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Rachel Carson Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

42^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 864 Maryland Elementary Schools

Better than 95% of Maryland elementary schools

Summary

Rachel Carson Elementary in Gaithersburg, MD, is a high-performing public school serving 671 students from Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade, part of the highly-rated Montgomery County Public Schools district. This school consistently ranks among the top 5% of elementary schools in Maryland, earning a 5-star rating, and its academic performance dramatically outpaces both district and state averages—for example, 67.9% of students are proficient in math compared to the district's 36.9%, and 77.6% are proficient in English Language Arts versus the district's 58.5%.

What makes Rachel Carson stand out is its remarkable consistency and resilience. Over the past decade, its statewide ranking has never fallen below the 88th percentile, even during the pandemic-impacted 2020-2021 school year. The school also boasts a low chronic absenteeism rate of 15.3%, significantly better than the district average of 22.6% and much lower than nearby schools like Fields Road Elementary (29.8%) and Brown Station Elementary (27.8%). Interestingly, Rachel Carson achieves these results while spending less per student ($18,245) than every nearby comparison school—for instance, DuFief Elementary spends $31,430 per student—suggesting that factors like strong parental involvement and community support are key drivers of its success.

However, the school faces an important equity challenge. While Rachel Carson excels overall, its performance for economically disadvantaged students ranks in the 40th percentile, earning only a 2-star rating for this subgroup. This contrasts sharply with its 5-star overall rating and top-tier rankings for other groups. The school is part of a "performance island" in Gaithersburg, where top-tier schools like Travilah Elementary and Diamond Elementary sit within a few miles of schools with average to below-average performance, such as Thurgood Marshall Elementary (56th percentile) and Brown Station Elementary (30th percentile). For parents, Rachel Carson offers exceptional academics and a stable, supportive environment, but it's worth noting the gap in outcomes for its most vulnerable students.

671

Students ?

16.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,245

Per pupil spending ?

27%

Free/discounted lunch ?

100 Tschiffely Square Rd
Gaithersburg, MD 20878-5630

(240) 740-1840

District: Montgomery County Public Schools

Students who attend Rachel Carson Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Lakelands Park Middle
High:	Quince Orchard High

Racial breakdown:

White:

45.2%

Hispanic:

22.5%

Asian:

15.8%

See top rated Maryland elementary schools

Compare Rachel Carson Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 89th percentile in 2016 → 95th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Maryland average (71% vs 39% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 5% of Maryland elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 6 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 school71%

District avg48%

Maryland avg39%

42^nd of 864

Maryland public elementary schools ?

Top 5%▲ up 6 pts since 2016

From top 11% (2016) to top 5% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

17^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	94.2	42 of 864	95.1%	★★★★★
2025	94.5	40 of 865	95.4%	★★★★★
2024	94.6	41 of 859	95.2%	★★★★★
2023	96.0	28 of 855	96.7%	★★★★★
2022	94.4	49 of 862	94.3%	★★★★★
2021	91.7	58 of 802	92.8%	★★★★★
2019	88.8	94 of 853	89.0%	★★★★☆
2018	86.1	106 of 857	87.6%	★★★★☆
2017	90.1	85 of 847	90.0%	★★★★★
2016	89.2	92 of 845	89.1%	★★★★☆
2015	87.5	112 of 859	87.0%	★★★★☆
2014	84.9	77 of 867	91.1%	★★★★★
2013	85.2	45 of 847	94.7%	★★★★★
2012	85.6	32 of 857	96.3%	★★★★★
2011	85.6	44 of 853	94.8%	★★★★★
2010	76.8	178 of 855	79.2%	★★★★☆
2009	78.8	147 of 850	82.7%	★★★★☆
2008	79.2	141 of 838	83.2%	★★★★☆
2007	14.7	718 of 818	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	21.2	672 of 804	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	17.7	694 of 805	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	11.7	724 of 803	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	84.7	16 of 128	87.5%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	56.9	30 of 115	73.9%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	90.6	51 of 796	93.6%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	69.3	54 of 347	84.4%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	38.6	327 of 546	40.1%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	89.0	70 of 788	91.1%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	74.4	12 of 52	76.9%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	73.3	23 of 136	83.1%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	79.8	85 of 528	83.9%	★★★★☆

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)

Female (2021)94th percentile~ school

Male (2021)91st percentile~ school

Asian (2021)88th percentile-5 vs school

Hispanic (2021)84th percentile-8 vs school

White (2021)84th percentile-9 vs school

Special Education (2021)83rd percentile-10 vs school

Multi-racial (2021)77th percentile-16 vs school

English Language Learner (2021)74th percentile-19 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2021)40th percentile-53 vs school

By subject vs Maryland (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts78%+26 vs state

Mathematics68%+41 vs state

Science61%+28 vs state

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Schools Near Rachel Carson 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
Rachel Carson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	100 Tschiffely Square Rd	Gaithersburg	20878	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-1840	671	40	16.6	27.0%	303 (45.2%)	55 (8.2%)	151 (22.5%)	106 (15.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	54 (8.0%)	94.2	42^nd of 864 public elementary schools	95.1%		94.5	40^th of 865 public elementary schools	95.4%	2	70.4	69.3	64.0	67.9	76.6	80.5	75.7	77.6	60.7	$18,245	$1,000	$17,245
Thurgood Marshall Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	12260 McDonald Chapel Dr	Gaithersburg	20878	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-5990	553	44	12.7	43.9%	172 (31.1%)	120 (21.7%)	173 (31.3%)	55 (9.9%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	30 (5.4%)	53.7	379^th of 864 public elementary schools	56.1%		54	374^th of 865 public elementary schools	56.8%	5	53.9	46.9	28.2	43.0	51.3	42.5	38.2	44.0	26.6	$19,278	$973	$18,305
DuFief Elementary	Public	K-5	15001 Dufief Dr	Gaithersburg	20878	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-1600	276	26	10.7	20.7%	85 (30.8%)	46 (16.7%)	40 (14.5%)	77 (27.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (10.1%)	82.2	160^th of 864 public elementary schools	81.5%		78.5	196^th of 865 public elementary schools	77.3%	36	69.6	62.5	51.1	61.0	61.7	62.5	54.3	59.6	48.9	$31,430	$1,589	$29,841
Diamond Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4 Marquis Dr	Gaithersburg	20878	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-2120	654	44	14.9	12.4%	164 (25.1%)	60 (9.2%)	91 (13.9%)	292 (44.6%)	8 (1.2%)	3 (0.5%)	36 (5.5%)	94.4	39^th of 864 public elementary schools	95.5%		93.5	51^st of 865 public elementary schools	94.1%	12	69.4	68.8	73.9	70.9	76.2	73.7	78.6	76.4	63.9	$19,076	$1,016	$18,060
Jones Lane Elementary	Public	K-5	15110 Jones Ln	Gaithersburg	20878	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-4260	428	36	11.9	34.3%	162 (37.9%)	43 (10.0%)	141 (32.9%)	49 (11.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (7.7%)	81.5	169^th of 864 public elementary schools	80.4%		82.6	155^th of 865 public elementary schools	82.1%	14	69.2	50.4	45.8	54.0	69.2	61.1	63.9	64.0	45.8	$19,727	$894	$18,832
Fields Road Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1 School Dr	Gaithersburg	20878	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-7000	453	39	11.4	51.0%	103 (22.7%)	84 (18.5%)	175 (38.6%)	62 (13.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (6.2%)	61.5	308^th of 864 public elementary schools	64.4%		54.2	372^nd of 865 public elementary schools	57.0%	64	47.0	33.3	34.6	38.1	54.7	56.9	49.4	53.4	37.7	$23,354	$995	$22,359
Brown Station Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	851 Quince Orchard Blvd	Gaithersburg	20878	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(240) 740-0260	572	58	9.8	57.5%	39 (6.8%)	75 (13.1%)	380 (66.4%)	58 (10.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.5%)	27.1	606^th of 864 public elementary schools	29.9%		35.7	509^th of 865 public elementary schools	41.2%	97	27.9	20.0	12.1	20.7	34.5	39.2	30.3	34.8	20.9	$24,530	$2,641	$21,890
Darnestown Elementary	Public	K-5	15030 Turkey Foot Rd	Gaithersburg	20878	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 284-4260	356	32	11.0	17.7%	183 (51.4%)	34 (9.6%)	52 (14.6%)	53 (14.9%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	31 (8.7%)	83.7	144^th of 864 public elementary schools	83.3%		78.3	198^th of 865 public elementary schools	77.1%	54	66.7	53.7	46.6	55.4	68.5	68.5	57.9	64.8	51.7	$25,575	$1,385	$24,190
Travilah Elementary	Public	K-5	13801 DuFief Mill Rd	North Potomac	20878	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-4300	372	26	14.5	13.4%	110 (29.6%)	38 (10.2%)	35 (9.4%)	163 (43.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (6.7%)	97.4	13^th of 864 public elementary schools	98.5%		96.1	29^th of 865 public elementary schools	96.6%	16	88.5	77.8	78.1	81.1	90.2	86.3	77.8	84.5	62.5	$19,006	$846	$18,160
Stone Mill Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	14323 Stonebridge View Dr	North Potomac	20878	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-5450	516	35	14.5	14.1%	116 (22.5%)	55 (10.7%)	63 (12.2%)	239 (46.3%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (7.8%)	91.7	72^nd of 864 public elementary schools	91.7%		94.2	43^rd of 865 public elementary schools	95.0%	29	76.9	74.0	60.0	70.7	71.3	77.2	65.5	71.6	52.8	$20,312	$1,169	$19,143

Frequently Asked Questions about Rachel Carson Elementary

How many students attend Rachel Carson Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 671 students attended Rachel Carson Elementary.

Is Rachel Carson Elementary a good school?

Yes! Rachel Carson Elementary is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 42^nd of 864 Maryland elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Rachel Carson Elementary attend?

Students who attend Rachel Carson Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Lakelands Park Middle
High : Quince Orchard High

What district is Rachel Carson Elementary in?

Montgomery County Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Rachel Carson Elementary?

Students at Rachel Carson Elementary are 45% White, 23% Hispanic, 16% Asian, 8% African American, 8% Two or more races.

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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.