Swan Creek School

Swan Creek School in Aberdeen, MD, is an alternative school within the Harford County Public Schools district, serving 368 students in grades 2 through 12 who have not found success in traditional school settings. The school’s most impressive achievement is its graduation rate, which has climbed steadily from 60.0% in 2021-2022 to 83.0% in 2024-2025—a remarkable 23-point increase in just four years. While this rate still trails the district average of 91.9%, the upward trend shows that the school’s programs are effectively helping more students earn their diplomas. However, the dropout rate remains volatile, spiking to 22.5% in 2023-2024 before dropping to 13.5% in 2024-2025, which is common in smaller alternative schools where a few students can significantly impact percentages.

Academically, Swan Creek shows clear strengths and challenges. English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency stands at 44.6%, much closer to the state average of 51.7%, with a standout 4th grade class achieving 59.1% proficiency—nearly matching the district average. Math proficiency, however, is a critical weakness at just 12.6%, roughly half the district average, with grades 5-8 particularly struggling at 5-6% proficiency. Chronic absenteeism, while improving from 38.3% in 2021-2022 to 33.5% currently, remains nearly double the district average of 18.5%, posing a persistent barrier to learning. Compared to its peer Harford Academy at Campus Hills, Swan Creek serves a larger student body with a higher student-teacher ratio (9.1:1 vs. 3.4:1) and a lower percentage of students eligible for free/reduced lunch (26.9% vs. 57.45%), suggesting it may serve a less resource-intensive population.

The school invests over $24,000 per student annually—more than double the national average for traditional schools—and this investment appears to be yielding results, particularly in the rising graduation rate. While math proficiency and chronic absenteeism remain significant challenges, Swan Creek is on a positive trajectory, successfully guiding a challenging student population toward graduation. The school’s ability to keep more students on track to earn a diploma is its most significant achievement, demonstrating that its interventions are making a real difference for students who need a second chance at academic success.