Summary:
The four public schools in zip code 20650 (Leonardtown, MD) are part of the highly-rated St. Mary's County Public Schools district and serve students from elementary through high school, with all schools outperforming state averages in both math and English Language Arts (ELA).
Captain Walter Francis Duke Elementary stands out as the top-performing school in the area, leading in both math (58.3% proficiency) and ELA (68.6% proficiency) while also having the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (18.8%) and the smallest student-teacher ratio (14.9). In contrast, Leonardtown High presents a fascinating paradox: it boasts an exceptional 83.1% ELA proficiency rate—dramatically exceeding district and state averages—yet its math proficiency (32.2%) lags behind the district average, and its Algebra I proficiency (16.9%) falls below the state average. Leonardtown Middle serves as a math launchpad, with a 65.6% Algebra I proficiency rate that far surpasses the district (25.6%) and state (21.3%), while Leonardtown Elementary performs solidly above state averages in both subjects.
A key takeaway is the inverse relationship between school level and spending per student: elementary schools spend the most ($17,850–$18,118), while the high school spends the least ($15,689) despite its large enrollment of 2,118 students and a higher student-teacher ratio of 22.1. This spending gap may contribute to the math performance challenges at the high school level. Additionally, Leonardtown High has shown remarkable improvement, jumping from the 53rd percentile in 2023-2024 to the 87th percentile in 2025-2026, suggesting recent effective changes in leadership or instruction. Overall, families in this area benefit from a district that consistently exceeds state benchmarks, though the transition from middle to high school math warrants attention.
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