Summary:
Zip code 20737 in Riverdale, MD, is home to two high schools within the Prince George's County Public Schools district: Parkdale High and College Park Academy, which together serve grades 9-12 (with College Park Academy also covering grades 6-8).
College Park Academy is the standout school in this area, consistently outperforming Parkdale High across nearly every academic metric. It ranks in the top 40% of Maryland high schools (61st percentile) with a 3-star rating, while Parkdale High ranks in the bottom 25% (25th percentile) with a 1-star rating. The most dramatic difference is in chronic absenteeism: College Park Academy has a remarkably low rate of 11.5%, compared to Parkdale High's very high 40.2%. This gap is a leading indicator of student engagement and is strongly linked to other outcomes. College Park Academy also achieves significantly higher proficiency rates in English Language Arts (60% vs. 35.5%) and Mathematics (19% vs. 10.6%), and its 10th Grade ELA proficiency (72.4%) nearly doubles Parkdale High's (35.5%).
These two schools represent vastly different educational experiences within the same zip code. Parkdale High is a very large school (2,588 students) with a 96.75% free/reduced lunch rate, indicating extreme poverty, and it struggles with low test scores, a high dropout rate (18.6%), and high chronic absenteeism. In contrast, College Park Academy is smaller (682 students) and, despite a still-significant 53.23% free/reduced lunch rate, demonstrates that high poverty does not automatically preclude strong performance. Its unique grade 6-12 structure and higher per-student spending ($22,745 vs. $18,256) likely contribute to a more stable learning environment and stronger student-teacher relationships, making it a clear choice for families prioritizing academic achievement and attendance.
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