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Francis Scott Key Middle

Q: Is Francis Scott Key Middle a good school?

Francis Scott Key Middle ranks 233 rd of 342 Maryland middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

233^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 342 Maryland Middle Schools

Better than 32% of Maryland middle schools

Summary

Francis Scott Key Middle in Silver Spring, MD, is a public school serving 950 students in grades 6 through 8 as part of the highly-rated Montgomery County Public Schools district, though it serves a predominantly low-income community with over 63% of students eligible for free and reduced lunch.

The most significant challenge at Francis Scott Key Middle is its extremely low math proficiency rate, with only 9.8% of all students proficient in math compared to the district average of 36.9%. This is the lowest math proficiency among nearby MCPS middle schools—for example, Takoma Park Middle has a math proficiency rate of 49.6%, over five times higher. However, there is a positive trend: math proficiency has risen from 6.5% in 2022-2023 to 9.8% in 2025-2026, a 50% increase over three years. Interestingly, students in advanced math courses like Algebra I and Geometry perform relatively well, with proficiency rates above state averages, suggesting the school effectively supports its advanced learners but struggles with the general student population. Chronic absenteeism is 16.1%, which is better than the district average but higher than nearby schools like Silver Creek Middle (11.7%) and Sligo Middle (12.0%).

Despite spending $20,075 per student—more than many higher-performing peers like Eastern Middle, which spends less but achieves significantly better results—the school's overall performance remains low. A notable bright spot is its exceptional support for African American students, who rank in the 78th percentile statewide, while Asian students rank in the 5th percentile, indicating uneven effectiveness across different groups. The school's closest demographic neighbor, Eastern Middle, outperforms it in nearly every metric, highlighting that challenges go beyond poverty and likely involve instructional strategies and school culture. For parents, this school offers a mixed picture: strong advanced math programs and improving trends, but significant gaps in core math and reading proficiency that require careful consideration.

950

Students ?

13.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,075

Per pupil spending ?

63.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

910 Schindler Drive
Silver Spring, MD 20903

(301) 422-5700

District: Montgomery County Public Schools

Students who attend Francis Scott Key Middle usually attend:

High:	James Hubert Blake High
	Paint Branch High
	Springbrook High

Feeder schools for Francis Scott Key Middle:

Elementary:	Burnt Mills Elementary
	Cannon Road Elementary
	Cresthaven Elementary
	Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary
	More...
	Roscoe R Nix Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

42.8%

African American:

37.6%

Asian:

11.7%

See top rated Maryland middle schools

Compare Francis Scott Key Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

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

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Maryland average (22% vs 37% meeting standards)

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

!Mathematics scores 17 pts below the Maryland average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school22%

District avg47%

Maryland avg37%

233^rd of 342

Maryland public middle schools ?

Bottom 32%▲ up 4 pts since 2016

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

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

36^th of 40Middle 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	28.8	233 of 342	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	25.8	241 of 337	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.2	233 of 328	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.9	202 of 322	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.4	223 of 333	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.0	179 of 303	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.1	207 of 316	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.6	213 of 328	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	37.9	193 of 317	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	26.3	227 of 314	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	33.7	208 of 315	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2014	53.3	180 of 339	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	37.0	211 of 316	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2012	45.1	188 of 314	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2011	51.3	161 of 309	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	52.0	190 of 324	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	44.5	207 of 301	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	45.9	182 of 283	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2007	55.2	119 of 264	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2006	63.0	87 of 254	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2005	65.5	93 of 255	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2004	62.4	100 of 252	60.3%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	69.1	57 of 259	78.0%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	14.9	110 of 116	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	47.5	17 of 25	32.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	42.0	164 of 303	45.9%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	34.2	136 of 207	34.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	50.4	119 of 273	56.4%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	31.6	195 of 288	32.3%	★★☆☆☆

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)78th percentile+37 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2021)56th percentile+15 vs school

Female (2021)46th percentile+5 vs school

Hispanic (2021)34th percentile-7 vs school

Male (2021)32nd percentile-9 vs school

English Language Learner (2021)32nd percentile-9 vs school

Asian (2021)5th percentile-36 vs school

By subject vs Maryland (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts39%-13 vs state

Geometry28%-16 vs state

Algebra I23%~ state avg

Science14%-17 vs state

Mathematics10%-17 vs state

★

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Schools Near Francis Scott Key Middle

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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 Algebra I (2026)	MCAP Algebra II (2026)	MCAP Geometry (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 6th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MCAP Mathematics All Grades	MCAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts All Grades	MCAP Algebra I End of Course	MCAP Algebra II End of Course	MCAP Geometry End of Course	MCAP Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Francis Scott Key Middle	Public	6-8	910 Schindler Drive	Silver Spring	20903	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 422-5700	950	68	13.9	63.3%	56 (5.9%)	357 (37.6%)	407 (42.8%)	111 (11.7%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (1.7%)	28.8	233^rd of 342 public middle schools	31.9%		25.8	241^st of 337 public middle schools	28.5%	8	13.5	5.2	1.3	9.8	35.2	46.8	34.3	38.5	22.6		28.1	14.2	$20,075	$1,975	$18,100
Eastern Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	300 University Blvd East	Silver Spring	20901	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(240) 740-6280	963	70	13.6	52.4%	163 (16.9%)	195 (20.2%)	452 (46.9%)	101 (10.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	49 (5.1%)	68.1	100^th of 342 public middle schools	70.8%		61.8	119^th of 337 public middle schools	64.7%	19	39.1	7.9	5.9	33.0	60.8	58.8	58.5	59.4	42.9		72.0	40.5	$20,511	$1,093	$19,418
White Oak Middle	Public	6-8	12201 New Hampshire Ave	Silver Spring	20904	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 288-8200	808	64	12.5	57.3%	36 (4.5%)	244 (30.2%)	441 (54.6%)	50 (6.2%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (4.1%)	40.6	191^st of 342 public middle schools	44.2%		33.2	209^th of 337 public middle schools	38.0%	18	18.3	3.9	0.0	13.1	46.2	49.4	40.6	45.5	12.0	45.5	33.9	23.7	$20,652	$1,613	$19,039
Buck Lodge Middle	Public	6-8	2611 Buck Lodge Rd	Adelphi	20783	Prince George's County	Prince George's County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 431-6290	1,200	76	15.7	95.7%	20 (1.7%)	192 (16.0%)	900 (75.0%)	75 (6.3%)	5 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (0.7%)	19.9	287^th of 342 public middle schools	16.1%		16.5	300^th of 337 public middle schools	11.0%	13	4.7	4.0	6.0	5.3	29.7	31.0	25.3	28.6	11.5			10.6	$19,685	$2,098	$17,586
Sonia Sotomayor Middle at Adelphi	Public	6-8	8820 Riggs Rd	Adelphi	20783	Prince George's County	Prince George's County Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(301) 952-6300	1,077	66	16.3	92.3%	6 (0.6%)	69 (6.4%)	993 (92.2%)	6 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	13.2	321^st of 342 public middle schools	6.1%		14.5	309^th of 337 public middle schools	8.3%	12	3.1	3.9	1.5	2.9	22.4	21.4	17.2	20.5	0.0			4.9	$16,194	$848	$15,347
Sligo Middle	Public	6-8	1401 Dennis Ave	Silver Spring	20902	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 287-8890	685	54	12.6	46.7%	189 (27.6%)	134 (19.6%)	287 (41.9%)	36 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (5.5%)	56.8	133^rd of 342 public middle schools	61.1%		55.1	139^th of 337 public middle schools	58.8%	6	27.9	10.3	4.1	25.4	43.5	54.5	53.6	50.5	41.7		76.3	41.7	$21,112	$874	$20,238
Silver Spring International Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	313 Wayne Ave	Silver Spring	20910	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(240) 740-2750	1,015	70	14.4	43.7%	259 (25.5%)	210 (20.7%)	445 (43.8%)	33 (3.3%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	64 (6.3%)	57.9	126^th of 342 public middle schools	63.2%		60.8	121^st of 337 public middle schools	64.1%	5	24.7	9.1	3.2	19.6	52.2	55.6	57.1	55.1	29.9		68.5	41.5	$18,403	$871	$17,532
Odessa Shannon Middle	Public	6-8	11800 Monticello Ave	Silver Spring	20902	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-4150	784	61	12.7	55.6%	35 (4.5%)	186 (23.7%)	497 (63.4%)	47 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	17 (2.2%)	22.1	272^nd of 342 public middle schools	20.5%		22.4	264^th of 337 public middle schools	21.7%	8	9.5	3.9	2.1	9.9	27.0	39.5	29.6	32.0	31.6		58.3	11.6	$22,692	$1,992	$20,701
Takoma Park Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	7611 Piney Branch Rd	Silver Spring	20910	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(240) 740-5220	1,177	70	16.7	35.1%	359 (30.5%)	388 (33.0%)	214 (18.2%)	137 (11.6%)	4 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	71 (6.0%)	84.3	54^th of 342 public middle schools	84.2%		85.5	47^th of 337 public middle schools	86.1%	7	50.9	16.4	7.4	49.6	68.1	71.2	74.0	71.1	68.8		79.1	56.6	$18,204	$863	$17,340
Newport Mill Middle	Public	6-8	11311 Newport Mill Rd	Kensington	20895	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-7160	652	50	13.0	53.1%	120 (18.4%)	69 (10.6%)	383 (58.7%)	47 (7.2%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (4.4%)	57.8	127^th of 342 public middle schools	62.9%		54.3	142^nd of 337 public middle schools	57.9%	15	27.1	17.5	15.4	30.0	47.8	50.3	48.4	48.8	68.8		68.3	32.3	$22,585	$1,006	$21,579

Frequently Asked Questions about Francis Scott Key Middle

What is the racial makeup of Francis Scott Key Middle?

Students at Francis Scott Key Middle are 43% Hispanic, 38% African American, 12% Asian, 6% White, 2% Two or more races.

How many students attend Francis Scott Key Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 950 students attended Francis Scott Key Middle.

What high school do graduates of Francis Scott Key Middle attend?

Students who attend Francis Scott Key Middle usually go on to attend James Hubert Blake High

What district is Francis Scott Key Middle in?

Montgomery County Public Schools

Is Francis Scott Key Middle a good school?

Francis Scott Key Middle ranks 233^rd of 342 Maryland middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Francis Scott Key Middle!

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Latest Maryland data All new data »

2025–26 attendance dataNewNov 2, 2026

2025–26 MCAP test scoresJul 28, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

2024–25 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

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.