Schools in Zip Code 20715

The nine public schools in zip code 20715 (Bowie, MD) serve approximately 6,887 students across one high school, two middle schools, and six elementary schools, all part of the Prince George's County Public Schools district, which ranks in the bottom third of Maryland districts.

The elementary schools are the area's clear strength, with four of the six ranking in the 60th percentile or higher statewide. Yorktown Elementary leads academically with the highest ELA proficiency rate in the zip code at 68.2% and the lowest percentage of students receiving free/reduced lunch (37.37%). In contrast, Rockledge Elementary faces the most significant challenges, with the lowest state ranking (32nd percentile), the highest poverty rate (62.38%), and the lowest elementary ELA (40.4%) and Math (14.6%) scores. Among middle schools, Samuel Ogle Middle outperforms Benjamin Tasker Middle in ELA proficiency (60.8% vs. 56.5%) and has a lower chronic absenteeism rate (16.7% vs. 19.5%). Both middle schools excel in advanced math, with Algebra I proficiency rates (34-37%) far exceeding the state average of 21.3%.

The most striking finding is the "Bowie Paradox": strong feeder schools feed into a struggling high school. Bowie High ranks in the bottom third of Maryland high schools (31st percentile) with critically low math proficiency (5.2%) and a high chronic absenteeism rate (39%). However, it boasts a 91% graduation rate—significantly better than the district average of 78.9%—and a low dropout rate of 5.2%. Across the zip code, ELA proficiency averages 55.9% (above the state's 51.7%), while math proficiency averages just 24.5% (below the state's 27.1%). Per-student spending varies widely from $16,630 at Bowie High to $22,824 at Kenilworth Elementary, but higher spending does not directly correlate with higher test scores.