Summary:
Zip code 21040 in Edgewood, MD, is home to two elementary schools, Deerfield Elementary and Edgewood Elementary, both serving grades PK-5 within the Harford County Public Schools district, which holds a 3-star state rating.
Edgewood Elementary stands out as the stronger school in the area, consistently earning a 2-star state rating compared to Deerfield Elementary’s 1-star rating. Edgewood outperforms Deerfield in nearly every academic metric, including overall Math proficiency (19.5% vs. 14.2%), English Language Arts proficiency (37.2% vs. 34.9%), and Science proficiency (17.7% vs. 14.8%). Edgewood also has a lower chronic absenteeism rate (21.5% vs. 24.0%) and a slightly lower student-teacher ratio (11.6:1 vs. 12.7:1), despite serving a similar high-poverty population (over 72% free/reduced lunch at both schools). Notably, Edgewood spends significantly more per student ($22,106) than Deerfield ($18,567), which may contribute to its marginally better outcomes.
Both schools face significant challenges compared to district and state averages. For example, Math proficiency at both schools is roughly 10 percentage points below the district average of 28.4%, and English Language Arts proficiency is about 25 points lower than the district’s 61.1%. Chronic absenteeism is a critical issue, with both schools exceeding the district average of 18.5%. Additionally, Math proficiency drops sharply from 3rd to 5th grade at both schools—for instance, at Edgewood, it falls from 40.6% to 15.9%—suggesting a systemic issue with upper-grade math instruction. While resources are allocated, they have not yet closed the achievement gap with the broader district.
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