Summary:
Zip code 20736 in Owings, Maryland, is served by two elementary schools—Mount Harmony Elementary and Windy Hill Elementary—both part of the highly-rated Calvert County Public Schools district, which ranks 3rd in Maryland.
Mount Harmony Elementary is the standout school in this area, ranking in the top 10% of all Maryland elementary schools (92nd percentile) and consistently outperforming its neighbor across nearly every academic metric. It achieves notably higher proficiency rates in Mathematics (68% vs. 53.7%), English Language Arts (72% vs. 65.3%), and Science (61.2% vs. 35.5%). The most dramatic gap appears in 5th grade, where Mount Harmony’s math proficiency is 69.1% compared to Windy Hill’s 38.0%. Despite these results, Windy Hill Elementary spends $2,552 more per student ($18,122 vs. $15,570) and maintains a lower student-teacher ratio (14.4 vs. 16.1), creating a "spending paradox" where additional resources do not translate into higher test scores. Both schools, however, dramatically exceed state averages in math, with Mount Harmony (68%) and Windy Hill (53.7%) far outpacing the Maryland state average of 27.1%.
Chronic absenteeism is a shared strength in this community, with Mount Harmony at 11.0% and Windy Hill at 13.1%, both well below the district average of 17.3%. Mount Harmony’s state ranking has remained stable and elite over three years, while Windy Hill’s ranking has recently declined from 132nd to 193rd, warranting attention. For parents, Mount Harmony Elementary offers top-tier academics and consistency, while Windy Hill Elementary provides smaller classes and higher per-student spending, though with more variable performance.
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