Summary:
In zip code 20646, La Plata, Maryland, there are two middle schools serving grades 6-8 within the Charles County Public Schools district: Milton M. Somers Middle School and Phoenix International School of the Arts.
Milton M. Somers Middle School is the standout school in this area, significantly outperforming its counterpart across nearly every academic metric. It holds a much higher state ranking (130th out of 339 schools, 62nd percentile) compared to Phoenix International School of the Arts (225th, 34th percentile). Somers excels particularly in English Language Arts (ELA), with a proficiency rate of 55.5% that surpasses both the district (45.6%) and state (51.7%) averages. In contrast, Phoenix has a critical math proficiency problem, with an overall rate of just 4.4% and a shocking 0% proficiency for 8th graders. Somers also benefits from a lower student-teacher ratio (13.6:1 vs. 16.2:1) and higher per-student spending ($19,744 vs. $18,265), which aligns with its better academic results.
Despite having nearly identical percentages of students receiving free/reduced lunch (around 43% at Somers and 42% at Phoenix), the academic outcomes are vastly different, suggesting factors beyond demographics drive the performance gap. Both schools share a challenge with chronic absenteeism, though their rates (20.8% at Somers and 19.5% at Phoenix) are notably lower than the district average of 26.6%, indicating a relative strength in attendance for this zip code. Overall, Milton M. Somers Middle School offers a stronger academic environment, especially in ELA, while Phoenix International School of the Arts faces significant challenges in math that require immediate attention.
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