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Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 20905

At a glance

Schools

2,032

Students

Top rankedDr. Charles R. Drew Elementary212^th of 865 Maryland elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Fairland Elementary up 126 spots statewide this year

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Summary:

This analysis examines four elementary schools in zip code 20905 (Silver Spring, MD), all part of the Montgomery County Public Schools district, serving grades PK-5 with enrollments ranging from 429 to 565 students.

Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary stands out as the top academic performer, achieving the highest English Language Arts (64%) and Science (45.7%) proficiency, while tying with Stonegate Elementary for the highest Math proficiency (49.4%). This is particularly notable because Dr. Drew also has the highest percentage of students receiving free/reduced lunch (61.86%), demonstrating that socioeconomic factors do not determine academic success. Cloverly Elementary performs well across all subjects, with strong Math (47.5%) and Science (45.3%) scores. In contrast, Fairland Elementary struggles significantly, with the lowest Math (39.9%) and ELA (50.6%) proficiency, and an alarmingly low 5th-grade Science score of just 15.9%.

A key finding is the "spending paradox": Fairland spends the most per student ($24,792) and has the lowest student-to-teacher ratio (10.7:1), yet achieves the worst results, while Stonegate spends the least ($19,294) and performs competitively. Chronic absenteeism is a major red flag at Fairland (29.1%), nearly double the district average (22.6%) and far above Stonegate's low rate of 15.0%. This suggests that addressing attendance is the most critical lever for improvement at Fairland. Overall, Dr. Drew and Stonegate are the strongest choices in this zip code, offering high performance and efficient resource use, while Fairland requires significant intervention despite high investment.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MCAP Mathematics (2026)				MCAP English Language Arts (2026)				MCAP Science (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCAP Mathematics 3rd Grade	MCAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MCAP Mathematics All Grades	MCAP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts All Grades	MCAP Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Fairland Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	14315 Fairdale Rd	Silver Spring	20905	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(240) 740-0640	553	51	10.7	58.6%	27 (4.9%)	322 (58.2%)	151 (27.3%)	29 (5.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (4.0%)	53.6	380^th of 865 public elementary schools	56.1%		36	506^th of 865 public elementary schools	41.5%	126	59.0	37.9	24.1	39.9	63.2	52.9	36.6	50.6	15.9	$24,792	$2,797	$21,995
Stonegate Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	14811 Notley Road	Silver Spring	20905	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-7340	565	40	14.0	34.5%	105 (18.6%)	200 (35.4%)	144 (25.5%)	71 (12.6%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	41 (7.3%)	71	254^th of 865 public elementary schools	70.6%		67.2	277^th of 865 public elementary schools	68.0%	23	56.9	47.8	45.3	49.4	59.7	48.4	54.7	53.9	40.4	$19,294	$1,038	$18,256
Cloverly Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	800 Briggs Chaney Rd	Silver Spring	20905	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-4660	429	37	11.5	37.5%	105 (24.5%)	108 (25.2%)	146 (34.0%)	46 (10.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (5.4%)	73.3	242^nd of 865 public elementary schools	72.0%		60.2	332^nd of 865 public elementary schools	61.6%	90	56.9	40.6	45.3	47.5	58.7	53.1	60.0	57.4	45.3	$23,717	$1,440	$22,277
Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1200 Swingingdale Dr	Silver Spring	20905	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(240) 740-5670	485	41	11.9	61.9%	37 (7.6%)	226 (46.6%)	155 (32.0%)	50 (10.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.5%)	76.7	212^th of 865 public elementary schools	75.5%		83.5	147^th of 865 public elementary schools	83.0%	65	36.2	58.6	48.9	49.4	41.4	70.1	72.3	64.0	45.7	$22,625	$1,216	$21,409

Cities Near Zip Code 20905

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Silver Spring	0.44 mi	55	167^th
Burtonsville	2.33 mi	3	190^th
Sandy Spring	3.53 mi	2	46^th
Olney	3.64 mi	5	65^th
Beltsville	4.41 mi	7	218^th

See the top MD Maryland cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Maryland State Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.