Summary:
This analysis examines four elementary schools in the 21114 zip code of Crofton, Maryland, all part of the Anne Arundel County Public Schools district, serving grades K-5 in a suburban community.
Crofton Woods Elementary is the clear standout, ranking in the top 12% of all Maryland elementary schools (88th percentile) with the highest proficiency rates in Math (54.5%), ELA (72.9%), and Science (66.7%). It also has the lowest percentage of students receiving free/reduced lunch (13.34%) and the lowest per-student spending ($14,877). Crofton Elementary is a strong second-place contender but shows a concerning three-year decline in state ranking (from 86th to 80th percentile), despite having the highest per-student spending ($16,324). Nantucket Elementary and Crofton Meadows Elementary round out the group, with Crofton Meadows having the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (8.0%) but also the lowest academic scores, particularly in 5th-grade Math where only 28.6% of students are proficient.
Key takeaways include a clear academic hierarchy from Crofton Woods down to Crofton Meadows, and an inverse correlation between spending and performance—the highest-spending school (Crofton Elementary) is declining, while the lowest-spending school (Crofton Woods) excels. All four schools have chronic absenteeism rates well below the district average of 19.9%, and 5th-grade Math is a universal weak point across the area, even at the top-performing schools.
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