Schools in Zip Code 20740

Zip code 20740, serving parts of College Park and Berwyn Heights, Maryland, is home to three elementary schools—Paint Branch Elementary, Berwyn Heights Elementary, and Hollywood Elementary—all part of the Prince George's County Public Schools district, which faces significant systemic challenges.

Among these schools, each has a distinct strength. Paint Branch Elementary, the largest school with 488 students, stands out as the math leader, scoring above the district average in Mathematics (18.1% proficient) and boasting the lowest student-to-teacher ratio at 10.2:1. Berwyn Heights Elementary excels in attendance, with the lowest chronic absenteeism rate in the zip code at 21.8%, which is notably better than the district average of 30.2% and likely supports its relatively strong 3rd Grade English Language Arts performance (41.1% proficient). Hollywood Elementary is the most improved, showing a positive trajectory in its state ranking and spending the most per student at $25,508, nearly $5,000 more than Paint Branch. However, Hollywood also struggles with the highest chronic absenteeism rate at 31.2%.

Key metrics reveal a challenging academic landscape. The zip code average for Mathematics proficiency is 16.2%, above the district average of 13.7% but well below the state average of 27.1%. In English Language Arts, the average is 30.9% proficient, below both district and state averages. A critical finding is the "5th Grade Cliff," where Paint Branch's 5th-grade Math proficiency drops to just 3.7%, the lowest score in the data set. Additionally, all three schools serve an extremely high percentage of economically disadvantaged students, with over 90% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Addressing chronic absenteeism, which averages 27.5% across the zip code, appears to be the most impactful non-academic intervention available to improve outcomes.