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Rachel Carson Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

40^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 865 Maryland Elementary Schools

Better than 95% of Maryland elementary schools

Summary

Rachel Carson Elementary is a public elementary school in Gaithersburg, Maryland, serving 674 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Montgomery County Public Schools district, which is ranked 8th out of 25 districts in Maryland and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Rachel Carson Elementary consistently ranks among the top 50 elementary schools in Maryland, with a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger in recent years. The school's proficiency rates in MCAP Mathematics and English Language Arts are significantly higher than the district and state averages across all grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's proficiency rates were 71.4% and 75.9%, respectively, compared to 35.7% and 57% for the district, and 26.5% and 50.8% for the state. The school's performance in MCAP Science for 5th grade is also impressive, with a proficiency rate of 52.3% in 2024-2025, compared to 31.6% for the district and 25.6% for the state.

Rachel Carson Elementary outperforms most of the nearby schools, such as Great Seneca Creek Elementary, Fields Road Elementary, and Thurgood Marshall Elementary, in academic metrics like MCAP proficiency rates. The school has maintained a consistently high performance, with a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger in recent years, suggesting effective teaching practices, strong leadership, and a supportive learning environment.

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 — 87th percentile in 2015 → 95th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Maryland average (71% vs 38% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 5% of Maryland elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school71%

District avg46%

Maryland avg38%

40^th of 865

Maryland public elementary schools ?

Top 5%▲ up 8 pts since 2015

From top 13% (2015) to top 5% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

15^th of 131Elementary 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
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 (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts76%+25 vs state

Mathematics71%+45 vs state

Science52%+27 vs state

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Schools Near Rachel Carson Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MCAP Mathematics (2025)				MCAP English Language Arts (2025)				MCAP Science (2025)	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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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%)	94.5	40^th of 865 public elementary schools	95.4%		94.6	41^st of 859 public elementary schools	95.2%	1	78.9	68.6	67.0	71.4	78.1	74.1	75.7	75.9	52.3	$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%)	54	374^th of 865 public elementary schools	56.8%		53.4	348^th of 859 public elementary schools	59.5%	26	48.8	35.7	41.1	41.9	51.2	34.6	47.7	44.7	18.8	$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%)	78.5	196^th of 865 public elementary schools	77.3%		77.3	189^th of 859 public elementary schools	78.0%	7	71.4	52.3	52.7	58.8	67.3	56.8	50.0	57.8	33.9	$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%)	93.5	51^st of 865 public elementary schools	94.1%		95.5	33^rd of 859 public elementary schools	96.2%	18	70.2	70.2	70.5	70.3	71.2	75.4	74.3	73.7	54.3	$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%)	82.6	155^th of 865 public elementary schools	82.1%		81.7	150^th of 859 public elementary schools	82.5%	5	66.7	55.1	56.2	60.5	63.1	69.1	63.0	64.7	31.1	$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%)	54.2	372^nd of 865 public elementary schools	57.0%		50.5	370^th of 859 public elementary schools	56.9%	2	51.5	32.0	30.6	37.7	61.9	51.4	36.2	49.5	18.3	$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%)	35.7	509^th of 865 public elementary schools	41.2%		28.1	552^nd of 859 public elementary schools	35.7%	43	33.7	29.4	25.7	29.8	35.0	33.8	34.2	34.4	17.8	$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%)	78.3	198^th of 865 public elementary schools	77.1%		78.9	174^th of 859 public elementary schools	79.7%	24	58.9	41.3	49.2	49.4	66.1	63.9	60.7	63.5	36.1	$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%)	96.1	29^th of 865 public elementary schools	96.6%		94.2	44^th of 859 public elementary schools	94.9%	15	83.8	70.3	68.5	74.7	93.6	73.0	78.1	82.2	53.4	$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%)	94.2	43^rd of 865 public elementary schools	95.0%		96.4	24^th of 859 public elementary schools	97.2%	19	78.3	69.6	73.8	74.1	79.3	71.4	69.1	73.6	55.4	$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.

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

Is Rachel Carson Elementary a good school?

Yes! Rachel Carson Elementary is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 40^th of 865 Maryland elementary schools.

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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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.