Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Paint Branch Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

680^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 865 Maryland Elementary Schools

Better than 21% of Maryland elementary schools

Summary

Paint Branch Elementary in College Park, MD, serves 488 students from pre-kindergarten through 5th grade within the Prince George's County Public Schools district, operating in a high-poverty area where over 90% of students qualify for free and reduced lunch.

One of the school's standout strengths is its mathematics performance, where it consistently outperforms the district average—18.1% of students were proficient in math in the 2025-2026 school year, compared to the district's 13.7%. This is a notable achievement, especially when compared to nearby schools like Riverdale Elementary and Springhill Lake Elementary, which perform at or below the district average. However, there is a critical concern in 5th grade math, where only 3.7% of students were proficient—a dramatic drop from 29.3% in 3rd grade. In English Language Arts (ELA), the school trails the district, with 28.3% proficiency versus the district's 38.9%, and this gap has persisted for several years. Nearby Hyattsville Elementary (53.3%) and University Park Elementary (46.6%) show much higher ELA proficiency.

Paint Branch invests heavily in its students, spending $29,170 per student—significantly more than nearby schools like Berwyn Heights Elementary ($19,760) and University Park Elementary ($18,825). This investment supports a low student-teacher ratio of 10.2. The school has also made progress in reducing chronic absenteeism, which dropped from 41.3% in 2022-2023 to 29.5% in 2024-2025, now slightly below the district average. While the school effectively supports its African American students, ranking in the 54th percentile statewide, it faces significant challenges with its special education population, ranking in the 6th percentile. The proximity of higher-performing schools like Dora Kennedy French Immersion (84th percentile) highlights the impact of socioeconomic factors on academic outcomes.

488

Students ?

10.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,700

Per pupil spending ?

91%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5101 Pierce Ave
College Park, MD 20740-2528

(301) 513-5300

District: Prince George's County Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

48.8%

Asian:

23.4%

African American:

15.6%

See top rated Maryland elementary schools

Compare Paint Branch Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 20th percentile in 2016 → 21st in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Maryland average (21% vs 39% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (21st percentile)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school21%

District avg25%

Maryland avg39%

680^th of 865

Maryland public elementary schools ?

Bottom 21%▲ up 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

78^th of 135Elementary Schools in the Prince George's County Public Schools

22^nd of 24Prince 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	20.2	680 of 865	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.4	652 of 865	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.3	704 of 859	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.7	565 of 855	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.1	521 of 862	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	22.2	589 of 802	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.2	470 of 853	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.5	561 of 857	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	25.1	612 of 847	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	19.4	677 of 845	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	22.3	662 of 859	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	54.7	464 of 867	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	56.0	406 of 847	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2012	53.7	461 of 857	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	46.2	509 of 853	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2010	45.9	546 of 855	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2009	50.6	486 of 850	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	39.7	584 of 838	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2007	63.3	335 of 818	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	72.2	226 of 804	71.9%	★★★★☆
2005	61.1	355 of 805	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2004	69.8	263 of 803	67.2%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	43.4	234 of 504	53.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	26.3	538 of 796	32.4%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	36.0	199 of 347	42.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	38.8	322 of 546	41.0%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	23.5	567 of 788	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	22.5	128 of 136	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2021)54th percentile+27 vs school

Hispanic (2021)43rd percentile+16 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2021)41st percentile+14 vs school

Female (2021)32nd percentile+6 vs school

Male (2021)28th percentile~ school

Special Education (2021)6th percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs Maryland (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts28%-23 vs state

Mathematics18%-9 vs state

Science11%-21 vs state

3.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★0

4★0

3★1

2★0

1★0

Rate Paint Branch Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, August 17, 2011

I am surprised to see a 1 star rating for the school. I have two children at the school and rate it 3 stars.

The school is clean and maintained, the students reasonably well behaved and for the most part the teachers I have encountered are motivated and capable. The Principal, Dr. Teston, is highly motivated and very proactive in developing programs such as the Chinese Language program.

Not to exclude any other staff but Ms. Cathcart (pre-K), Ms. Lemberg (K) & Ms. Price-Reid stand out for me as effective and caring teachers. My general hesitation with the school, and belief based on observation, is that the large ESOL population does tend to consume resources which might otherwise be applied to high achievers so I would like to see the Talented And Gifted (TAG) program receive more emphasis but the school does a good job with the resources it has. Close Quote

Schools Near Paint Branch Elementary

Load more schools when map is moved

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 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/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 Geometry 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
Paint Branch Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5101 Pierce Ave	College Park	20740	Prince George's County	Prince George's County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 513-5300	488	48	10.2	91.0%	51 (10.5%)	76 (15.6%)	238 (48.8%)	114 (23.4%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	6 (1.2%)	20.2	680^th of 865 public elementary schools	21.4%		22.4	652^nd of 865 public elementary schools	24.6%	28	29.3	22.2	3.7				18.1	30.1	28.8	26.3				28.3			11.3		$20,700	$1,545	$19,155
Berwyn Heights Elementary	Public	K-5	6200 Pontiac St	Berwyn Heights	20740	Prince George's County	Prince George's County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 684-6210	421	36	11.8	91.4%	42 (10.0%)	61 (14.5%)	294 (69.8%)	13 (3.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.4%)	20.2	682^nd of 865 public elementary schools	21.2%		19.2	699^th of 865 public elementary schools	19.2%	17	20.3	8.3	7.9				11.9	41.1	19.4	34.5				31.9			14.8		$19,760	$1,726	$18,034
University Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4315 Underwood St	Hyattsville	20782	Prince George's County	Prince George's County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 985-1898	538	41	12.9	61.2%	111 (20.6%)	119 (22.1%)	263 (48.9%)	24 (4.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.7%)	42.1	467^th of 865 public elementary schools	46.0%		44.9	452^nd of 865 public elementary schools	47.7%	15	25.9	27.1	23.8				25.8	45.9	47.6	46.0				46.6			27.7		$18,825	$1,045	$17,780
Dora Kennedy French Immersion	Public, Magnet	K-8	8950 Edmonston Rd	Greenbelt	20770	Prince George's County	Prince George's County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(301) 918-8660	684	47	14.5	28.7%	135 (19.7%)	429 (62.7%)	52 (7.6%)	23 (3.4%)	4 (0.6%)	4 (0.6%)	37 (5.4%)	84.4	138^th of 865 public elementary schools	84.0%		79.5	186^th of 865 public elementary schools	78.5%	48	47.7	44.2	54.7	39.6	45.2	22.5	46.7	77.3	68.6	71.9	75.0	90.8	83.9	77.5	87.5		67.2	52.5	$19,733	$865	$18,868
Riverdale Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5006 Riverdale Rd	Riverdale	20737	Prince George's County	Prince George's County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 985-1850	586	44	13.2	93.7%	17 (2.9%)	25 (4.3%)	493 (84.1%)	43 (7.3%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (0.9%)	21.3	667^th of 865 public elementary schools	22.9%		20.9	672^nd of 865 public elementary schools	22.3%	5	27.2	13.3	7.0				15.1	37.0	37.8	26.8				33.6			9.8		$21,686	$2,084	$19,602
Springhill Lake Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6060 Springhill Dr	Greenbelt	20770	Prince George's County	Prince George's County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 513-5996	804	63	12.7	92.5%	25 (3.1%)	319 (39.7%)	440 (54.7%)	7 (0.9%)	5 (0.6%)	2 (0.2%)	6 (0.7%)	10.3	821^st of 865 public elementary schools	5.1%		10.1	834^th of 865 public elementary schools	3.6%	13	17.2	6.7	4.4				9.5	15.5	23.3	15.9				18.3			7.0		$23,432	$2,812	$20,620
Hollywood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	9811 49th Ave	College Park	20740	Prince George's County	Prince George's County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 513-5900	284	24	11.6	90.1%	21 (7.4%)	27 (9.5%)	219 (77.1%)	9 (3.2%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.5%)	23.2	645^th of 865 public elementary schools	25.4%		19.9	690^th of 865 public elementary schools	20.2%	45	28.6	7.7	20.5				18.6	43.5	28.8	25.6				32.6			9.1		$25,508	$2,250	$23,258
Mary Harris Mother Jones Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2405 Tecumseh St	Adelphi	20783	Prince George's County	Prince George's County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 408-7900	734	52	14.1	92.8%	7 (1.0%)	39 (5.3%)	670 (91.3%)	9 (1.2%)	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.5%)	25.6	622^nd of 865 public elementary schools	28.1%		23	642^nd of 865 public elementary schools	25.8%	20	33.6	15.4	16.3				21.6	34.6	31.6	33.0				33.0			14.3		$20,692	$2,097	$18,595
Adelphi Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	9000 25th Ave	Adelphi	20783	Prince George's County	Prince George's County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 431-6250	505	36	13.9	88.9%	16 (3.2%)	87 (17.2%)	385 (76.2%)	6 (1.2%)	6 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.0%)	30.2	577^th of 865 public elementary schools	33.3%		24.7	618^th of 865 public elementary schools	28.6%	41	20.4	40.0	12.0				24.2	26.1	41.6	36.1				34.0			19.2		$22,959	$2,486	$20,474
Hyattsville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7501 Adelphi Rd	Hyattsville	20782	Prince George's County	Prince George's County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 209-5800	422	32	13.0	87.2%	65 (15.4%)	97 (23.0%)	234 (55.5%)	9 (2.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.8%)	48.3	424^th of 865 public elementary schools	51.0%		34.6	517^th of 865 public elementary schools	40.2%	93	28.1	18.3	26.5				24.1	46.4	58.3	55.1				53.3			34.0		$21,311	$1,885	$19,426

Frequently Asked Questions about Paint Branch Elementary

How many students attend Paint Branch Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 488 students attended Paint Branch Elementary.

What district is Paint Branch Elementary in?

Prince George's County Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Paint Branch Elementary?

Students at Paint Branch Elementary are 49% Hispanic, 23% Asian, 16% African American, 10% White, 1% Two or more races.

Is Paint Branch Elementary a good school?

Paint Branch Elementary ranks in the bottom 21.4% of Maryland elementary schools.

Rate Paint Branch Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

MDMaryland Elementary School Rankings

MDMaryland District Rankings

Schools in College Park, MD

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Paint Branch Elementary!

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.