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James H. Harrison Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

728^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 864 Maryland Elementary Schools

Better than 16% of Maryland elementary schools

Summary

James H. Harrison Elementary is a small school in Laurel, MD, serving 304 students from Pre-K through 5th grade within the Prince George's County Public Schools district, where over 91% of students qualify for free and reduced lunch.

This school stands out for its dramatic performance swings and a puzzling "money vs. outcomes" paradox. While nearby schools like Bond Mill Elementary and Montpelier Elementary have shown stable academic performance, Harrison experienced a 40-percentile-point swing—jumping to the 53rd percentile in 2021-2022 before collapsing to the 15th percentile in 2024-2025. What makes this decline especially concerning is that Harrison spends significantly more per student ($28,654) than its neighbors, including 37% more than Oaklands Elementary and 66% more than Bond Mill. The school also boasts an extremely low student-teacher ratio of 10:1, yet these investments are not translating into academic gains. Chronic absenteeism remains a persistent challenge, with a rate of 33.1% in 2024-2025, higher than the district average and top-performing neighbors.

A critical red flag is the sharp decline in upper elementary grades. In the most recent school year, 3rd grade math proficiency (23.7%) was close to the district average, but by 5th grade, math proficiency plummeted to just 3.6%—far below the district average of 14%. This pattern suggests the school is failing to build on foundational skills, with instruction in 4th and 5th grades not effectively advancing student knowledge. The school's brief peak during 2021-2022 and 2022-2023, when math and ELA proficiency were competitive with state averages, indicates that effective strategies were once in place but were not sustained. Understanding what changed between 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 is crucial for any parent considering this school.

304

Students ?

10.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$28,654

Per pupil spending ?

91.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

13200 Larchdale Rd
Laurel, MD 20708-1744

(301) 497-3650

District: Prince George's County Public Schools

Students who attend James H. Harrison Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle
High:	Laurel High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

57.6%

African American:

32.2%

Asian:

3.6%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 23rd percentile in 2016 → 16th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Maryland average (19% vs 39% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (16th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 7 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school19%

District avg25%

Maryland avg39%

728^th of 864

Maryland public elementary schools ?

Bottom 16%▼ down 7 pts since 2016

From bottom 23% (2016) to bottom 16% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

93^rd of 135Elementary Schools in the Prince George's County Public Schools

22^nd of 25Prince George's 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	16.8	728 of 864	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.7	735 of 865	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.2	650 of 859	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	44.9	409 of 855	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.7	401 of 862	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	23.3	568 of 802	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.5	582 of 853	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.5	484 of 857	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	36.0	506 of 847	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	22.2	650 of 845	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	29.9	579 of 859	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2014	40.2	596 of 867	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2013	14.0	775 of 847	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	42.4	567 of 857	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	44.4	526 of 853	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2010	25.6	719 of 855	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	16.1	786 of 850	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	10.3	804 of 838	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	83.9	80 of 818	90.2%	★★★★★
2006	85.4	67 of 804	91.7%	★★★★★
2005	85.3	83 of 805	89.7%	★★★★☆
2004	78.5	158 of 803	80.3%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	44.2	228 of 504	54.8%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	29.6	84 of 115	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	36.5	419 of 796	47.4%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	23.3	304 of 347	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	49.6	208 of 546	61.9%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	17.2	676 of 788	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2021)62nd percentile+33 vs school

African American (2021)55th percentile+26 vs school

Female (2021)47th percentile+18 vs school

English Language Learner (2021)27th percentile~ school

Male (2021)14th percentile-15 vs school

Hispanic (2021)12th percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs Maryland (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts30%-21 vs state

Mathematics12%-16 vs state

Science7%-25 vs state

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, December 2, 2014

My daughter is currently a kindergarten student at James Harrison and so far, we love the school and her teacher! She was already reading small words when she first began attending here, but now she is doing VERY WELL with her reading and her handwriting has improved greatly. My youngest child is 4 and will also attend here for Kindergarten next year. Now, I can say so far the administration seems to want to do a good job, but I haven't had a great experience with their response times to specific issues I've run into in using the online School MAX program. Luckily my child's teacher is great with communicating outside of this tool, so I don't think I've missed much. As time passes, I'll gladly update on our experience moving forward. Close Quote

Schools Near James H. Harrison 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 Algebra I (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 (2025)	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 6th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 8th 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 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 Science 5th Grade	MCAP Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
James H. Harrison Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	13200 Larchdale Rd	Laurel	20708	Prince George's County	Prince George's County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 497-3650	304	30	10.0	91.4%	9 (3.0%)	98 (32.2%)	175 (57.6%)	11 (3.6%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.0%)	16.8	728^th of 864 public elementary schools	15.7%		16.7	735^th of 865 public elementary schools	15.0%	7	23.7	7.1	3.6				11.5	34.2	26.8	32.1				30.3		7.1		$28,654	$2,377	$26,277
Oaklands Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	13710 Laurel Bowie Rd	Laurel	20708	Prince George's County	Prince George's County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 497-3110	483	39	12.4	90.3%	12 (2.5%)	153 (31.7%)	297 (61.5%)	15 (3.1%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.8%)	12.7	787^th of 864 public elementary schools	8.9%		19.7	691^st of 865 public elementary schools	20.1%	96	13.4	4.7	8.6				8.5	26.9	23.5	21.1				23.9		12.3		$22,052	$1,707	$20,346
Deerfield Run Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	13000 Laurel-Bowie Rd	Laurel	20708	Prince George's County	Prince George's County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 497-3610	482	35	13.6	89.8%	21 (4.4%)	286 (59.3%)	165 (34.2%)	4 (0.8%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.8%)	22.2	654^th of 864 public elementary schools	24.3%		19.3	695^th of 865 public elementary schools	19.7%	41	28.8	4.4	15.4				14.9	32.3	24.4	38.0				31.6		15.6		$20,910	$1,665	$19,245
Montpelier Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	9200 Muirkirk Rd	Laurel	20708	Prince George's County	Prince George's County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 497-3670	573	39	14.5	90.9%	24 (4.2%)	348 (60.7%)	168 (29.3%)	11 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	20 (3.5%)	38.1	499^th of 864 public elementary schools	42.2%		37.9	496^th of 865 public elementary schools	42.7%	3	32.9	26.7	20.2				26.5	51.2	37.8	40.4				43.0		20.0		$17,286	$1,435	$15,851
Vansville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6813 Ammendale Rd	Beltsville	20705	Prince George's County	Prince George's County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 931-2830	677	47	14.5	67.2%	31 (4.6%)	360 (53.2%)	216 (31.9%)	46 (6.8%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	20 (3.0%)	26.9	608^th of 864 public elementary schools	29.6%		33.7	523^rd of 865 public elementary schools	39.5%	85	29.5	16.8	14.1				20.1	40.0	37.0	32.6				36.6		14.1		$18,567	$995	$17,572
Monarch Global Academy PCS Laurel Campus	Public	K-8	430 Brock Bridge Road	Laurel	20724	Anne Arundel County	Anne Arundel County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 886-8648	830	62	13.4	57.2%	70 (8.4%)	459 (55.3%)	226 (27.2%)	44 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (3.7%)	38.7	492^nd of 864 public elementary schools	43.1%		51.2	396^th of 865 public elementary schools	54.2%	96	31.6	18.1	21.4	6.4	26.8	20.6	22.3	51.0	39.4	42.9	44.7	57.7	71.9	51.1	52.0	30.3	38.2	$18,467	$1,119	$17,348
Laurel Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	516 Montgomery St	Laurel	20707	Prince George's County	Prince George's County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 497-3660	472	36	13.1	90.9%	25 (5.3%)	126 (26.7%)	308 (65.3%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.7%)	23.3	643^rd of 864 public elementary schools	25.6%		21.9	666^th of 865 public elementary schools	23.0%	23	20.3	10.0	18.8				15.9	39.7	27.1	40.4				35.0		12.5		$21,445	$2,227	$19,218
Brock Bridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	405 Brock Bridge Rd	Laurel	20724	Anne Arundel County	Anne Arundel County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 498-6280	514	51	10.1	69.6%	23 (4.5%)	212 (41.2%)	238 (46.3%)	14 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (5.3%)	24.6	634^th of 864 public elementary schools	26.6%		22.2	662^nd of 865 public elementary schools	23.5%	28	27.1	16.3	8.9				17.0	42.9	34.2	30.4				35.5		14.3		$20,556	$2,449	$18,107
Scotchtown Hills Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	15950 Dorset Rd	Laurel	20707	Prince George's County	Prince George's County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 497-3994	589	42	13.9	90.3%	20 (3.4%)	233 (39.6%)	283 (48.0%)	26 (4.4%)	8 (1.4%)	2 (0.3%)	17 (2.9%)	18.9	698^th of 864 public elementary schools	19.2%		16.8	734^th of 865 public elementary schools	15.1%	36	24.8	21.3	7.1				18.1	38.2	30.4	9.5				26.8		3.6		$20,968	$1,421	$19,547
Maryland City Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3359 Crumpton South	Laurel	20724	Anne Arundel County	Anne Arundel County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 725-4256	450	39	11.4	79.8%	14 (3.1%)	169 (37.6%)	237 (52.7%)	9 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.7%)	17.9	711^th of 864 public elementary schools	17.7%		25.9	601^st of 865 public elementary schools	30.5%	110	17.3	14.5	12.7				14.8	24.7	29.4	23.7				25.8		17.7		$20,794	$2,484	$18,311

Frequently Asked Questions about James H. Harrison Elementary

What schools do graduates of James H. Harrison Elementary attend?

Students who attend James H. Harrison Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle
High : Laurel High

Is James H. Harrison Elementary a good school?

James H. Harrison Elementary ranks in the bottom 15.7% of Maryland elementary schools.

What district is James H. Harrison Elementary in?

Prince George's County Public Schools

How many students attend James H. Harrison Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 304 students attended James H. Harrison Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of James H. Harrison Elementary?

Students at James H. Harrison Elementary are 58% Hispanic, 32% African American, 4% Asian, 3% White, 3% 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.