Summary:
There are eight elementary schools in the 20772 zip code (Upper Marlboro, MD), serving grades Pre-K through 5th grade (with one charter school serving only K-1), all part of the Prince George's County Public Schools district, which faces significant systemic challenges.
Mattaponi Elementary is the clear standout, consistently earning a 3-star rating and being the only school in the area where overall proficiency in both Math and English Language Arts (ELA) exceeds the state average. In contrast, Melwood Elementary and Marlton Elementary have seen their state rankings drop significantly. Arrowhead Elementary presents a paradox: it has the highest poverty rate (87.3%) but the lowest chronic absenteeism (20.6%), yet its academic scores are among the lowest. Rosaryville Elementary spends the most per student ($24,761) but has the second-lowest Math proficiency, while Barack Obama Elementary is the largest school (629 students) and shows strong early-grade ELA performance. Friendship Aspire Bowie Charter is a new school serving only K-1, so it lacks standardized test scores for comparison.
A critical pattern emerges across multiple schools: 3rd-grade Math and ELA scores are often the strongest, followed by a sharp decline in 4th grade, suggesting a curriculum shift or testing rigor change. The average chronic absenteeism rate is 28.6%, and the average free/reduced lunch rate is 62.4%, indicating a high-poverty area. Mattaponi Elementary proves that school-level factors like effective teaching and strong leadership can overcome socioeconomic challenges, as it outperforms the state average despite a 52.43% poverty rate. Meanwhile, Arrowhead Elementary shows that while attendance is critical, it is not a silver bullet for academic success.
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