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Piney Branch Elementary

Q: Is Piney Branch Elementary a good school?

Piney Branch Elementary ranks 158 th of 865 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 3-5

158^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 865 Maryland Elementary Schools

Better than 82% of Maryland elementary schools

Summary

Piney Branch Elementary in Takoma Park, MD, is a high-performing, upper-grade school serving 575 students in grades 3-5 as part of the Montgomery County Public Schools district, which ranks in the top 32% of Maryland districts.

Piney Branch consistently achieves exceptional academic results that far exceed both district and state averages. In mathematics, 53.3% of students are proficient, which is 44% higher than the district average and nearly double the state average. In English Language Arts, 64.3% of students are proficient, and in 5th-grade science, 55.6% are proficient—a standout 72% higher than the state average. These scores are significantly higher than nearby MCPS schools like Highland View Elementary, Oak View Elementary, and East Silver Spring Elementary. The school also has a remarkably low chronic absenteeism rate of 11.1%, roughly half the district average and the lowest among its MCPS neighbors. Piney Branch is physically adjacent to Takoma Park Elementary (PK-2), creating a cohesive educational pipeline that builds a strong foundation for student success.

What makes Piney Branch particularly impressive is its efficiency and effectiveness with diverse student groups. The school achieves top-tier results with a higher student-teacher ratio (16.8) and lower per-student spending ($17,802) compared to lower-performing MCPS neighbors like Highland View and Oak View, which spend significantly more per student. The school ranks in the 96th percentile statewide for special education students and in the 91st percentile for African American students, demonstrating exceptional support across subgroups. However, the data shows a slight dip in state ranking from the 88th to the 82nd percentile over the last two years, and English Language Learner students rank in the 39th percentile, representing an opportunity for growth. The contrast with nearby Ridgecrest Elementary in Prince George's County Public Schools is stark—just 1.55 miles away, Ridgecrest has a 15.5% math proficiency rate compared to Piney Branch's 53.3%, highlighting how district boundaries can shape educational outcomes.

575

Students ?

16.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,802

Per pupil spending ?

34.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

7510 Maple Ave
Takoma Park, MD 20912-4939

(240) 740-7780

District: Montgomery County Public Schools

Students who attend Piney Branch Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Takoma Park Middle
High:	Albert Einstein High
	John F. Kennedy High
	Montgomery Blair High
	Northwood High
	More...
	Wheaton High

Racial breakdown:

White:

43.7%

African American:

27.3%

Hispanic:

18.4%

See top rated Maryland elementary schools

Compare Piney Branch Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 66th percentile in 2016 → 82nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Maryland average (58% vs 39% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 18% of Maryland elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 16 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school58%

District avg48%

Maryland avg39%

158^th of 865

Maryland public elementary schools ?

Top 18%▲ up 16 pts since 2016

From top 34% (2016) to top 18% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

8^th of 24Montgomery 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	82.8	158 of 865	81.7%	★★★★☆
2025	87.6	103 of 865	88.1%	★★★★☆
2024	84.7	124 of 859	85.6%	★★★★☆
2023	84.3	124 of 855	85.5%	★★★★☆
2022	86.3	120 of 862	86.1%	★★★★☆
2021	88.6	79 of 802	90.1%	★★★★★
2019	71.3	240 of 853	71.9%	★★★★☆
2018	63.2	296 of 857	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	72.4	234 of 847	72.4%	★★★★☆
2016	63.8	289 of 845	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	72.4	225 of 859	73.8%	★★★★☆
2014	55.0	458 of 867	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2013	59.0	372 of 847	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2012	68.6	279 of 857	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2011	60.9	366 of 853	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2010	58.9	413 of 855	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2009	49.8	496 of 850	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	51.4	469 of 838	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2007	34.2	588 of 818	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	37.9	554 of 804	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2005	41.5	520 of 805	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2004	41.1	545 of 803	32.1%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	76.7	47 of 504	90.7%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	35.7	70 of 115	39.1%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	86.0	84 of 796	89.4%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	48.9	104 of 347	70.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	49.7	207 of 546	62.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	86.4	79 of 788	90.0%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	83.7	9 of 52	82.7%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	90.8	6 of 136	95.6%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	96.9	5 of 528	99.1%	★★★★★

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)

White (2021)99th percentile+9 vs school

Special Education (2021)96th percentile+5 vs school

African American (2021)91st percentile~ school

Male (2021)90th percentile~ school

Female (2021)89th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2021)83rd percentile-7 vs school

Hispanic (2021)70th percentile-20 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2021)62nd percentile-28 vs school

English Language Learner (2021)39th percentile-51 vs school

By subject vs Maryland (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts64%+13 vs state

Science56%+23 vs state

Mathematics53%+26 vs state

★

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Schools Near Piney Branch 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
Piney Branch Elementary	Public	3-5	7510 Maple Ave	Takoma Park	20912	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-7780	575	34	16.8	34.8%	251 (43.7%)	157 (27.3%)	106 (18.4%)	14 (2.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (7.8%)	82.8	158^th of 865 public elementary schools	81.7%		87.6	103^rd of 865 public elementary schools	88.1%	55	55.2	51.9	53.1	53.3	57.8	65.7	68.4	64.3	55.6	$17,802	$1,041	$16,761
Takoma Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	7511 Holly Ave	Takoma Park	20912	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-0980	559	37	15.1	36.7%	207 (37.0%)	162 (29.0%)	136 (24.3%)	11 (2.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (7.3%)								(n/a)										$17,108	$830	$16,278
East Silver Spring Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	631 Silver Spring Ave	Silver Spring	20910	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-0620	540	45	12.0	52.6%	103 (19.1%)	281 (52.0%)	103 (19.1%)	17 (3.1%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (5.9%)	61.5	309^th of 865 public elementary schools	64.3%		50.4	403^rd of 865 public elementary schools	53.4%	94	62.5	37.1	35.4	44.7	59.7	47.6	46.9	51.3	28.8	$20,978	$1,465	$19,513
Rolling Terrace Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	705 Bayfield St	Takoma Park	20912	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(240) 740-1950	645	62	10.4	68.8%	33 (5.1%)	69 (10.7%)	526 (81.6%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.7%)	11.8	798^th of 865 public elementary schools	7.7%		12.7	798^th of 865 public elementary schools	7.7%		17.6	10.5	10.1	13.1	23.8	14.0	17.1	18.6	7.6	$23,875	$3,516	$20,359
Sligo Creek Elementary	Public, Magnet	K-5	500 Schuyler Rd	Silver Spring	20910	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(240) 740-2800	632	41	15.2	22.5%	279 (44.1%)	200 (31.6%)	75 (11.9%)	30 (4.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	45 (7.1%)	81.1	171^st of 865 public elementary schools	80.2%		83.3	151^st of 865 public elementary schools	82.5%	20	62.1	64.5	45.3	56.9	65.0	65.4	56.9	62.3	44.1	$15,804	$797	$15,006
Carole Highlands Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1610 Hannon St	Takoma Park	20912	Montgomery County	Prince George's County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 431-5660	544	42	12.9	92.5%	11 (2.0%)	14 (2.6%)	516 (94.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	7.7	846^th of 865 public elementary schools	2.2%		7.5	855^th of 865 public elementary schools	1.2%	9	8.2	4.5	4.2	5.4	16.7	18.9	11.4	15.9	2.7	$20,572	$1,883	$18,689
New Hampshire Estates Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	8720 Carroll Ave	Silver Spring	20903	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(240) 740-1580	455	45	10.0	69.2%	28 (6.2%)	98 (21.5%)	321 (70.5%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)								(n/a)										$26,632	$4,596	$22,036
Highland View Elementary	Public	K-5	9010 Providence Ave	Silver Spring	20901	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-1990	334	30	11.1	51.5%	88 (26.3%)	105 (31.4%)	113 (33.8%)	9 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (5.4%)	60.9	318^th of 865 public elementary schools	63.2%		60.1	335^th of 865 public elementary schools	61.3%	17	55.2	47.5	28.6	45.6	57.6	59.0	33.3	51.0	27.5	$20,528	$903	$19,625
Ridgecrest Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6120 Riggs Rd	Hyattsville	20783	Prince George's County	Prince George's County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 853-0820	631	48	13.0	89.5%	3 (0.5%)	99 (15.7%)	525 (83.2%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16.2	738^th of 865 public elementary schools	14.7%		12.3	806^th of 865 public elementary schools	6.8%	68	19.2	2.6	22.5	15.5	18.6	9.2	25.6	18.1	15.7	$20,402	$1,955	$18,447
Oak View Elementary	Public, Magnet	3-5	400 E Wayne Ave	Silver Spring	20901	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(240) 740-6540	423	32	13.1	49.4%	75 (17.7%)	63 (14.9%)	261 (61.7%)	11 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.8%)	63.9	291^st of 865 public elementary schools	66.4%		60.1	333^rd of 865 public elementary schools	61.5%	42	39.8	39.5	49.4	43.2	31.2	48.5	57.6	47.9	47.7	$22,012	$2,369	$19,643

Frequently Asked Questions about Piney Branch Elementary

How many students attend Piney Branch Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 575 students attended Piney Branch Elementary.

Is Piney Branch Elementary a good school?

Piney Branch Elementary ranks 158^th of 865 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Piney Branch Elementary attend?

Students who attend Piney Branch Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Takoma Park Middle
High : Albert Einstein High
High : John F. Kennedy High
High : Montgomery Blair High
High : Northwood High
High : Wheaton High

What district is Piney Branch Elementary in?

Montgomery County Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Piney Branch Elementary?

Students at Piney Branch Elementary are 44% White, 27% African American, 18% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

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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.