Best Public Schools in Zip Code 21222

The 14 schools in the 21222 zip code (Dundalk, Maryland) are all part of the Baltimore County Public Schools district and serve a high-poverty community, with an average free/reduced lunch rate of approximately 70% and a mix of elementary, middle, and high schools.

The standout performer in the area is Charlesmont Elementary, which is the only school that consistently meets or exceeds district averages in both Math and English Language Arts (ELA), earning it the highest ranking in the zip code (57th percentile). Its success is likely driven by the lowest chronic absenteeism rate in the area at 16.3%, a stark contrast to the systemic attendance crisis affecting nearly every other school. On the other end of the spectrum, Dundalk High faces severe challenges with a 0-star rating, a 72.7% graduation rate, a 24.3% dropout rate, and critically low math proficiency of just 1.2%. Meanwhile, Patapsco High and Center for Arts significantly outperforms Dundalk High with an 83.6% graduation rate and better ELA proficiency, suggesting its magnet program may provide a more engaging curriculum. A notable anomaly is Dundalk Middle, which, despite a 1-star ranking and overall low math proficiency of 5.6%, achieved an astonishing 81.8% proficiency rate on the Algebra I End-of-Course exam, far exceeding district and state averages.

Key metrics reveal systemic struggles: average academic proficiency across all schools is 14.1% in Math and 27.4% in ELA, both well below state averages, while chronic absenteeism averages 34.5%, with rates ranging from 16.3% at Charlesmont Elementary to 64.4% at Battle Monument School. Per-student spending varies widely from $16,090 at Dundalk High to $32,452 at Battle Grove Elementary, but spending shows no correlation with performance, as Charlesmont Elementary achieves top results with moderate spending. The most pervasive issue is attendance, with every school except Charlesmont exceeding the district's already-high chronic absenteeism rate of 25.6%, making it the top priority for community-wide improvement.