Summary:
This analysis examines nine elementary schools in the 21206 zip code of Baltimore, Maryland, serving grades from Pre-K through 8th grade across two districts: Baltimore City Public Schools and Baltimore County Public Schools.
The standout school in this area is City Neighbors Charter School, which ranks in the top half of Maryland elementary schools (42nd percentile) and leads the zip code with a 50.3% English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency rate, nearly matching the state average. It also has the lowest rate of economic disadvantage at 54.11%. In contrast, Furley Elementary shows strong improvement, jumping from the 12th to the 26th percentile in state ranking, with 5th-grade ELA proficiency nearly doubling to 43.1%. McCormick Elementary stands out for having the lowest chronic absenteeism rate in the entire data set at just 7.6%, while Glenmount Elementary/Middle also performs well with a 16.3% absenteeism rate. The two Baltimore County Public Schools (Elmwood and McCormick) consistently outperform their Baltimore City counterparts in attendance, with an average absenteeism rate of 13.5% compared to 31.5% for city schools.
Key metrics reveal significant challenges. Math proficiency across all schools averages just 12.2%, far below the state average of 27.1%, with McCormick Elementary leading at 15.4%. Chronic absenteeism is a defining issue, averaging 27.5% across the zip code, with Furley Elementary at a high of 46.6%. Per-student spending varies widely, from $20,446 at Elmwood Elementary to $28,869 at Moravia Park Elementary, yet higher spending does not correlate with better outcomes. For example, Moravia Park Elementary spends the most but has the second-lowest ELA proficiency (24.9%) and high absenteeism (36.8%). The data strongly suggests that improving attendance is the most impactful intervention for these schools, as those with lower absenteeism, like McCormick and Glenmount, show relatively stronger academic performance.
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