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Laurel Woods Elementary

Q: Is Laurel Woods Elementary a good school?

Laurel Woods Elementary ranks 463 rd of 865 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

463^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 865 Maryland Elementary Schools

Better than 46% of Maryland elementary schools

Summary

Laurel Woods Elementary is a mid-sized school in Laurel, MD, serving 625 students from Pre-K through 5th grade as part of the highly-regarded Howard County Public Schools district. While the district ranks among the top in Maryland, Laurel Woods has consistently received a 2-star rating over the past five years, with academic proficiency levels that are notably lower than many of its Howard County peers. For example, in Math, only 28.5% of students are proficient compared to the district average of 42.1%, and in English Language Arts, the gap is even wider at 42.6% versus 65.9%. This places the school's performance closer to schools in neighboring districts like Prince George's County Public Schools and Anne Arundel County Public Schools than to its Howard County neighbors such as Hammond Elementary (56.6% Math) or Gorman Crossing Elementary (44.6% Math).

Despite these overall challenges, Laurel Woods stands out for its exceptional work with students from low-income backgrounds. In the 2020-2021 school year, the school ranked in the 90th percentile statewide for its effectiveness with low socioeconomic status (SES) students, earning a 5-star rating—a remarkable achievement given that 58.4% of its students qualify for free and reduced lunch. This suggests the school has strong programs and supports in place that are successfully closing the achievement gap for its most economically disadvantaged students, even as the broader learning environment faces hurdles. However, chronic absenteeism remains a persistent issue, with a rate of 22.8% in the 2024-2025 school year—more than double that of nearby Howard County schools like Gorman Crossing (9.8%) and Bollman Bridge Elementary (13.6%).

Interestingly, Laurel Woods spends significantly more per student ($22,128) than higher-performing Howard County peers like Hammond Elementary ($16,153) and Gorman Crossing ($16,929), reflecting the higher needs of its student body. Yet this investment has not translated into overall academic scores matching the district average, highlighting that money alone isn't a solution without addressing absenteeism and other barriers. Additionally, 5th-grade Science scores have dropped sharply from 23.6% proficiency in 2022-2023 to just 8.5% in 2024-2025, a trend that warrants attention. For parents, Laurel Woods is a school of contrasts—it excels in serving its low-income students but faces systemic challenges that make it more comparable to schools in neighboring counties than to its own district.

625

Students ?

12.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,128

Per pupil spending ?

58.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

9250 N Laurel Rd
Laurel, MD 20723-1660

(410) 880-5960

District: Howard County Public Schools

Students who attend Laurel Woods Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Murray Hill Middle
High:	Reservoir High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

44.3%

Hispanic:

35.4%

Asian:

8.5%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 61st percentile in 2016 → 46th in 2026

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 15 percentile points since 2016

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

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school35%

District avg53%

Maryland avg39%

463^rd of 865

Maryland public elementary schools ?

Bottom 46%▼ down 14 pts since 2016

From top 39% (2016) to bottom 46% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

37^th of 42Elementary Schools in the Howard County Public Schools

4^th of 24Howard 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	42.4	463 of 865	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	32.4	539 of 865	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.0	529 of 859	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.8	499 of 855	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.9	523 of 862	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.1	402 of 802	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.5	458 of 853	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.0	424 of 857	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	51.0	382 of 847	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2016	57.2	331 of 845	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	56.9	337 of 859	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2014	63.9	355 of 867	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	51.1	452 of 847	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	48.4	504 of 857	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	46.1	510 of 853	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	32.9	649 of 855	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	30.4	662 of 850	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	30.7	656 of 838	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	72.1	220 of 818	73.1%	★★★★☆
2006	63.8	319 of 804	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2005	57.9	380 of 805	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2004	54.3	429 of 803	46.6%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	54.1	148 of 504	70.6%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	10.5	120 of 128	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	40.9	372 of 796	53.3%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	49.0	103 of 347	70.3%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	71.1	54 of 546	90.1%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	29.8	483 of 788	38.7%	★★☆☆☆

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)90th percentile+40 vs school

African American (2021)71st percentile+21 vs school

Hispanic (2021)70th percentile+20 vs school

Female (2021)53rd percentile+3 vs school

Male (2021)39th percentile-11 vs school

Asian (2021)6th percentile-44 vs school

By subject vs Maryland (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts43%-9 vs state

Science29%-3 vs state

Mathematics28%~ state avg

4.7

3 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★2

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2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, October 17, 2019

Excellent parent and teacher communication. Healthy lunch options. Excellent staff. My son loves this school. Close Quote

by a parent
Friday, May 4, 2012

Laurel woods is great elemetary school. Teachers care and the principle is trying hard to bring L-Woods elementary school upto par. It used to be no-so great, but it immproved a lot. However,still needs to do more to be one of the best. Close Quote

Schools Near Laurel Woods 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 (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 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
Laurel Woods Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	9250 N Laurel Rd	Laurel	20723	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 880-5960	625	51	12.2	58.4%	42 (6.7%)	277 (44.3%)	221 (35.4%)	53 (8.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (5.1%)	42.4	463^rd of 865 public elementary schools	46.5%		32.4	539^th of 865 public elementary schools	37.7%	76	37.6	24.8	23.6				28.5	33.0	50.5	44.0				42.6		29.4		$22,128	$1,589	$20,539
Laurel Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	516 Montgomery St	Laurel	20707	Prince George's County	Prince George's County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 497-3660	472	36	13.1	90.9%	25 (5.3%)	126 (26.7%)	308 (65.3%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.7%)	23.3	644^th of 865 public elementary schools	25.5%		21.9	666^th of 865 public elementary schools	23.0%	22	20.3	10.0	18.8				15.9	39.7	27.1	40.4				35.0		12.5		$21,445	$2,227	$19,218
Forest Ridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	9550 Gorman Rd	Laurel	20723	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 880-5950	659	52	12.6	40.8%	87 (13.2%)	282 (42.8%)	145 (22.0%)	101 (15.3%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (0.8%)	36 (5.5%)	52.7	387^th of 865 public elementary schools	55.3%		52.1	388^th of 865 public elementary schools	55.1%	1	38.5	29.2	28.9				31.9	47.9	53.1	52.7				51.4		30.7		$18,100	$851	$17,250
Maryland City Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3359 Crumpton South	Laurel	20724	Anne Arundel County	Anne Arundel County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 725-4256	450	39	11.4	79.8%	14 (3.1%)	169 (37.6%)	237 (52.7%)	9 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.7%)	17.9	712^th of 865 public elementary schools	17.7%		25.9	601^st of 865 public elementary schools	30.5%	111	17.3	14.5	12.7				14.8	24.7	29.4	23.7				25.8		17.7		$20,794	$2,484	$18,311
Scotchtown Hills Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	15950 Dorset Rd	Laurel	20707	Prince George's County	Prince George's County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 497-3994	589	42	13.9	90.3%	20 (3.4%)	233 (39.6%)	283 (48.0%)	26 (4.4%)	8 (1.4%)	2 (0.3%)	17 (2.9%)	18.9	699^th of 865 public elementary schools	19.2%		16.8	734^th of 865 public elementary schools	15.1%	35	24.8	21.3	7.1				18.1	38.2	30.4	9.5				26.8		3.6		$20,968	$1,421	$19,547
Bollman Bridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	8200 Savage-Guilford Road	Jessup	20794	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 880-5920	775	64	12.1	52.9%	167 (21.5%)	288 (37.2%)	226 (29.2%)	46 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (6.2%)	44.3	449^th of 865 public elementary schools	48.1%		32.3	540^th of 865 public elementary schools	37.6%	91	39.7	26.3	24.0				30.4	52.1	43.0	40.8				45.6		24.8		$20,412	$1,524	$18,888
Gorman Crossing Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	9999 Winter Sun Rd	Laurel	20723	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 880-5900	750	59	12.6	21.5%	138 (18.4%)	285 (38.0%)	104 (13.9%)	183 (24.4%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	38 (5.1%)	72.7	248^th of 865 public elementary schools	71.3%		80.1	181^st of 865 public elementary schools	79.1%	67	55.7	44.4	35.0				44.6	59.4	64.8	61.7				62.1		38.3		$16,929	$779	$16,150
Brock Bridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	405 Brock Bridge Rd	Laurel	20724	Anne Arundel County	Anne Arundel County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 498-6280	514	51	10.1	69.6%	23 (4.5%)	212 (41.2%)	238 (46.3%)	14 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (5.3%)	24.6	635^th of 865 public elementary schools	26.6%		22.2	662^nd of 865 public elementary schools	23.5%	27	27.1	16.3	8.9				17.0	42.9	34.2	30.4				35.5		14.3		$20,556	$2,449	$18,107
Monarch Global Academy PCS Laurel Campus	Public	K-8	430 Brock Bridge Road	Laurel	20724	Anne Arundel County	Anne Arundel County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 886-8648	830	62	13.4	57.2%	70 (8.4%)	459 (55.3%)	226 (27.2%)	44 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (3.7%)	38.7	492^nd of 865 public elementary schools	43.1%		51.2	396^th of 865 public elementary schools	54.2%	96	31.6	18.1	21.4	6.4	26.8	20.6	22.3	51.0	39.4	42.9	44.7	57.7	71.9	51.1	52.0	30.3	38.2	$18,467	$1,119	$17,348
Oaklands Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	13710 Laurel Bowie Rd	Laurel	20708	Prince George's County	Prince George's County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 497-3110	483	39	12.4	90.3%	12 (2.5%)	153 (31.7%)	297 (61.5%)	15 (3.1%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.8%)	12.7	788^th of 865 public elementary schools	8.9%		19.7	691^st of 865 public elementary schools	20.1%	97	13.4	4.7	8.6				8.5	26.9	23.5	21.1				23.9		12.3		$22,052	$1,707	$20,346

Frequently Asked Questions about Laurel Woods Elementary

Is Laurel Woods Elementary a good school?

Laurel Woods Elementary ranks 463^rd of 865 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Laurel Woods Elementary in?

Howard County Public Schools

How many students attend Laurel Woods Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 625 students attended Laurel Woods Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Laurel Woods Elementary?

Students at Laurel Woods Elementary are 44% African American, 35% Hispanic, 8% Asian, 7% White, 5% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Laurel Woods Elementary attend?

Students who attend Laurel Woods Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Murray Hill Middle
High : Reservoir High

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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.