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Arcola Elementary

Q: Is Arcola Elementary a good school?

Arcola Elementary ranks 614 th of 865 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

614^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 865 Maryland Elementary Schools

Better than 29% of Maryland elementary schools

Summary

Arcola Elementary in Silver Spring, MD, is a large school serving 747 students from Pre-K through 5th grade within the Montgomery County Public Schools district, a highly-rated system, yet the school itself has consistently ranked in the bottom third of elementary schools statewide, currently in the 29th percentile.

Arcola faces significant challenges that set it apart from nearby schools. Its academic proficiency rates in both Math (25.4%) and English Language Arts (29.8%) are roughly half the district average and dramatically lower than high-performing neighbors like Forest Knolls Elementary (55.1% Math, 58.6% ELA) and Oakland Terrace Elementary (54.7% Math, 61% ELA). A key driver of this gap appears to be chronic absenteeism, which at 30.8% is nearly double the district average and far exceeds rates at nearby schools like Flora M. Singer Elementary (10.6%) and Kemp Mill Elementary (12.5%). Only Burnt Mills Elementary (27.8%) comes close to Arcola's high rate. While Arcola serves a high-needs population, with 57.4% of students qualifying for free and reduced lunch, its per-pupil spending ($22,848) is competitive with peers, suggesting the performance gap is not simply a funding issue.

Despite these challenges, there are some positive signs. Math proficiency has shown a small but consistent upward trend, rising from 18.9% to 25.4% over the past three years, indicating that targeted interventions may be starting to work. Additionally, historical data suggests the school may be relatively more effective for its African American students and low socioeconomic status students compared to its overall performance, pointing to specific programs that could be built upon. For parents considering Arcola, the school's biggest hurdles are clearly linked to attendance and academic achievement, but the steady improvement in math and potential strengths with certain student groups offer a more nuanced picture than the overall rankings suggest.

747

Students ?

12.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,848

Per pupil spending ?

57.4%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

1820 Franwall Ave
Silver Spring, MD 20902

(301) 287-8585

District: Montgomery County Public Schools

Students who attend Arcola Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Odessa Shannon Middle
High:	Albert Einstein High
	John F. Kennedy High
	Montgomery Blair High
	Northwood High
	More...
	Wheaton High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

66.1%

African American:

23.3%

White:

5.2%

See top rated Maryland elementary schools

Compare Arcola Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 11th percentile in 2016 → 29th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 18 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Maryland average (26% vs 39% meeting standards)

!English Language Arts scores 22 pts below the Maryland average

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school26%

District avg48%

Maryland avg39%

614^th of 865

Maryland public elementary schools ?

Bottom 29%▲ up 18 pts since 2016

From bottom 11% (2016) to bottom 29% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

117^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	26.4	614 of 865	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.7	615 of 865	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.1	621 of 859	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.3	653 of 855	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.0	602 of 862	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	21.7	600 of 802	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.3	585 of 853	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	21.7	654 of 857	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	17.6	694 of 847	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	13.9	753 of 845	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	15.1	762 of 859	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	18.6	750 of 867	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	29.9	654 of 847	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	43.9	551 of 857	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2011	28.7	669 of 853	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	46.8	534 of 855	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	44.1	550 of 850	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2008	39.9	582 of 838	30.5%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	46.0	212 of 504	57.9%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	38.5	64 of 115	44.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	19.0	655 of 796	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	37.8	186 of 347	46.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	47.0	231 of 546	57.7%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	25.8	536 of 788	32.0%	★★☆☆☆

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)58th percentile+33 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2021)58th percentile+33 vs school

Hispanic (2021)46th percentile+21 vs school

English Language Learner (2021)44th percentile+19 vs school

Male (2021)32nd percentile+7 vs school

Female (2021)18th percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs Maryland (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts30%-22 vs state

Mathematics25%~ state avg

Science18%-15 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Friday, May 31, 2019

By far the worst Principal in the state. He is the problem. Get a new Principal and the school will improve. Close Quote

Schools Near Arcola 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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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
Arcola Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1820 Franwall Ave	Silver Spring	20902	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 287-8585	747	58	12.9	57.4%	39 (5.2%)	174 (23.3%)	494 (66.1%)	27 (3.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (1.6%)	26.4	614^th of 865 public elementary schools	29.0%		24.7	615^th of 865 public elementary schools	28.9%	1	30.5	23.9	20.4	25.4	32.5	30.1	25.8	29.8	17.5	$22,848	$2,466	$20,382
Glen Haven Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	10900 Inwood Ave	Silver Spring	20902	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-7960	540	46	11.6	64.4%	83 (15.4%)	114 (21.1%)	289 (53.5%)	22 (4.1%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	29 (5.4%)	38.9	490^th of 865 public elementary schools	43.4%		33.8	521^st of 865 public elementary schools	39.8%	31	35.1	28.8	32.1	32.2	43.2	29.7	35.7	36.5	23.8	$21,450	$1,029	$20,421
Glenallan Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	12520 Heurich Rd	Silver Spring	20902	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-0760	679	57	11.8	61.7%	59 (8.7%)	163 (24.0%)	342 (50.4%)	68 (10.0%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	44 (6.5%)	40.9	473^rd of 865 public elementary schools	45.3%		36.1	505^th of 865 public elementary schools	41.6%	32	38.9	33.0	16.9	29.3	47.2	46.7	37.4	43.6	20.0	$20,690	$1,288	$19,402
Kemp Mill Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	411 Sisson St	Silver Spring	20902	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(240) 740-5970	412	41	10.0	70.9%	12 (2.9%)	47 (11.4%)	351 (85.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16.8	727^th of 865 public elementary schools	16.0%		19.2	697^th of 865 public elementary schools	19.4%	30	30.0	18.3	7.0	18.6	30.0	26.7	14.3	23.9	1.7	$23,409	$2,618	$20,790
Forest Knolls Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	10830 Eastwood Ave	Silver Spring	20901	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-1640	472	43	11.0	41.1%	133 (28.2%)	95 (20.1%)	190 (40.3%)	26 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (5.9%)	78.9	190^th of 865 public elementary schools	78.0%		70.5	252^nd of 865 public elementary schools	70.9%	62	55.6	52.2	57.9	55.1	54.3	62.1	60.7	58.6	57.9	$23,621	$1,126	$22,495
Highland Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3100 Medway St	Silver Spring	20902	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(240) 740-1770	509	41	12.3	59.9%	30 (5.9%)	27 (5.3%)	417 (81.9%)	28 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.4%)	41.4	471^st of 865 public elementary schools	45.5%		43.4	463^rd of 865 public elementary schools	46.5%	8	27.5	34.2	33.3	31.6	32.5	40.8	44.4	39.0	27.8	$23,403	$3,438	$19,966
Oakland Terrace Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2720 Plyers Mill Rd	Silver Spring	20902	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-4880	500	43	11.6	30.2%	186 (37.2%)	76 (15.2%)	182 (36.4%)	19 (3.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (7.0%)	75.4	221^st of 865 public elementary schools	74.5%		72.2	235^th of 865 public elementary schools	72.8%	14	63.4	48.4	47.5	54.7	70.7	56.5	50.8	61.0	31.7	$24,013	$1,432	$22,581
Weller Road Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3301 Weller Rd	Silver Spring	20906	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 287-8601	691	60	11.4	65.3%	26 (3.8%)	48 (6.9%)	580 (83.9%)	28 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	8 (1.2%)	30.7	572^nd of 865 public elementary schools	33.9%		26.4	592^nd of 865 public elementary schools	31.6%	20	24.5	32.3	26.0	27.6	31.3	30.9	32.0	31.4	19.8	$23,572	$3,130	$20,442
Flora M. Singer Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2600 Hayden Drive	Silver Spring	20902	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-0330	653	56	11.7	37.2%	221 (33.8%)	90 (13.8%)	257 (39.4%)	37 (5.7%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (7.0%)	63.6	293^rd of 865 public elementary schools	66.1%		56.6	359^th of 865 public elementary schools	58.5%	66	44.7	43.7	32.4	40.4	56.4	56.8	50.0	54.5	36.6	$23,828	$1,410	$22,417
Rock View Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3901 Denfeld Ave	Kensington	20895	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-0920	588	53	11.1	50.2%	138 (23.5%)	68 (11.6%)	309 (52.6%)	47 (8.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (3.9%)	40.1	476^th of 865 public elementary schools	45.0%		39.3	488^th of 865 public elementary schools	43.6%	12	35.0	29.9	30.9	32.1	38.4	41.4	35.8	38.4	25.0	$24,675	$1,546	$23,129

Frequently Asked Questions about Arcola Elementary

What district is Arcola Elementary in?

Montgomery County Public Schools

How many students attend Arcola Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 747 students attended Arcola Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Arcola Elementary?

Students at Arcola Elementary are 66% Hispanic, 23% African American, 5% White, 4% Asian, 2% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Arcola Elementary attend?

Students who attend Arcola Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Odessa Shannon Middle
High : Albert Einstein High
High : John F. Kennedy High
High : Montgomery Blair High
High : Northwood High
High : Wheaton High

Is Arcola Elementary a good school?

Arcola Elementary ranks 614^th of 865 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

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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.