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DuFief Elementary

Q: Is DuFief Elementary a good school?

DuFief Elementary ranks 160 th of 864 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

160^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 864 Maryland Elementary Schools

Better than 81% of Maryland elementary schools

Summary

DuFief Elementary is a K-5 school in Gaithersburg, MD, serving 276 students as part of the Montgomery County Public Schools district, and it stands out for its exceptionally high per-student spending of $31,430 and a very low student-teacher ratio of 10.7:1, which is significantly lower than nearby high-performing schools like Diamond Elementary (14.9:1) and Rachel Carson Elementary (16.6:1).

Academically, DuFief is a math powerhouse, with 61% of students proficient in math—65% higher than the district average and 125% higher than the state average—while its English Language Arts proficiency of 59.6% is closer to the district average. However, this strong performance doesn't match the efficiency of peers like Travilah Elementary, which spends $19,006 per student and achieves 81.1% math and 84.5% ELA proficiency, raising questions about how DuFief's resources are used. The school also excels in keeping students engaged, with a chronic absenteeism rate of 12.8%—nearly half the district average of 22.6%—on par with top schools like Stone Mill Elementary (12.2%).

Despite its overall 4-star rating and 81st percentile state ranking, DuFief shows a slight downward trend in rankings over the past five years, and subgroup data reveals a challenge: while it serves White students exceptionally well (91st percentile), it struggles with Special Education students (29th percentile), suggesting a need to re-evaluate support systems. For parents, DuFief offers small classes and strong math instruction, but it's worth comparing its resource investment to nearby options like Darnestown Elementary ($25,575 per student) or Lakewood Elementary for a balanced perspective on value and academic outcomes.

276

Students ?

10.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$31,430

Per pupil spending ?

20.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

15001 Dufief Dr
Gaithersburg, MD 20878-2499

(240) 740-1600

District: Montgomery County Public Schools

Students who attend DuFief Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Robert Frost Middle School
High:	Thomas S. Wootton High

Racial breakdown:

White:

30.8%

Asian:

27.9%

African American:

16.7%

See top rated Maryland elementary schools

Compare DuFief Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 84th percentile in 2016 → 81st in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Maryland average (59% vs 39% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 19% of Maryland elementary schools

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school59%

District avg48%

Maryland avg39%

160^th of 864

Maryland public elementary schools ?

Top 19%▼ down 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

45^th of 132Elementary Schools in the Montgomery County Public Schools

8^th of 25Montgomery 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	82.2	160 of 864	81.5%	★★★★☆
2025	78.5	196 of 865	77.3%	★★★★☆
2024	77.3	189 of 859	78.0%	★★★★☆
2023	84.3	123 of 855	85.6%	★★★★☆
2022	79.3	176 of 862	79.6%	★★★★☆
2021	91.8	57 of 802	92.9%	★★★★★
2019	81.2	156 of 853	81.7%	★★★★☆
2018	86.2	103 of 857	88.0%	★★★★☆
2017	86.6	120 of 847	85.8%	★★★★☆
2016	84.8	137 of 845	83.8%	★★★★☆
2015	82.1	153 of 859	82.2%	★★★★☆
2014	59.3	403 of 867	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2013	46.3	506 of 847	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	55.6	439 of 857	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	69.1	256 of 853	70.0%	★★★★☆
2010	65.8	329 of 855	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2009	64.9	328 of 850	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2008	62.9	345 of 838	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2007	12.0	731 of 818	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	7.3	752 of 804	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	3.3	774 of 805	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	3.1	774 of 803	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	78.1	26 of 128	79.7%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	69.2	19 of 115	83.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	90.8	50 of 796	93.7%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	89.5	64 of 788	91.9%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	33.9	96 of 136	29.4%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	86.3	45 of 528	91.5%	★★★★★

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)

Female (2021)94th percentile~ school

Male (2021)92nd percentile~ school

White (2021)91st percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2021)83rd percentile-9 vs school

Asian (2021)80th percentile-13 vs school

Special Education (2021)29th percentile-63 vs school

By subject vs Maryland (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics61%+34 vs state

English Language Arts60%+8 vs state

Science49%+16 vs state

5.0

2 ratings

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

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Schools Near DuFief 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	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
DuFief Elementary	Public	K-5	15001 Dufief Dr	Gaithersburg	20878	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-1600	276	26	10.7	20.7%	85 (30.8%)	46 (16.7%)	40 (14.5%)	77 (27.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (10.1%)	82.2	160^th of 864 public elementary schools	81.5%		78.5	196^th of 865 public elementary schools	77.3%	36	69.6	62.5	51.1	61.0	61.7	62.5	54.3	59.6	48.9	$31,430	$1,589	$29,841
Rachel Carson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	100 Tschiffely Square Rd	Gaithersburg	20878	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-1840	671	40	16.6	27.0%	303 (45.2%)	55 (8.2%)	151 (22.5%)	106 (15.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	54 (8.0%)	94.2	42^nd of 864 public elementary schools	95.1%		94.5	40^th of 865 public elementary schools	95.4%	2	70.4	69.3	64.0	67.9	76.6	80.5	75.7	77.6	60.7	$18,245	$1,000	$17,245
Stone Mill Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	14323 Stonebridge View Dr	North Potomac	20878	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-5450	516	35	14.5	14.1%	116 (22.5%)	55 (10.7%)	63 (12.2%)	239 (46.3%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (7.8%)	91.7	72^nd of 864 public elementary schools	91.7%		94.2	43^rd of 865 public elementary schools	95.0%	29	76.9	74.0	60.0	70.7	71.3	77.2	65.5	71.6	52.8	$20,312	$1,169	$19,143
Travilah Elementary	Public	K-5	13801 DuFief Mill Rd	North Potomac	20878	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-4300	372	26	14.5	13.4%	110 (29.6%)	38 (10.2%)	35 (9.4%)	163 (43.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (6.7%)	97.4	13^th of 864 public elementary schools	98.5%		96.1	29^th of 865 public elementary schools	96.6%	16	88.5	77.8	78.1	81.1	90.2	86.3	77.8	84.5	62.5	$19,006	$846	$18,160
Jones Lane Elementary	Public	K-5	15110 Jones Ln	Gaithersburg	20878	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-4260	428	36	11.9	34.3%	162 (37.9%)	43 (10.0%)	141 (32.9%)	49 (11.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (7.7%)	81.5	169^th of 864 public elementary schools	80.4%		82.6	155^th of 865 public elementary schools	82.1%	14	69.2	50.4	45.8	54.0	69.2	61.1	63.9	64.0	45.8	$19,727	$894	$18,832
Fields Road Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1 School Dr	Gaithersburg	20878	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-7000	453	39	11.4	51.0%	103 (22.7%)	84 (18.5%)	175 (38.6%)	62 (13.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (6.2%)	61.5	308^th of 864 public elementary schools	64.4%		54.2	372^nd of 865 public elementary schools	57.0%	64	47.0	33.3	34.6	38.1	54.7	56.9	49.4	53.4	37.7	$23,354	$995	$22,359
Thurgood Marshall Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	12260 McDonald Chapel Dr	Gaithersburg	20878	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-5990	553	44	12.7	43.9%	172 (31.1%)	120 (21.7%)	173 (31.3%)	55 (9.9%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	30 (5.4%)	53.7	379^th of 864 public elementary schools	56.1%		54	374^th of 865 public elementary schools	56.8%	5	53.9	46.9	28.2	43.0	51.3	42.5	38.2	44.0	26.6	$19,278	$973	$18,305
Diamond Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4 Marquis Dr	Gaithersburg	20878	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-2120	654	44	14.9	12.4%	164 (25.1%)	60 (9.2%)	91 (13.9%)	292 (44.6%)	8 (1.2%)	3 (0.5%)	36 (5.5%)	94.4	39^th of 864 public elementary schools	95.5%		93.5	51^st of 865 public elementary schools	94.1%	12	69.4	68.8	73.9	70.9	76.2	73.7	78.6	76.4	63.9	$19,076	$1,016	$18,060
Darnestown Elementary	Public	K-5	15030 Turkey Foot Rd	Gaithersburg	20878	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 284-4260	356	32	11.0	17.7%	183 (51.4%)	34 (9.6%)	52 (14.6%)	53 (14.9%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	31 (8.7%)	83.7	144^th of 864 public elementary schools	83.3%		78.3	198^th of 865 public elementary schools	77.1%	54	66.7	53.7	46.6	55.4	68.5	68.5	57.9	64.8	51.7	$25,575	$1,385	$24,190
Lakewood Elementary	Public	K-5	2534 Lindley Terrace	Rockville	20850	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-5750	406	31	12.9	21.2%	79 (19.5%)	70 (17.2%)	48 (11.8%)	178 (43.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (7.6%)	91.4	77^th of 864 public elementary schools	91.1%		92.2	71^st of 865 public elementary schools	91.8%	6	79.7	62.3	65.2	68.8	73.4	76.1	66.2	71.9	51.5	$19,479	$963	$18,516

Frequently Asked Questions about DuFief Elementary

Is DuFief Elementary a good school?

DuFief Elementary ranks 160^th of 864 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend DuFief Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 276 students attended DuFief Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of DuFief Elementary?

Students at DuFief Elementary are 31% White, 28% Asian, 17% African American, 14% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races.

What district is DuFief Elementary in?

Montgomery County Public Schools

What schools do graduates of DuFief Elementary attend?

Students who attend DuFief Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Robert Frost Middle School
High : Thomas S. Wootton 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.