Summary:
The six schools in zip code 20678 (Prince Frederick, MD) are part of the highly-rated Calvert County Public Schools district, serving students from Pre-K through 12th grade with a mix of elementary, middle, high, and alternative schools.
Academic performance varies significantly across the area. Calvert Elementary stands out as a top performer, with math proficiency (53.7%) far exceeding both the district (37.9%) and state (27.1%) averages. In contrast, Calvert High presents a stark paradox: it excels in English Language Arts (81.1% proficient) and has shown strong improvement in its state ranking, yet struggles with extremely low math proficiency (14.3%), a high dropout rate (10.6%), and chronic absenteeism (28.0%). The elementary schools, including Barstow Elementary, generally outperform the secondary schools in math, suggesting a systemic challenge as students advance. The alternative schools, Calvert Country School and Calvert County Alternative School, serve high-needs populations with intensive support but face crisis-level chronic absenteeism (51.0% and 84.8%, respectively) and very low test scores.
Key takeaways for parents include the clear link between chronic absenteeism and poor outcomes, as well as the fact that higher spending does not guarantee better results—Calvert Country School spends over $123,000 per student but has a 0% math proficiency rate, while Barstow Elementary achieves strong results with the lowest per-student spending ($15,925). While the district overall is a top performer in Maryland, the schools in this zip code reveal significant internal disparities, particularly at Calvert High, where excellence in one subject coexists with major challenges in others.
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