Summary:
Zip code 20895 in Kensington, Maryland, is served by two public elementary schools, Rock View Elementary and Kensington Parkwood Elementary, both part of the Montgomery County Public Schools district, and they represent a stark contrast in performance and resources within a small geographic area.
Kensington Parkwood Elementary is a standout, ranking 29th out of 864 elementary schools in Maryland (97th percentile) with a 5-star rating. Its students achieve dramatically higher proficiency rates—70.7% in Math, 81.6% in ELA, and 55.3% in Science—compared to both the district and state averages. The school also boasts a low chronic absenteeism rate of 10.4% and a relatively low free/reduced lunch rate of 12.15%. In contrast, Rock View Elementary ranks 476th (45th percentile) with a 2-star rating, and its proficiency rates are significantly lower: 32.1% in Math, 38.4% in ELA, and 25.0% in Science. Rock View faces greater challenges, with a chronic absenteeism rate of 21.3% and 50.17% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch.
Interestingly, Rock View Elementary spends $24,675 per student—$5,949 more than Kensington Parkwood Elementary—and has a lower student-teacher ratio of 11.1:1 compared to 14.9:1. This spending paradox suggests that higher investment at Rock View is directed toward supporting a higher-needs student population, but it has not yet closed the academic achievement gap. The data strongly indicates that socioeconomic factors and student engagement, as reflected in attendance rates, are the primary drivers of performance differences between these two schools in the same zip code.
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