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

Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary

Q: Is Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary a good school?

Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary ranks 470 th of 865 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

470^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 865 Maryland Elementary Schools

Better than 46% of Maryland elementary schools

Summary

Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary is a public elementary school in Mechanicsville, Maryland, serving 477 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the St. Mary's County Public Schools district, which is ranked 6th out of 25 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating.

While Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary has seen fluctuating rankings within Maryland, ranging from 184th to 470th out of around 850-865 schools, its performance has generally been weaker compared to nearby schools in the same district, such as Dynard Elementary, Oakville Elementary, and White Marsh Elementary. The school's proficiency rates in mathematics, English Language Arts, and 5th-grade science are lower than the district and state averages. Additionally, Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary has experienced high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 24.6% to 30.7%, which is notably higher than the state average.

One potential contributing factor to the school's lower performance may be the relatively high percentage of students from low-income families, with 36.48% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. This is higher than the state average and the rates of some nearby schools. Addressing the root causes of chronic absenteeism and providing targeted interventions and support programs for students from disadvantaged backgrounds could be crucial in improving Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary's overall outcomes and providing a better educational experience for its students.

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 — 72nd percentile in 2015 → 46th in 2025

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 26 percentile points since 2015

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

!Near the bottom of St. Mary's County Public Schools's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school33%

District avg45%

Maryland avg38%

470^th of 865

Maryland public elementary schools ?

Bottom 46%▼ down 26 pts since 2015

From top 28% (2015) to bottom 46% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

6^th of 25St. 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
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 (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts44%-7 vs state

Mathematics29%+3 vs state

Science17%-9 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary and help other families decide.

Rate Lettie Marshall Dent 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

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Lettie Marshall Dent 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
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%)	42.4	470^th of 865 public elementary schools	45.7%		46.8	401^st of 859 public elementary schools	53.3%	69	33.3	33.8	20.7	29.1	44.4	48.8	37.8	43.6	17.1	$17,427	$945	$16,483
White Marsh Elementary	Public	PK, KG-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%)	93.2	58^th of 865 public elementary schools	93.3%		84.2	131^st of 859 public elementary schools	84.7%	73	73.2	74.5	59.4	70.0	75.6	76.6	64.5	73.1	56.3	$20,517	$969	$19,548
Mechanicsville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-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%)	69.5	259^th of 865 public elementary schools	70.1%		54.1	338^th of 859 public elementary schools	60.7%	79	56.1	41.3	34.8	43.3	56.1	54.0	58.7	56.0	37.0	$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%)	52.1	387^th of 865 public elementary schools	55.3%		48	392^nd of 859 public elementary schools	54.4%	5	51.0	27.4	23.4	34.8	63.6	45.2	37.9	49.4	21.1	$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%)	82.7	154^th of 865 public elementary schools	82.2%		66.4	267^th of 859 public elementary schools	68.9%	113	66.7	49.0	52.2	54.9	62.9	55.1	65.2	60.8	55.6	$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%)	69.4	260^th of 865 public elementary schools	69.9%		62.9	289^th of 859 public elementary schools	66.4%	29	56.1	33.9	38.3	42.1	59.8	53.2	54.7	55.7	38.9	$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%)	42.9	465^th of 865 public elementary schools	46.2%		35.6	484^th of 859 public elementary schools	43.7%	19	31.7	6.8	36.4	25.5	49.2	37.3	42.4	43.1	24.2	$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%)	44.3	458^th of 865 public elementary schools	47.1%		37	472^nd of 859 public elementary schools	45.1%	14	30.0	30.7	23.2	27.8	46.0	53.0	36.6	44.9	22.9	$20,646	$947	$19,699
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				7.7
Eva Turner Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1000 Bannister Cir	Waldorf	20602	Charles County	Charles County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 645-4828	494	34	14.5	68.2%	21 (4.3%)	351 (71.1%)	97 (19.6%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	20 (4.0%)	12.7	799^th of 865 public elementary schools	7.6%		11	807^th of 859 public elementary schools	6.1%	8	19.7	2.9	12.1	11.5	21.1	12.7	18.2	17.3	7.6	$21,506	$2,089	$19,417

Frequently Asked Questions about 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

How many students attend Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary?

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

What district is Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary in?

St. Mary's County Public Schools

Is Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary a good school?

Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary ranks 470^th of 865 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

MDMaryland Elementary School Rankings

MDMaryland District Rankings

Schools in Mechanicsville, MD

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary!

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.