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Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary

Q: Is Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary a good school?

Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary ranks 356 th of 865 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

356^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 865 Maryland Elementary Schools

Better than 59% of Maryland elementary schools

Summary

Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary in Mechanicsville, MD, is a mid-sized school serving 479 students from Pre-K through 5th grade as part of St. Mary's County Public Schools, a district ranked 7th in Maryland. The school has a notable strength in early grades, with 3rd graders achieving 52.5% proficiency in Math and 62.7% in ELA—well above district and state averages. However, this advantage fades by 4th and 5th grade, where Math proficiency drops to around 30%, significantly below the district average of 42.8%. This pattern suggests a challenge in sustaining academic growth as students move into upper elementary grades, a trend not seen at nearby high-performing schools like White Marsh Elementary, which is just 0.68 miles away and achieves dramatically higher scores across all grades despite serving a similar demographic.

Chronic absenteeism is a persistent issue at Lettie Marshall Dent, with a rate of 23.7% for the 2024-2025 school year. While slightly better than the district average of 27.3%, it is notably higher than neighboring Mechanicsville Elementary (19.3%) and White Marsh Elementary (18.8%). This 4-5 percentage point gap likely impacts school-wide learning continuity and test scores. The school also has a high student-teacher ratio of 17.6, compared to 14.3 at White Marsh Elementary, even though it spends more per student ($17,427) than many nearby schools. This suggests resources may be directed toward non-instructional areas rather than smaller class sizes, which are often linked to academic improvement.

Compared to schools in neighboring districts, Lettie Marshall Dent outperforms those in Charles County Public Schools, such as T. C. Martin Elementary (31.3% Math) and Mary B. Neal Elementary (23.8% Math), but lags behind Barstow Elementary in Calvert County Public Schools (46.2% Math). The school’s ranking has declined from a peak of 184th in the state in 2017-2018 to a recent low of 470th in 2024-2025, though it has recovered to 356th. This trajectory, combined with the stark contrast to White Marsh Elementary, highlights the importance of investigating factors like school leadership and teaching culture to understand the different outcomes for students in the same community.

479

Students ?

17.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,427

Per pupil spending ?

38.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

37840 New Market Turner Rd
Mechanicsville, MD 20659-3049

(301) 472-4500

District: St. Mary's County Public Schools

Students who attend Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Margaret Brent Middle
High:	Chopticon High

Racial breakdown:

White:

80.4%

Two or more races:

6.7%

African American:

6.3%

See top rated Maryland elementary schools

Compare Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 66th percentile in 2016 → 59th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Maryland median (59th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 7 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school42%

District avg47%

Maryland avg39%

356^th of 865

Maryland public elementary schools ?

Top 41%▼ down 7 pts since 2016

From top 34% (2016) to top 41% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

12^th of 19Elementary Schools in the St. Mary's County Public Schools

7^th of 24St. Mary'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	56.3	356 of 865	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	42.4	470 of 865	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.8	401 of 859	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.2	329 of 855	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	71.2	253 of 862	70.6%	★★★★☆
2021	43.7	333 of 802	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	73.6	226 of 853	73.5%	★★★★☆
2018	78.2	184 of 857	78.5%	★★★★☆
2017	66.6	275 of 847	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	63.5	291 of 845	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	70.9	242 of 859	71.8%	★★★★☆
2014	78.3	169 of 867	80.5%	★★★★☆
2013	69.2	257 of 847	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	77.0	159 of 857	81.4%	★★★★☆
2011	74.1	190 of 853	77.7%	★★★★☆
2010	77.4	160 of 855	81.3%	★★★★☆
2009	76.4	188 of 850	77.9%	★★★★☆
2008	77.9	167 of 838	80.1%	★★★★☆
2007	46.5	487 of 818	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2006	36.5	569 of 804	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	52.7	424 of 805	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2004	48.2	475 of 803	40.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	40.0	378 of 796	52.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	36.0	358 of 546	34.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	44.5	326 of 788	58.6%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	24.6	388 of 528	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Male (2021)59th percentile~ school

Female (2021)53rd percentile-6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2021)34th percentile-24 vs school

White (2021)27th percentile-32 vs school

By subject vs Maryland (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts50%~ state avg

Mathematics37%+10 vs state

Science32%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Lettie Marshall Dent 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 (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 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 8th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts All Grades	MCAP Science 5th Grade	MCAP Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	37840 New Market Turner Rd	Mechanicsville	20659	St. Mary's County	St. Mary's County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 472-4500	479	27	17.6	38.4%	385 (80.4%)	30 (6.3%)	28 (5.8%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (6.7%)	56.3	356^th of 865 public elementary schools	58.8%		42.4	470^th of 865 public elementary schools	45.7%	114	52.5	30.0	32.1			37.1	62.7	44.3	45.7			50.0	32.1		$17,427	$945	$16,483
White Marsh Elementary	Public	K-5	29090 Thompson Corner Rd	Mechanicsville	20659	St. Mary's County	St. Mary's County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 472-4600	220	15	14.3	35.5%	149 (67.7%)	23 (10.5%)	25 (11.4%)	3 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (9.1%)	88	110^th of 865 public elementary schools	87.3%		93.2	58^th of 865 public elementary schools	93.3%	52	80.6	62.8	46.7			62.1	83.3	62.8	64.4			69.4	54.3		$20,517	$969	$19,548
Mechanicsville Elementary	Public	K-5	28585 Three Notch Rd	Mechanicsville	20659	St. Mary's County	St. Mary's County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 472-4800	273	17	15.9	36.6%	222 (81.3%)	13 (4.8%)	21 (7.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	15 (5.5%)	62.4	298^th of 865 public elementary schools	65.5%		69.5	259^th of 865 public elementary schools	70.1%	39	37.8	54.8	34.4			41.4	56.8	61.9	45.9			53.6	32.8		$18,653	$1,096	$17,557
T. C. Martin Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6315 Olivers Shop Rd	Bryantown	20617	Charles County	Charles County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 274-3182	538	33	16.3	37.0%	232 (43.1%)	177 (32.9%)	63 (11.7%)	8 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (10.8%)	46.6	439^th of 865 public elementary schools	49.2%		52.1	387^th of 865 public elementary schools	55.3%	52	39.8	29.1	24.4			31.3	53.8	52.3	32.1			47.1	24.4		$17,319	$1,347	$15,972
Oakville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	26410 Three Notch Road	Mechanicsville	20659	St. Mary's County	St. Mary's County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 373-4365	291	20	14.6	43.0%	210 (72.2%)	30 (10.3%)	20 (6.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (10.3%)	63.2	295^th of 865 public elementary schools	65.9%		82.7	154^th of 865 public elementary schools	82.2%	141	46.7	64.9	42.9			50.4	48.9	62.2	42.9			50.4	28.6		$19,098	$1,070	$18,028
Barstow Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	295 Williams Rd	Prince Frederick	20678	Calvert County	Calvert County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(443) 550-9510	630	40	15.7	41.1%	347 (55.1%)	107 (17.0%)	83 (13.2%)	11 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	79 (12.5%)	68.2	267^th of 865 public elementary schools	69.1%		69.4	260^th of 865 public elementary schools	69.9%	7	64.3	40.0	35.2			46.2	69.4	52.6	49.1			56.8	35.2		$15,925	$1,136	$14,789
Malcolm Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	14760 Poplar Hill Rd	Waldorf	20601	Charles County	Charles County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 645-2691	415	30	13.8	50.1%	91 (21.9%)	183 (44.1%)	81 (19.5%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (13.5%)	34.9	530^th of 865 public elementary schools	38.7%		42.9	465^th of 865 public elementary schools	46.2%	65	37.3	26.2	6.6			23.2	39.7	44.3	39.3			41.1	21.3		$19,293	$765	$18,528
Mary B. Neal Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	12105 St. George's Dr	Waldorf	20602	Charles County	Charles County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 638-2617	626	40	15.6	48.6%	21 (3.4%)	474 (75.7%)	62 (9.9%)	24 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	43 (6.9%)	33	547^th of 865 public elementary schools	36.8%		44.3	458^th of 865 public elementary schools	47.1%	89	32.0	16.8	22.9			23.8	38.1	38.6	33.3			36.6	26.4		$20,646	$947	$19,699
Margaret J. Thornton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5860 Saint David Dr	White Plains	20695	Charles County	Charles County Public Schools	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(301) 753-2083	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	34.1	535^th of 865 public elementary schools	38.2%					(n/a)	39.4	16.3	15.3			24.6	49.6	40.6	32.4			41.6	14.3
F. B. Gwynn Educational Center	Public	PK, KG-8	5998 Radio Station Rd	La Plata	20646	Charles County	Charles County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 934-3884	0	32	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)	0.0					0.0	18.2					13.3

Frequently Asked Questions about Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary

How many students attend Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 479 students attended Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary?

Students at Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary are 80% White, 7% Two or more races, 6% African American, 6% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary attend?

Students who attend Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Margaret Brent Middle
High : Chopticon High

Is Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary a good school?

Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary ranks 356^th of 865 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary in?

St. Mary's County Public Schools

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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.