Summary:
Zip code 20816 in Bethesda, Maryland, is home to three high-performing public schools within the Montgomery County Public Schools district, serving 1,916 students across two elementary schools and one middle school, with no high schools in the immediate area.
Wood Acres Elementary is the standout school in the area, ranking 3rd out of 864 elementary schools in Maryland (top 1%) with exceptional academic results: 85.1% math proficiency and 88.7% English Language Arts proficiency. It also has the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (6.7%) and the lowest percentage of students receiving free/reduced lunch (7.22%) in the zip code. Westbrook Elementary is also a top-tier school, ranking 46th in the state (top 5%), with strong proficiency rates of 69.8% in math and 76.3% in ELA, though its state rank has slipped slightly from 18th the previous year. Westland Middle ranks 20th out of 339 middle schools in Maryland (top 6%) and excels in advanced math, with Algebra I proficiency at 76.7% and Geometry at 88.6%, far exceeding district and state averages.
A key takeaway is the powerful "feeder pattern" of excellence, where students from Wood Acres likely progress to Westland Middle, creating a continuous high-achieving academic environment from kindergarten through 8th grade. Interestingly, spending per student does not drive success here: Westland Middle has the highest spending ($19,555 per student) but the lowest proficiency rates in the zip code, while Wood Acres has the lowest spending ($17,540) and the highest scores. Chronic absenteeism rates perfectly mirror academic performance, with Wood Acres at 6.7%, Westbrook at 8.9%, and Westland at 13.8%—all well below the district average of 22.6%, highlighting this metric as a critical indicator of student engagement.
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