Summary:
In zip code 20772, there is one middle school, James Madison Middle, serving grades 6 through 8 in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, as part of the Prince George's County Public Schools district.
James Madison Middle has 800 students and a student-teacher ratio of 16.1. The school spends $17,099 per student, which is a significant amount, yet academic results are low. The most critical issue is mathematics, where only 4.2% of students are proficient, far below the district average of 13.7% and the state average of 27.1%. English Language Arts (ELA) performance is stronger but still below state averages, with 35% proficiency overall. However, 6th graders at the school actually outperformed the district average in ELA, with 42.2% proficiency compared to 40.3%. Science proficiency for 8th graders is 11.2%, and Algebra I proficiency is just 2.9%, indicating very few students are prepared for advanced math. The school's state ranking has improved slightly, moving from the 21st percentile to the 23rd percentile.
A standout positive is the school's chronic absenteeism rate of 11.9%, which is dramatically lower than the district average of 30.2%, showing strong student attendance. This suggests the core challenge is not getting students to school, but the effectiveness of instruction once they are there. The high per-student spending not yielding strong results raises questions about resource allocation. The bright spot in 6th-grade ELA could point to an effective program or teacher worth replicating across other subjects. The very low Algebra I proficiency is a major concern, as it is a gateway course for higher-level math, meaning students may enter high school without foundational skills needed for college and career readiness.
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