Summary:
There are two public middle schools serving grades 6-8 in the 20910 zip code of Silver Spring/Takoma Park, Maryland, both part of the Montgomery County Public Schools district, which is ranked 8th in the state.
Takoma Park Middle is the standout school in this area, ranking 54th out of 339 Maryland middle schools (84th percentile) and significantly outperforming both district and state averages in every subject. Its math proficiency rate of 49.6% is more than double that of its neighbor, and its ELA proficiency of 71.1% is well above the district average of 58.5%. The school also excels in advanced coursework, with 68.8% of students proficient in Algebra I compared to just 29.9% at the other school. However, its state ranking has slipped slightly from 36th in the 2023-2024 school year. In contrast, Silver Spring International Middle is a solid, average-performing school ranked 126th (63rd percentile), generally performing at or below district averages but above state averages. Its math proficiency has remained flat at 19.6% for two consecutive years.
The most striking finding is the massive performance gap between these two schools despite identical per-student spending (around $18,200-$18,400). Silver Spring International has a higher chronic absenteeism rate (24.3% vs. 13.0%) and a higher percentage of students receiving free/reduced lunch (43.74% vs. 35.09%), factors that correlate with academic challenges. While Takoma Park Middle shows a slight decline in its state ranking worth monitoring, Silver Spring International's performance has been consistently flat, showing no signs of improvement or closing the gap with its higher-performing neighbor.
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