Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Captain James E. Daly Elementary

Q: Is Captain James E. Daly Elementary a good school?

Captain James E. Daly Elementary ranks 619 th of 865 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

619^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 865 Maryland Elementary Schools

Better than 28% of Maryland elementary schools

Summary

Captain James E. Daly Elementary in Germantown, MD, is a public school serving 472 students from Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade as part of the Montgomery County Public Schools district, where 57.6% of students qualify for free and reduced lunch.

Daly Elementary faces a significant challenge with chronic absenteeism, which has been the highest among nearby schools for several years—at 31.7% in 2024-2025 compared to the district average of 22.6%. This attendance crisis is likely a key factor behind the school's academic struggles, as nearly one in three students are missing enough school to disrupt learning momentum. Despite higher-than-average per-pupil spending ($23,824) and a low student-teacher ratio (11.2:1), proficiency rates lag behind peers. For example, math proficiency stands at 23.6% and English Language Arts at 30.7%, while Fox Chapel Elementary, just 1.29 miles away with similar demographics, achieves 49.4% and 58.1% respectively. The school also sees a sharp drop in math proficiency between 3rd grade (37.5%) and 4th grade (17.2%), suggesting a need for better transitional support.

There is a glimmer of hope in early grades, as 3rd-grade math scores are competitive with nearby schools like Dr. Sally K. Ride Elementary (37.9%). However, this progress isn't sustained, and the school's overall ranking in the 28th percentile statewide underscores the urgency of addressing attendance. For parents, the key takeaway is that Daly Elementary has strong resources and potential, but its success hinges on solving the absenteeism issue through community outreach and family support. Without this, the school will likely continue to underperform compared to its investment and peers.

472

Students ?

11.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,824

Per pupil spending ?

57.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

20301 Brandermill Dr
Germantown, MD 20876-5644

(240) 740-0600

District: Montgomery County Public Schools

Students who attend Captain James E. Daly Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Rocky Hill Middle
High:	Clarksburg High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

57.6%

African American:

28.0%

White:

5.5%

See top rated Maryland elementary schools

Compare Captain James E. Daly Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 32nd percentile in 2016 → 28th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Maryland average (25% vs 39% meeting standards)

!English Language Arts scores 21 pts below the Maryland average

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school25%

District avg48%

Maryland avg39%

619^th of 865

Maryland public elementary schools ?

Bottom 28%▼ down 4 pts since 2016

From bottom 32% (2016) to bottom 28% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

118^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	25.9	619 of 865	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.1	573 of 865	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.0	585 of 859	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.2	590 of 855	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.6	597 of 862	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	15.5	706 of 802	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.8	699 of 853	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.4	597 of 857	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	28.3	584 of 847	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	28.9	573 of 845	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2015	22.9	656 of 859	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	22.8	726 of 867	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	6.7	819 of 847	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	11.3	785 of 857	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	20.8	726 of 853	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	23.4	736 of 855	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	28.0	686 of 850	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	22.8	721 of 838	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	78.5	146 of 818	82.2%	★★★★☆
2006	71.1	240 of 804	70.1%	★★★★☆
2005	65.0	308 of 805	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2004	66.4	305 of 803	62.0%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	30.6	371 of 504	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	18.4	667 of 796	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	25.2	292 of 347	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	30.1	424 of 546	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	14.5	725 of 788	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	30.6	106 of 136	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2021)26th percentile+14 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2021)22nd percentile+10 vs school

Special Education (2021)22nd percentile+10 vs school

Female (2021)16th percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2021)16th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2021)8th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs Maryland (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts31%-21 vs state

Mathematics24%-3 vs state

Science16%-17 vs state

4.0

4 ratings · 4 written reviews

5★3

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

Rate Captain James E. Daly Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Daly is a great school! My daughter went to Daly through 3rd grade and then went to the honors program at Fox Chapel. She is currently in high school at Clarksburg. I feel Daly prepared her well for middle school and high school. I believe that the most important aspect of a classroom is the teacher and I've been happy with the teachers every year. Some, maybe all, of her teachers had masters degrees and had taught for at least 10 years. The class sizes were always on the smaller side, even for Montgomery County. If you are an active and involved parent, your kids will get as much from Daly as any other school. I never felt like my kids were lost or ignored at Daly and the administration welcomed parent involvement and support. Close Quote

by a citizen
Thursday, June 30, 2016

Daly is an outstanding educational environment with highly dedicated teachers, incredible administrative leadership and students who work hard to overcome disadvantages beyond their control. Students receive excellent instruction as well as social emotional care from teachers and staff that go so far above and beyond what they are paid to do that this school deserves to be a model of excellence. Close Quote

by a parent
Friday, December 18, 2015

I can see how hard everyone works here and how much my daughter has been learning here since Kinder. Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, March 22, 2012

1) Very little structure.
2) Many teachers think they are greater than they really are (or at least compared to other schools I have known).
3) The principle is slow to do anything unless she thinks it will get her in trouble. Close Quote

Schools Near Captain James E. Daly Elementary

Load more schools when map is moved

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
Captain James E. Daly Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	20301 Brandermill Dr	Germantown	20876	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(240) 740-0600	472	42	11.2	57.6%	26 (5.5%)	132 (28.0%)	272 (57.6%)	25 (5.3%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.0%)	25.9	619^th of 865 public elementary schools	28.4%		28.1	573^rd of 865 public elementary schools	33.8%	46	37.5	17.2	16.9	23.6	35.9	29.7	26.8	30.7	15.5	$23,824	$3,901	$19,922
Dr. Sally K. Ride Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	21301 Seneca Crossing Dr	Germantown	20876	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-5980	428	42	10.1	62.4%	44 (10.3%)	147 (34.3%)	162 (37.9%)	46 (10.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	27 (6.3%)	39.5	481^st of 865 public elementary schools	44.4%		33.5	524^th of 865 public elementary schools	39.4%	43	37.9	26.8	30.8	31.8	42.1	36.4	35.4	37.9	23.9	$26,203	$1,783	$24,420
Fox Chapel Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	19315 Archdale Rd	Germantown	20876	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(240) 740-0680	617	46	13.5	61.1%	69 (11.2%)	150 (24.3%)	288 (46.7%)	85 (13.8%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (3.6%)	76.3	215^th of 865 public elementary schools	75.1%		68	272^nd of 865 public elementary schools	68.6%	57	45.1	50.7	50.4	49.4	48.6	58.3	63.7	58.1	52.6	$19,834	$966	$18,868
Stedwick Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	10631 Stedwick Rd	Montgomery Village	20886	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-7190	492	42	11.7	59.6%	30 (6.1%)	153 (31.1%)	254 (51.6%)	32 (6.5%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	20 (4.1%)	25.9	620^th of 865 public elementary schools	28.3%		26.1	597^th of 865 public elementary schools	31.0%	23	26.9	25.8	15.4	22.3	28.8	37.9	28.2	31.4	16.5	$23,627	$2,445	$21,182
William B. Gibbs Junior Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	12615 Royal Crown Drive	Germantown	20876	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-0740	601	41	14.7	40.1%	101 (16.8%)	168 (28.0%)	133 (22.1%)	161 (26.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (6.3%)	83.1	154^th of 865 public elementary schools	82.2%		78.6	195^th of 865 public elementary schools	77.5%	41	67.1	47.0	64.1	59.1	69.3	53.0	64.9	62.1	57.1	$20,977	$988	$19,988
Watkins Mill Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	19001 Watkins Mill Rd	Montgomery Village	20886	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(240) 740-5280	734	65	11.2	60.1%	20 (2.7%)	100 (13.6%)	550 (74.9%)	45 (6.1%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.2%)	18.5	706^th of 865 public elementary schools	18.4%		15.8	744^th of 865 public elementary schools	14.0%	38	24.0	7.8	15.6	15.5	33.7	17.5	29.6	26.6	13.3	$22,893	$2,871	$20,022
Waters Landing Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	13100 Waters Landing Dr	Germantown	20874	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-1020	735	59	12.4	56.3%	88 (12.0%)	267 (36.3%)	292 (39.7%)	57 (7.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	30 (4.1%)	29.7	580^th of 865 public elementary schools	32.9%		33	531^st of 865 public elementary schools	38.6%	49	31.9	25.0	17.1	24.7	40.7	30.8	30.2	34.0	20.0	$21,147	$1,087	$20,059
S. Christa McAuliffe Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	12500 Wisteria Dr	Germantown	20874	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-4920	467	41	11.3	55.0%	38 (8.1%)	171 (36.6%)	193 (41.3%)	37 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (6.0%)	39.9	477^th of 865 public elementary schools	44.9%		33.1	529^th of 865 public elementary schools	38.8%	52	26.7	21.5	29.6	26.2	43.8	43.1	40.7	42.5	27.5	$21,888	$960	$20,928
Whetstone Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	19201 Thomas Farm Rd	Gaithersburg	20879	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(240) 740-1060	711	58	12.3	56.3%	42 (5.9%)	183 (25.7%)	406 (57.1%)	56 (7.9%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (3.1%)	30.7	573^rd of 865 public elementary schools	33.8%		28.5	568^th of 865 public elementary schools	34.3%	5	40.5	19.0	18.2	26.0	47.9	28.1	30.0	35.5	12.7	$21,437	$2,848	$18,589
Clopper Mill Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	18501 Cinnamon Dr	Germantown	20874	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(240) 740-2180	458	39	11.8	60.9%	32 (7.0%)	140 (30.6%)	233 (50.9%)	37 (8.1%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.1%)	39.6	479^th of 865 public elementary schools	44.6%		23.2	638^th of 865 public elementary schools	26.2%	159	49.0	19.0	18.9	27.3	56.9	37.5	36.5	42.5	21.9	$24,605	$2,912	$21,693

Frequently Asked Questions about Captain James E. Daly Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Captain James E. Daly Elementary?

Students at Captain James E. Daly Elementary are 58% Hispanic, 28% African American, 6% White, 5% Asian, 3% Two or more races.

What district is Captain James E. Daly Elementary in?

Montgomery County Public Schools

How many students attend Captain James E. Daly Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 472 students attended Captain James E. Daly Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Captain James E. Daly Elementary attend?

Students who attend Captain James E. Daly Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Rocky Hill Middle
High : Clarksburg High

Is Captain James E. Daly Elementary a good school?

Captain James E. Daly Elementary ranks 619^th of 865 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Rate Captain James E. Daly Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

MDMaryland Elementary School Rankings

MDMaryland District Rankings

Schools in Germantown, MD

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Captain James E. Daly Elementary!

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.