Summary:
There are four elementary schools in the 20774 zip code of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, serving grades PK through 5 (with one school extending to 8th grade), all part of the Prince George's County Public Schools district, which faces significant academic challenges compared to state averages.
Imagine Foundations at Leeland PCS stands out as the top performer, with the highest state ranking (40th percentile), the only 2-star rating in the area, and a remarkably low chronic absenteeism rate of just 6.2%—far below the district average of 30.2%. Its overall English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency of 46.7% and math proficiency of 22% both exceed district averages. Perrywood Elementary shows the most improvement, with a three-year upward trend in state ranking and strong 4th-grade ELA scores (51.5%) that beat both district and state averages. In contrast, Kettering Elementary faces the greatest challenges, with the lowest state ranking (22nd percentile), a 1-star rating, critically low math proficiency (9.9% overall, 4.7% in 5th grade), and a chronic absenteeism rate of 42.8%.
A key takeaway is that spending does not guarantee success: Ardmore Elementary has the highest per-student spending ($22,839) and the lowest student-teacher ratio (11.6:1), yet ranks third in the zip code, while Perrywood has the lowest spending ($16,780) and highest ratio (16.1:1) but shows strong improvement. Chronic absenteeism emerges as the most powerful predictor of performance—Imagine Foundations' low absenteeism correlates with top results, while Kettering's high absenteeism aligns with poor outcomes. Even among schools with similar high poverty rates (~92%), Ardmore outperforms Kettering in every academic metric, likely due to its significantly better attendance (16.7% vs. 42.8% chronic absenteeism).
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