Summary:
In zip code 20706, Lanham, Maryland, there is a single high school, Duval High, a large public school serving grades 9-12 with an enrollment of 2,522 students as part of the Prince George's County Public Schools district.
Duval High faces significant challenges, particularly with a very high poverty concentration, as 95.92% of students are eligible for free or reduced lunch, and a chronic absenteeism rate of 38.5% that is well above the district average of 30.2%. The school's graduation rate of 76.3% falls below the district average of 78.9%, while its dropout rate of 15.1% is slightly below the district's 15.9%. Academically, the school shows a stark contrast between subjects: in the 2025-2026 school year, English Language Arts proficiency reached 40.3%, exceeding the district average of 38.9%, but mathematics proficiency was only 10.9%, below the district average of 13.7%. Geometry proficiency was particularly low at 6.4%, less than half the district average of 12.4%.
Despite spending $16,478 per student, which is a considerable amount, math outcomes remain weak, especially in Geometry, raising questions about instructional effectiveness. The school's test scores also show notable volatility, with Algebra I proficiency dropping dramatically from 21% in 2024-2025 to just 2.7% in 2025-2026, and ELA proficiency declining from 51% to 40.3% over the same period. The high chronic absenteeism rate is likely a major factor driving these academic struggles, as missing instruction impacts cumulative subjects like math more severely. The school's state ranking has been unstable, improving from the 12th percentile to the 31st percentile, then dropping back to the 27th percentile, indicating an inconsistent path to improvement.
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