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Pemberton Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5
650th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 865 Maryland Elementary Schools
Better than 25% of Maryland elementary schools
Summary

Pemberton Elementary is a public elementary school in Salisbury, Maryland, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 503 students. The school is part of the Wicomico County Public Schools district, which is ranked 18 out of 25 in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Pemberton Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom half of Maryland elementary schools, with significantly below-average performance on MCAP (Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program) tests across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's proficiency rates were 21.1% in Math and 28.1% in English Language Arts, compared to the state averages of 26.5% and 50.8%, respectively. The school also has high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 23.9% to 37.3% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average. Additionally, Pemberton Elementary has a high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 55.31% to 68.05% over the past few years, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.

Pemberton Elementary's academic performance is significantly lower than most of the nearby schools in the Wicomico County district, such as Westside Intermediate, North Salisbury Elementary, and Fruitland Intermediate, which have higher proficiency rates and better overall rankings. However, Pemberton Elementary's performance is comparable to or slightly better than some other nearby schools, such as East Salisbury Elementary, Prince Street School, and Pinehurst Elementary, which also struggle with low academic achievement.

506
Students ?
11.5
Student/teacher ratio ?
$20,305
Per pupil spending ?
65.6%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 1300 Pemberton Dr
       Salisbury, MD  21801

(410) 677-5809

District: Wicomico County Public Schools


Students who attend Pemberton Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Salisbury Middle
High:    James M. Bennett High
Racial breakdown:

African American:
56.7%
White:
24.5%
Two or more races:
7.5%
more
 See top rated Maryland elementary schools

 Compare Pemberton Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Holding steady — 28th percentile in 2015 → 25th in 2025
Strengths
Small classes — about 12 students per teacher
Worth a look
!Test scores below the Maryland average (22% vs 38% meeting standards)
!In the lower quartile statewide (25th percentile)
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school22%
District avg31%
Maryland avg38%
650th of 865
Maryland public elementary schools ?
Bottom 25%▼ down 3 pts since 2015
From bottom 28% (2015) to bottom 25% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Maryland Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
7th of 10Elementary Schools in the Wicomico County Public Schools
18th of 25Wicomico 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMaryland percentileRating
202522.5650 of 86524.9%★☆☆☆☆
202423.3605 of 85929.6%★☆☆☆☆
202326.8573 of 85533.0%★★☆☆☆
202230.7563 of 86234.7%★★☆☆☆
202127.8510 of 80236.4%★★☆☆☆
201935.8498 of 85341.6%★★☆☆☆
201840.5461 of 85746.2%★★☆☆☆
201737.2496 of 84741.4%★★☆☆☆
201636.3517 of 84538.8%★★☆☆☆
201525.6618 of 85928.1%★☆☆☆☆
201450.3512 of 86740.9%★★☆☆☆
201349.0473 of 84744.2%★★☆☆☆
201261.3380 of 85755.7%★★★☆☆
201158.7398 of 85353.3%★★★☆☆
201065.9327 of 85561.8%★★★☆☆
200959.8388 of 85054.4%★★★☆☆
200867.6289 of 83865.5%★★★☆☆
200717.4704 of 81813.9%★☆☆☆☆
200611.4729 of 8049.3%☆☆☆☆☆
200518.4690 of 80514.3%★☆☆☆☆
200412.4717 of 80310.7%★☆☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMaryland percentileRating
202121.5429 of 50414.9%★☆☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMaryland percentileRating
202127.7518 of 79634.9%★★☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMaryland percentileRating
202120.9604 of 78823.4%★☆☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMaryland percentileRating
202133.7318 of 52839.8%★★☆☆☆
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)
White (2021)40th percentile+3 vs school
Female (2021)35th percentile~ school
Male (2021)23rd percentile-13 vs school
African American (2021)15th percentile-22 vs school
By subject vs Maryland (2024-2025) ?
English Language Arts28%-23 vs state
Mathematics21%-5 vs state
Science6%-20 vs state

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Schools Near Pemberton Elementary

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Frequently Asked Questions about Pemberton Elementary

In the 2024-25 school year, 506 students attended Pemberton Elementary.

Students at Pemberton Elementary are 57% African American, 25% White, 8% Two or more races, 7% Hispanic, 3% Asian.

Students who attend Pemberton Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Salisbury Middle
High : James M. Bennett High

Pemberton Elementary ranks in the bottom 24.9% of Maryland elementary schools.


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Latest Maryland data All new data »
2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026
2024–25 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026
2024–25 MCAP test scoresAug 26, 2025
2023–24 school spending dataJul 30, 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.





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