Schools in Zip Code 20603

The nine public schools in zip code 20603 (Waldorf, MD), part of the Charles County Public Schools district, serve approximately 8,549 students across five elementary schools, two middle schools, and two high schools, with the district itself facing significant academic challenges, particularly in mathematics.

In this area, North Point High School stands out as a high-performing high school, boasting a 69.8% English Language Arts proficiency rate that far exceeds both the district (45.6%) and state (51.7%) averages, while Westlake High School struggles with a 35.3% chronic absenteeism rate and only 3.6% math proficiency. At the middle school level, Theodore G. Davis Middle School is the top performer, with 54.2% of students proficient in Algebra I and 63.6% in Geometry, significantly outpacing Mattawoman Middle School. Among elementary schools, C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School leads in math proficiency at 40.2%, more than double the district average, while Berry Elementary School shows strong improvement, rising from the 34th to the 58th percentile in state rankings and achieving the highest 3rd-grade ELA proficiency (58.5%) in the area.

Key takeaways include a severe "math crisis" across the district, with high school math proficiency below 11%, though C. Paul Barnhart Elementary and Berry Elementary offer potential models for improvement. Chronic absenteeism is a strong predictor of performance, with William A. Diggs Elementary School (13.7%) and Theodore G. Davis Middle School (18.0%) having the lowest rates and highest achievement, while Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer Elementary School (28.5%) and Westlake High School (35.3%) lag behind. Notably, per-student spending does not guarantee success, as the highest spender (C. Paul Barnhart at $19,356) and the lowest spender (Theodore G. Davis at $15,169) are both top performers, suggesting that how funds are allocated matters more than the total amount.