Summary:
The four schools in Baltimore's 21205 zip code, all part of the Baltimore City Public Schools district, serve a combined 2,586 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade in a high-poverty area where free and reduced lunch rates range from 64% to 85%.
Armistead Gardens Elementary/Middle stands out as the strongest performer in the area, earning a 2-star rating and ranking in the 46th percentile statewide. It achieves 25.4% math proficiency and 44.7% ELA proficiency—nearly double the district averages—while maintaining the lowest chronic absenteeism rate at 32%. In contrast, Tench Tilghman Elementary/Middle shows a troubling decline, dropping from the 10th to the 2nd percentile over three years with just 2.9% math proficiency and the highest poverty rate at 84.6%. Elmer A. Henderson: A Johns Hopkins Partnership struggles despite having the lowest absenteeism (28.7%), achieving only 7.4% math proficiency. The area's only high school, National Academy Foundation, faces a severe crisis with a 40.9% dropout rate, 51.6% graduation rate, and 68.6% chronic absenteeism, ranking in the 9th percentile.
Key takeaways for parents: Spending per student ($22,781 to $25,006) does not predict success, as the highest-spending school has the worst outcomes. Chronic absenteeism strongly correlates with low performance, but isn't the only factor—Elmer A. Henderson has low absenteeism yet poor scores. A bright spot exists in 8th grade social studies, where Armistead Gardens exceeded the state average at 44.1% proficiency, suggesting specific instructional strengths that could be replicated across the zip code.
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