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S. Christa McAuliffe Elementary

Q: Is S. Christa McAuliffe Elementary a good school?

S. Christa McAuliffe Elementary ranks 477 th of 864 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

477^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 864 Maryland Elementary Schools

Better than 45% of Maryland elementary schools

Summary

S. Christa McAuliffe Elementary is a public school in Germantown, MD, serving 467 students in grades PK-5 within the highly-rated Montgomery County Public Schools district, though it faces significant challenges tied to its local community.

McAuliffe Elementary has shown a positive trend, climbing from the 27th percentile statewide in 2022-2023 to the 45th percentile in 2025-2026, but its academic performance still lags behind district averages. In the most recent year, only 26.2% of students were proficient in Math and 42.5% in English Language Arts, compared to district averages of 36.9% and 58.5%, respectively. This performance is nearly identical to its closest neighbor, Clopper Mill Elementary (0.6 miles away), which scored 27.3% in Math and 42.5% in ELA. In stark contrast, schools just 1-2 miles away, like Diamond Elementary and Spark M. Matsunaga Elementary, achieve dramatically higher scores—for example, Spark M. Matsunaga reached 64.3% in Math and 73.1% in ELA. A key differentiator is a significant gender achievement gap: in 2020-2021, the school ranked in the 13th percentile for male students but the 39th percentile for female students, suggesting instructional strategies may be less effective for boys.

Despite high spending ($21,888 per student in 2023-2024) and a very favorable student-teacher ratio of 11.3:1, these resources have not translated into proportional academic results. Chronic absenteeism is a major, persistent challenge, with 22.5% of students chronically absent in 2024-2025—nearly double the rate at high-performing nearby schools like Diamond Elementary (12.8%). Science performance is a critical weakness, with only 6.8% of 5th graders proficient in 2024-2025, though it rebounded to 27.5% the following year. The school serves a predominantly low-income population, with 55% of students eligible for free and reduced lunch, and its challenges are deeply tied to the socioeconomic conditions of its attendance zone, forming a cluster of lower-performing schools with high poverty rates in Germantown.

467

Students ?

11.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,888

Per pupil spending ?

55%

Free/discounted lunch ?

12500 Wisteria Dr
Germantown, MD 20874-5338

(240) 740-4920

District: Montgomery County Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

41.3%

African American:

36.6%

White:

8.1%

See top rated Maryland elementary schools

Compare S. Christa McAuliffe Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 37th percentile in 2018 → 45th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2018

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Maryland average (33% vs 39% meeting standards)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school33%

District avg48%

Maryland avg39%

477^th of 864

Maryland public elementary schools ?

Bottom 45%▲ up 8 pts since 2018

From bottom 37% (2018) to bottom 45% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

96^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	39.9	477 of 864	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	33.1	529 of 865	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.1	584 of 859	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	22.8	620 of 855	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.3	549 of 862	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	24.4	555 of 802	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.5	447 of 853	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.5	541 of 857	36.9%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	41.7	259 of 504	48.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	30.5	489 of 796	38.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	28.9	434 of 546	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	16.9	683 of 788	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	39.0	289 of 528	45.3%	★★☆☆☆

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)49th percentile+18 vs school

White (2021)45th percentile+14 vs school

Female (2021)39th percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2021)21st percentile-10 vs school

Male (2021)13th percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs Maryland (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts42%-9 vs state

Science28%-5 vs state

Mathematics26%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near S. Christa McAuliffe 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
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 864 public elementary schools	44.8%		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
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 864 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
Germantown Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	19110 Liberty Mill Rd	Germantown	20874	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-6490	314	32	9.7	52.2%	41 (13.1%)	112 (35.7%)	83 (26.4%)	62 (19.7%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.5%)	62.4	300^th of 864 public elementary schools	65.3%		49.7	408^th of 865 public elementary schools	52.8%	108	63.2	41.2	20.0	41.9	73.0	56.9	38.2	56.6	28.6	$27,789	$1,381	$26,409
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 864 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
Great Seneca Creek Elementary	Public	K-5	13010 Dairymaid Dr	Germantown	20874	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-4380	487	38	12.7	54.2%	82 (16.8%)	147 (30.2%)	161 (33.1%)	54 (11.1%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	39 (8.0%)	46.5	441^st of 864 public elementary schools	49.0%		47.8	422^nd of 865 public elementary schools	51.2%	19	48.8	29.1	27.2	34.9	47.6	44.2	40.7	44.2	22.9	$22,110	$1,326	$20,784
Waters Landing Elementary	Public	K-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	579^th of 864 public elementary schools	33.0%		33	531^st of 865 public elementary schools	38.6%	48	31.9	25.0	17.1	24.7	40.7	30.8	30.2	34.0	20.0	$21,147	$1,087	$20,059
Dr. Ronald E. McNair Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	13881 Hopkins Rd	Germantown	20874	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-6830	673	42	15.9	33.6%	122 (18.1%)	172 (25.6%)	134 (19.9%)	190 (28.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	53 (7.9%)	79.4	185^th of 864 public elementary schools	78.6%		76.3	213^th of 865 public elementary schools	75.4%	28	66.4	51.8	52.1	56.5	68.2	52.2	56.2	58.7	47.2	$17,471	$845	$16,625
Lake Seneca Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	13600 Wanegarden Dr	Germantown	20874	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(240) 740-0280	437	42	10.3	61.3%	22 (5.0%)	175 (40.0%)	184 (42.1%)	26 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (6.9%)	27.6	601^st of 864 public elementary schools	30.4%		19.3	694^th of 865 public elementary schools	19.8%	93	27.6	23.2	20.0	23.8	36.8	29.4	31.8	32.5	19.1	$24,307	$2,480	$21,826
Spark M. Matsunaga Elementary	Public	K-5	13902 Bromfield Rd	Germantown	20874	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-7820	530	39	13.4	28.7%	86 (16.2%)	117 (22.1%)	82 (15.5%)	197 (37.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (8.9%)	91.6	74^th of 864 public elementary schools	91.4%		90.7	84^th of 865 public elementary schools	90.3%	10	72.1	57.1	64.2	64.3	78.3	75.3	65.4	73.1	61.0	$22,112	$961	$21,151
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	618^th of 864 public elementary schools	28.5%		28.1	573^rd of 865 public elementary schools	33.8%	45	37.5	17.2	16.9	23.6	35.9	29.7	26.8	30.7	15.5	$23,824	$3,901	$19,922

Frequently Asked Questions about S. Christa McAuliffe Elementary

What district is S. Christa McAuliffe Elementary in?

Montgomery County Public Schools

How many students attend S. Christa McAuliffe Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 467 students attended S. Christa McAuliffe Elementary.

Is S. Christa McAuliffe Elementary a good school?

S. Christa McAuliffe Elementary ranks 477^th of 864 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of S. Christa McAuliffe Elementary?

Students at S. Christa McAuliffe Elementary are 41% Hispanic, 37% African American, 8% White, 8% Asian, 6% Two or more races.

Rate S. Christa McAuliffe Elementary!

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Latest Maryland data All new data »

2025–26 MCAP test scoresNewJul 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.