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Lake Elkhorn Middle

Q: Is Lake Elkhorn Middle a good school?

Lake Elkhorn Middle ranks 162 nd of 337 Maryland middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

162^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 337 Maryland Middle Schools

Better than 52% of Maryland middle schools

Summary

Lake Elkhorn Middle is a public middle school in Columbia, Maryland, serving 622 students in grades 6-8. It is part of the Howard County Public Schools district, which is ranked 4 out of 25 in Maryland and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Despite being part of a high-performing district, Lake Elkhorn Middle consistently underperforms compared to the district and state averages in both mathematics and English language arts proficiency. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 21.2% of students were proficient or better in MCAP/Mathematics, compared to 42% for the district and 26.5% for the state. The school also has significantly higher chronic absenteeism rates, with a 32.3% rate in the 2023-2024 school year, much higher than the district's 17.3% and the state's 24.1%.

Lake Elkhorn Middle is located in close proximity to several other Dunloggin Middle, Hammond Middle, and Clarksville Middle that consistently outperform it, suggesting that factors beyond the district's overall high performance may be contributing to the school's underperformance. Additionally, the school's high percentage of free and reduced-price lunch recipients (50.96% in 2023-2024) suggests that socioeconomic factors may be playing a role in the school's academic challenges.

569

Students ?

12.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,282

Per pupil spending ?

49%

Free/discounted lunch ?

6680 Cradlerock Way
Columbia, MD 21045

(410) 313-7600

District: Howard County Public Schools

Feeder schools for Lake Elkhorn Middle:

Elementary:

Cradlerock Elementary

Racial breakdown:

African American:

47.8%

Hispanic:

22.7%

White:

15.6%

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Compare Lake Elkhorn Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 36th percentile in 2015 → 52nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 16 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the Maryland median (52nd percentile)

Worth a look

!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 (2024-2025) ?

This school36%

District avg53%

Maryland avg37%

162^nd of 337

Maryland public middle schools ?

Top 48%▲ up 16 pts since 2015

From bottom 36% (2015) to top 48% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

18^th of 20Middle Schools in the Howard County Public Schools

4^th of 25Howard 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
2025	48.1	162 of 337	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	31.8	197 of 328	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.8	196 of 322	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.0	211 of 333	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.9	160 of 303	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.3	200 of 316	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.6	189 of 328	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	36.7	199 of 317	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	41.3	180 of 314	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2015	36.0	202 of 315	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2014	36.7	233 of 339	31.3%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	48.2	124 of 259	52.1%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	25.2	96 of 116	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	50.8	135 of 303	55.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	45.3	92 of 207	55.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	39.3	176 of 273	35.5%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	33.1	188 of 288	34.7%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	50.0	62 of 136	54.4%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	26.6	108 of 120	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	54.4	99 of 210	52.9%	★★★☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2021)56th percentile+8 vs school

Female (2021)55th percentile+8 vs school

Multi-racial (2021)54th percentile+7 vs school

White (2021)53rd percentile+6 vs school

African American (2021)52nd percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2021)36th percentile-12 vs school

Male (2021)35th percentile-12 vs school

Asian (2021)17th percentile-30 vs school

Special Education (2021)10th percentile-37 vs school

By subject vs Maryland (2024-2025) ?

Geometry73%+45 vs state

Algebra I50%+29 vs state

Social Studies50%+11 vs state

English Language Arts46%-4 vs state

Science22%-9 vs state

Mathematics21%-5 vs state

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Schools Near Lake Elkhorn Middle

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MCAP Mathematics (2025)				MCAP English Language Arts (2025)				MCAP Algebra I (2025)	MCAP Algebra II (2025)	MCAP Geometry (2025)	MCAP Science (2025)	MCAP Social Studies (2025)	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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCAP Mathematics 6th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MCAP Mathematics All Grades	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 Algebra II End of Course	MCAP Geometry End of Course	MCAP Science 8th Grade	MCAP Social Studies 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Lake Elkhorn Middle	Public	6-8	6680 Cradlerock Way	Columbia	21045	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-7600	569	47	12.2	49.0%	89 (15.6%)	272 (47.8%)	129 (22.7%)	32 (5.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (7.7%)	48.1	162^nd of 337 public middle schools	51.9%		31.8	197^th of 328 public middle schools	39.9%	35	19.2	9.5	4.5	21.2	36.9	56.8	45.8	46.3	50.0		72.7	22.0	50.0	$20,282	$1,058	$19,224
Oakland Mills Middle	Public	6-8	9540 Kilimanjaro Rd	Columbia	21045	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-6937	415	35	11.8	48.4%	87 (21.0%)	135 (32.5%)	133 (32.0%)	26 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	32 (7.7%)	56.4	132^nd of 337 public middle schools	60.8%		37.1	175^th of 328 public middle schools	46.6%	43	23.2	11.1	5.1	21.0	53.2	53.5	47.2	51.2	50.0		34.5	27.5	55.9	$24,494	$1,060	$23,433
Wilde Lake Middle	Public	6-8	10481 Cross Fox Ln	Columbia	21044	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-6957	643	49	13.2	39.0%	191 (29.7%)	277 (43.1%)	82 (12.8%)	35 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	56 (8.7%)	62.8	115^th of 337 public middle schools	65.9%		56.1	111^th of 328 public middle schools	66.2%	4	27.8	9.0	14.4	29.3	52.5	56.5	61.7	56.8	63.6		59.5	30.0	45.7	$21,976	$912	$21,064
Mayfield Woods Middle	Public	6-8	7950 Redbarn Way	Elkridge	21075	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-5022	731	57	12.7	40.1%	157 (21.5%)	196 (26.8%)	238 (32.6%)	100 (13.7%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (5.2%)	56.1	134^th of 337 public middle schools	60.2%		50	134^th of 328 public middle schools	59.1%		24.7	13.1	5.7	27.4	48.1	53.2	50.4	50.6	73.7		82.9	33.8	43.0	$20,765	$896	$19,869
Patuxent Valley Middle	Public	6-8	9151 Vollmerhausen Rd	Jessup	20794	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 880-5840	840	62	13.5	43.7%	128 (15.2%)	373 (44.4%)	165 (19.6%)	119 (14.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	54 (6.4%)	54.6	141^st of 337 public middle schools	58.2%		47.3	139^th of 328 public middle schools	57.6%	2	21.4	13.3	6.5	18.4	41.9	50.2	52.7	48.5	27.8		48.9	27.1	58.8	$17,818	$815	$17,003
Murray Hill Middle	Public	6-8	9989 Winter Sun Rd	Laurel	20723	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 880-5897	616	47	13.1	37.3%	70 (11.4%)	246 (39.9%)	151 (24.5%)	116 (18.8%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	30 (4.9%)	69.2	98^th of 337 public middle schools	70.9%		50.2	133^rd of 328 public middle schools	59.5%	35	28.0	14.6	7.6	30.0	60.9	57.0	60.1	59.2	59.8		66.7	43.2	54.1	$22,293	$783	$21,510
Harpers Choice Middle	Public	6-8	5450 Beaverkill Rd	Columbia	21044	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-6929	471	41	11.5	46.9%	87 (18.5%)	204 (43.3%)	109 (23.1%)	38 (8.1%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	31 (6.6%)	41.9	182^nd of 337 public middle schools	46.0%		38.6	173^rd of 328 public middle schools	47.3%	9	26.8	7.8	3.0	25.1	42.1	46.6	36.6	41.8	81.8		56.7	25.2	30.9	$23,115	$920	$22,195
Hammond Middle	Public	6-8	8100 Aladdin Dr	Laurel	20723	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 880-5830	604	41	14.8	16.4%	232 (38.4%)	174 (28.8%)	60 (9.9%)	76 (12.6%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	60 (9.9%)	84.9	50^th of 337 public middle schools	85.2%		78.2	55^th of 328 public middle schools	83.2%	5	43.7	21.0	16.7	41.7	74.9	68.1	67.3	70.2	62.2		66.1	51.7	54.4	$17,343	$742	$16,601
Clarksville Middle	Public	6-8	6535 S Trotter Rd	Clarksville	21029	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-7057	679	41	16.6	6.6%	224 (33.0%)	93 (13.7%)	20 (2.9%)	301 (44.3%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	39 (5.7%)	97.7	3^rd of 337 public middle schools	99.1%		98.2	1^st of 328 public middle schools	99.7%	2	61.2	47.2	48.1	72.7	81.3	81.9	85.6	82.8	92.4	100.0	93.7	72.4	90.5	$17,045	$619	$16,426
Ellicott Mills Middle	Public	6-8	4445 Montgomery Rd	Ellicott City	21043	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-2839	698	49	14.3	14.6%	197 (28.2%)	111 (15.9%)	39 (5.6%)	300 (43.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (7.0%)	91.7	28^th of 337 public middle schools	91.7%		85.3	39^th of 328 public middle schools	88.1%	11	60.8	25.4	8.2	54.5	79.1	78.7	77.4	78.4	68.5	100.0	85.6	59.7	79.3	$17,633	$822	$16,811

Frequently Asked Questions about Lake Elkhorn Middle

What is the racial makeup of Lake Elkhorn Middle?

Students at Lake Elkhorn Middle are 48% African American, 23% Hispanic, 16% White, 8% Two or more races, 6% Asian.

Is Lake Elkhorn Middle a good school?

Lake Elkhorn Middle ranks 162^nd of 337 Maryland middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Lake Elkhorn Middle in?

Howard County Public Schools

How many students attend Lake Elkhorn Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 569 students attended Lake Elkhorn Middle.

Rate Lake Elkhorn Middle!

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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.