Summary:
Zip code 21029 in Clarksville, Maryland, is home to two exceptional elementary schools—Pointers Run Elementary and Clarksville Elementary—both serving grades K-5 within the highly regarded Howard County Public Schools district, which ranks in the 84th percentile statewide.
Pointers Run Elementary is the standout school in this area, ranking in the 98th percentile statewide (15th out of 864 Maryland elementary schools) for the 2025-2026 school year. It achieves exceptional test scores, with 80.3% proficiency in Math and 80.5% in English Language Arts—roughly double the state averages. Clarksville Elementary is also a top performer, ranking in the 93rd percentile (64th in the state), with 71.3% Math proficiency and 71.8% ELA proficiency. While both schools earn 5-star ratings, Pointers Run consistently outperforms Clarksville by 8-10 percentage points across core subjects. Notably, Pointers Run achieves these results with lower spending per student ($17,726 vs. $18,787 at Clarksville) and a lower chronic absenteeism rate (8.0% vs. 15.6%). The student-teacher ratios are similar, with Pointers Run at 14.1 and Clarksville at 13.6.
A key takeaway is that spending does not directly correlate with outcomes—Clarksville spends more per pupil yet has lower test scores and higher absenteeism. The chronic absenteeism gap is particularly striking, as Clarksville’s rate is nearly double that of Pointers Run, which strongly aligns with the performance difference. Science proficiency shows the widest relative gap, with Pointers Run at 70.7% versus Clarksville’s 62.9%, both far exceeding the state average of 32.4%. Overall, while both schools are elite and in the top 10% of Maryland, Pointers Run operates in a different tier as a top-20 school, making it the premier choice for families prioritizing academic excellence in this affluent area.
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