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Bester Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

730^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 864 Maryland Elementary Schools

Better than 16% of Maryland elementary schools

Summary

Bester Elementary in Hagerstown, MD, is a PK-5 school serving 490 students within the Washington County Public Schools district, where 84.7% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch—the highest rate among nearby schools. The school faces significant challenges, with a chronic absenteeism rate of 44.3% that far exceeds the district average of 29.0% and is nearly double that of higher-performing schools like Emma K. Doub Elementary (23.5%) and Fountaindale Elementary (21.7%). Academically, proficiency rates in Mathematics (13.6%) and English Language Arts (25.3%) are roughly half the district average, though recent data shows a slight upward trend from the 7th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 16th percentile in 2025-2026.

Despite receiving the highest per-student spending in the area at $22,906 and having the lowest student-teacher ratio at 11.3:1, Bester’s academic performance remains low. This "resource paradox" highlights that the school’s struggles are deeply tied to external factors like poverty and absenteeism rather than a lack of funding or large class sizes. For context, Emma K. Doub Elementary, located just 1.26 miles away, spends $15,749 per student and has a higher student-teacher ratio of 18.3:1, yet achieves an 80th percentile state rank with 66.1% ELA proficiency—underscoring how socioeconomic context drives outcomes.

The link between absenteeism and academic performance is stark at Bester, where addressing the root causes of chronic absenteeism is the most critical lever for improvement. Subgroup data from 2020-2021 indicates the school is relatively more effective for Multi-racial (33rd percentile) and Hispanic students (24th percentile) compared to African American and White students (both at 7th percentile), suggesting targeted interventions may be needed. While recent gains in math and ELA proficiency offer a glimmer of hope, Bester remains a school where substantial resources are fighting an uphill battle against poverty and disengagement, making attendance a key focus for families considering this school.

490

Students ?

11.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,906

Per pupil spending ?

84.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

385 Mill St
Hagerstown, MD 21740

(301) 766-8001

District: Washington County Public Schools

Students who attend Bester Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	E. Russell Hicks Middle
High:	South Hagerstown High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

30.4%

White:

28.8%

Hispanic:

21.6%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 9th percentile in 2016 → 16th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 7 percentile points since 2016

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

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

!In the lower quartile statewide (16th percentile)

!English Language Arts scores 26 pts below the Maryland average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school19%

District avg41%

Maryland avg39%

730^th of 864

Maryland public elementary schools ?

Bottom 16%▲ up 6 pts since 2016

From bottom 9% (2016) to bottom 16% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

24^th of 24Elementary Schools in the Washington County Public Schools

10^th of 25Washington 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	16.7	730 of 864	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	12.8	793 of 865	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.3	800 of 859	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.1	746 of 855	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.6	619 of 862	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.8	676 of 802	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.0	782 of 853	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	13.6	755 of 857	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	13.5	757 of 847	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	12.9	765 of 845	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	14.0	781 of 859	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	10.7	793 of 867	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	5.2	826 of 847	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	13.8	778 of 857	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	11.0	795 of 853	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	29.9	674 of 855	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	35.5	619 of 850	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	38.2	593 of 838	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	73.0	206 of 818	74.8%	★★★★☆
2006	72.6	221 of 804	72.5%	★★★★☆
2005	79.1	149 of 805	81.5%	★★★★☆
2004	84.6	58 of 803	92.8%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	18.5	467 of 504	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	18.1	670 of 796	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	27.8	265 of 347	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	30.6	413 of 546	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	18.8	648 of 788	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	27.5	35 of 52	32.7%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	12.0	492 of 528	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Multi-racial (2021)33rd percentile+17 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2021)24th percentile+9 vs school

Hispanic (2021)24th percentile+8 vs school

Male (2021)18th percentile~ school

Female (2021)16th percentile~ school

African American (2021)7th percentile-8 vs school

White (2021)7th percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs Maryland (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts25%-26 vs state

Science16%-16 vs state

Mathematics14%-13 vs state

4.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, April 5, 2018

Teachers are amazing and truly care about the children and how they are doing. Close Quote

Schools Near Bester 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	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 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
Bester Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	385 Mill St	Hagerstown	21740	Washington County	Washington County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 766-8001	490	43	11.3	84.7%	141 (28.8%)	149 (30.4%)	106 (21.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	92 (18.8%)	16.7	730^th of 864 public elementary schools	15.5%		12.8	793^rd of 865 public elementary schools	8.3%	63	23.3	13.3	5.0	13.6	26.0	28.9	20.8	25.3	16.0	$22,906	$4,586	$18,321
Pangborn Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	195 Pangborn Blvd	Hagerstown	21740	Washington County	Washington County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 766-8282	749	56	13.3	76.0%	265 (35.4%)	169 (22.6%)	206 (27.5%)	9 (1.2%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	97 (13.0%)	37.2	502^nd of 864 public elementary schools	41.9%		26.7	590^th of 865 public elementary schools	31.8%	88	33.7	18.0	13.0	21.1	45.5	36.1	43.0	41.2	35.2	$19,714	$3,422	$16,291
Emma K. Doub Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1221 S Potomac St	Hagerstown	21740	Washington County	Washington County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(301) 766-8130	389	21	18.3	58.1%	178 (45.8%)	65 (16.7%)	81 (20.8%)	8 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (14.4%)	80.9	173^rd of 864 public elementary schools	80.0%		66.8	280^th of 865 public elementary schools	67.6%	107	56.9	51.7	37.1	47.9	72.9	61.7	64.3	66.1	55.7	$15,749	$1,563	$14,186
Eastern Elementary	Public	3-5	1320 Yale Dr	Hagerstown	21742	Washington County	Washington County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 766-8122	439	33	13.4	74.5%	107 (24.4%)	151 (34.4%)	104 (23.7%)	15 (3.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (13.9%)	30.8	570^th of 864 public elementary schools	34.0%		31.1	551^st of 865 public elementary schools	36.3%	19	30.9	18.8	15.2	21.8	43.9	31.2	37.9	37.7	22.0	$19,929	$3,286	$16,644
Ruth Ann Monroe Primary	Public	PK, KG-2	1311 Yale Drive	Hagerstown	21742	Washington County	Washington County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 766-8668	579	45	12.8	69.9%	139 (24.0%)	168 (29.0%)	151 (26.1%)	26 (4.5%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	93 (16.1%)								(n/a)										$18,975	$3,442	$15,533
Salem Avenue Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1323 Salem Ave Ext	Hagerstown	21740	Washington County	Washington County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 766-8313	713	50	14.1	83.0%	236 (33.1%)	147 (20.6%)	186 (26.1%)	12 (1.7%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	131 (18.4%)	45	443^rd of 864 public elementary schools	48.7%		45.3	448^th of 865 public elementary schools	48.2%	5	34.9	19.8	31.3	28.6	47.6	50.0	48.2	48.6	23.2	$18,411	$3,622	$14,789
Potomac Heights Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	301 E Magnolia Ave	Hagerstown	21742	Washington County	Washington County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 766-8305	351	21	16.6	66.4%	137 (39.0%)	80 (22.8%)	73 (20.8%)	10 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (14.5%)	61.5	306^th of 864 public elementary schools	64.6%		57.8	353^rd of 865 public elementary schools	59.2%	47	43.4	37.8	26.9	36.0	49.1	54.5	57.7	53.7	46.2	$14,275	$821	$13,455
Lincolnshire Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	17545 Lincolnshire Rd	Hagerstown	21740	Washington County	Washington County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 766-8206	503	37	13.5	69.2%	228 (45.3%)	88 (17.5%)	116 (23.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	69 (13.7%)	38.1	500^th of 864 public elementary schools	42.1%		38.9	494^th of 865 public elementary schools	42.9%	6	35.6	24.7	12.9	23.1	49.2	39.5	34.1	40.0	33.3	$21,207	$4,306	$16,901
Fountaindale Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	901 Northern Ave	Hagerstown	21742	Washington County	Washington County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(301) 766-8156	413	27	15.2	56.9%	192 (46.5%)	71 (17.2%)	83 (20.1%)	17 (4.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (11.9%)	78.1	196^th of 864 public elementary schools	77.3%		74.9	217^th of 865 public elementary schools	74.9%	21	53.1	40.5	50.0	47.9	67.5	63.0	59.0	63.6	55.0	$14,992	$861	$14,131
Jonathan Hager Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	12615 Sedgwick Way	Hagerstown	21740	Washington County	Washington County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 766-8440	498	34	14.8	69.3%	133 (26.7%)	211 (42.4%)	77 (15.5%)	16 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (12.2%)	34	535^th of 864 public elementary schools	38.1%		32.8	534^th of 865 public elementary schools	38.3%	1	30.2	14.3	21.4	21.7	46.0	28.6	39.1	37.6	30.4	$17,371	$2,789	$14,582

Frequently Asked Questions about Bester Elementary

How many students attend Bester Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 490 students attended Bester Elementary.

Is Bester Elementary a good school?

Bester Elementary ranks in the bottom 15.5% of Maryland elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Bester Elementary attend?

Students who attend Bester Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : E. Russell Hicks Middle
High : South Hagerstown High

What district is Bester Elementary in?

Washington County Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Bester Elementary?

Students at Bester Elementary are 30% African American, 29% White, 22% Hispanic, 19% Two or more races.

Rate Bester Elementary!

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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.