Best Public Schools in Zip Code 20657

The five public schools in zip code 20657 (Lusby, MD), part of the highly-rated Calvert County Public Schools district, serve nearly 3,000 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, presenting a mixed picture of academic strengths and challenges.

Patuxent High stands out for its exceptional English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency (71.9%) and a strong 93.5% graduation rate, yet it struggles with the area's highest chronic absenteeism (30.7%) and lowest math proficiency (15.9%). Among middle schools, Mill Creek Middle is a clear standout, boasting the lowest chronic absenteeism (13.8%) and strong advanced math performance, with 43.1% of students proficient in Algebra I—nearly double the district rate. In contrast, Southern Middle faces significant challenges, including critically low math proficiency (16.1%) and high chronic absenteeism (26.9%). At the elementary level, Dowell Elementary is a rising star, ranking as the highest elementary school in the area with strong math (37.5%) and 5th-grade science (42.7%) scores, while Patuxent Appeal Elementary Campus shows solid but slightly lower performance.

A critical area-wide issue is math proficiency, with every school falling below the district average of 37.9%. Chronic absenteeism is also a major concern at three of the five schools, though Mill Creek Middle demonstrates that low absenteeism correlates with stronger outcomes. Notably, spending per student does not directly predict success, as Dowell Elementary achieves higher rankings with the lowest spending ($17,732) compared to Patuxent Appeal's highest spending ($21,045). The stark contrast between Mill Creek and Southern Middle—two schools serving similar demographics—offers a clear opportunity for the district to replicate successful practices and address systemic challenges in math and attendance.