland elementary schools

Compare William S. James Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 82nd percentile in 2016 → 71st in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Maryland average (51% vs 39% meeting standards)

✓Above the Maryland median (71st percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 11 percentile points since 2016

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school51%

District avg44%

Maryland avg39%

252^nd of 865

Maryland public elementary schools ?

Top 29%▼ down 12 pts since 2016

From top 18% (2016) to top 29% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

11^th of 24Harford 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	71.9	252 of 865	70.9%	★★★★☆
2025	69.7	258 of 865	70.2%	★★★★☆
2024	67.3	258 of 859	70.0%	★★★★☆
2023	64.1	278 of 855	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.2	367 of 862	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.7	306 of 802	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.9	297 of 853	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	72.2	237 of 857	72.3%	★★★★☆
2017	73.3	227 of 847	73.2%	★★★★☆
2016	83.6	148 of 845	82.5%	★★★★☆
2015	77.9	181 of 859	78.9%	★★★★☆
2014	79.1	160 of 867	81.5%	★★★★☆
2013	68.8	263 of 847	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	78.7	135 of 857	84.2%	★★★★☆
2011	78.4	137 of 853	83.9%	★★★★☆
2010	72.6	236 of 855	72.4%	★★★★☆
2009	73.7	229 of 850	73.1%	★★★★☆
2008	64.1	330 of 838	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2007	55.7	409 of 818	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	54.2	410 of 804	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2005	46.0	476 of 805	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2004	33.8	590 of 803	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	48.4	296 of 796	62.8%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	72.6	48 of 546	91.2%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	47.5	299 of 788	62.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	32.8	322 of 528	39.0%	★★☆☆☆

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)91st percentile+29 vs school

Female (2021)63rd percentile~ school

Male (2021)62nd percentile~ school

White (2021)39th percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs Maryland (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts63%+11 vs state

Mathematics43%+16 vs state

Science40%+7 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, January 3, 2012

As a parent, I highly value a school that invites parents/caregivers to continue their involvement of their child's education and overall progress. My husband and I have walked into this school many times and have consistently felt a sense of community, caring, and connectedness. The office staff is exceptionally polite and helpful. Mr. Richardson, Principal, and Mrs. Donnelly, Vice Principal, have often been visible and accessible, addressing each child and adult by name. Both Mr. Richardson and Mrs. Donnelly are an enthusiastic presence, exhibiting a trickle down effect to teachers, staff members, children, and parents.

I couldn't be happier with the education that my son is receiving at William S. James. My son entered Mrs. Ewing's kindergarten class in September knowing only 50 sight words and now (4 months later) he's independently writing and reading entire sentences consistently. He counts by 2s, 4s, 5s, 10s, and 100s and can add and subtract all singular and many double numerical equations. His overall enthusiasm for learning has been overwhelming!

A superficial side note: I understand that a new playground is "in the works," however I feel additonal funding to update their 35-40 year old facility would greatly benefit the children. Close Quote

Schools Near William S. James 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
William S. James Elementary	Public	K-5	1 Laurentum Pkw	Abingdon	21009	Harford County	Harford County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 638-3900	463	31	15.1	29.2%	308 (66.5%)	52 (11.2%)	35 (7.6%)	24 (5.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (9.1%)	71.9	252^nd of 865 public elementary schools	70.9%		69.7	258^th of 865 public elementary schools	70.2%	6	50.6	41.7	35.8	42.9	70.6	60.7	56.8	63.0	39.5	$16,840	$876	$15,964
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 865 public elementary schools	65.8%		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
Emmorton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2502 Tollgate Rd	Bel Air	21014	Harford County	Harford County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 638-3920	584	36	16.4	22.6%	332 (56.8%)	72 (12.3%)	48 (8.2%)	73 (12.5%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	56 (9.6%)	81.5	167^th of 865 public elementary schools	80.7%		86.1	123^rd of 865 public elementary schools	85.8%	44	68.0	48.2	34.0	50.5	80.6	70.6	58.8	70.2	48.0	$15,999	$962	$15,037
Ring Factory Elementary	Public	K-5	1400 Emmorton Rd	Bel Air	21014	Harford County	Harford County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 638-4186	541	34	16.0	20.5%	415 (76.7%)	36 (6.7%)	30 (5.5%)	26 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (6.3%)	86.5	124^th of 865 public elementary schools	85.7%		85.9	125^th of 865 public elementary schools	85.5%	1	78.0	54.4	38.7	57.3	82.9	71.8	66.7	73.8	46.7	$15,991	$888	$15,104
Church Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4299 Church Creek Rd	Belcamp	21017	Harford County	Harford County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 273-5550	732	51	14.4	60.0%	201 (27.5%)	319 (43.6%)	68 (9.3%)	26 (3.6%)	4 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	112 (15.3%)	43.9	450^th of 865 public elementary schools	48.0%		45.5	445^th of 865 public elementary schools	48.6%	5	29.2	28.8	22.7	26.7	42.7	55.9	38.1	45.5	30.8	$16,931	$905	$16,026
Old Post Road Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2706 Old Philadelphia Rd	Abingdon	21009	Harford County	Harford County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 612-1566	850	67	12.7	79.6%	196 (23.1%)	335 (39.4%)	207 (24.4%)	18 (2.1%)	6 (0.7%)	3 (0.4%)	85 (10.0%)	24.7	634^th of 865 public elementary schools	26.7%		26.2	593^rd of 865 public elementary schools	31.4%	41	28.2	17.7	15.1	20.9	34.3	34.2	27.1	32.0	17.9	$17,859	$1,936	$15,923
Homestead-Wakefield Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	900 S Main St	Bel Air	21014	Harford County	Harford County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 638-4175	1,071	62	17.1	18.2%	743 (69.4%)	62 (5.8%)	104 (9.7%)	80 (7.5%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	78 (7.3%)	88.3	106^th of 865 public elementary schools	87.7%		90.3	88^th of 865 public elementary schools	89.8%	18	67.7	65.2	45.8	59.8	75.4	75.0	63.9	71.6	51.2	$14,421	$944	$13,476
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	579^th of 865 public elementary schools	33.1%		27.7	577^th of 865 public elementary schools	33.3%	2	40.6	11.9	15.9	19.5	56.3	36.7	28.1	37.2	17.7	$22,106	$3,605	$18,502
Fountain Green Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	517 Fountain Green Rd	Bel Air	21015	Harford County	Harford County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 638-4220	443	29	15.1	22.8%	336 (75.8%)	31 (7.0%)	26 (5.9%)	19 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (7.0%)	83.3	151^st of 865 public elementary schools	82.5%		92.2	72^nd of 865 public elementary schools	91.7%	79	41.9	74.7	47.3	54.5	60.8	74.7	74.7	70.5	52.7	$18,613	$1,046	$17,568
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	647^th of 865 public elementary schools	25.2%		24.3	623^rd of 865 public elementary schools	28.0%	24	24.8	12.9	5.6	14.2	39.0	44.0	21.3	34.9	14.8	$18,567	$1,978	$16,589

Frequently Asked Questions about William S. James Elementary

What is the racial makeup of William S. James Elementary?

Students at William S. James Elementary are 67% White, 11% African American, 9% Two or more races, 8% Hispanic, 5% Asian.

What district is William S. James Elementary in?

Harford County Public Schools

Is William S. James Elementary a good school?

William S. James Elementary ranks 252^nd of 865 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend William S. James Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 463 students attended William S. James Elementary.

Rate William S. James Elementary!

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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.