Summary:
This analysis examines seven elementary schools in the 21225 zip code, serving the Brooklyn and Curtis Bay neighborhoods of Baltimore, which are split between the Baltimore City Public Schools and Anne Arundel County Public Schools districts.
The most important finding is the stark divide between the two districts serving this same zip code. The three Anne Arundel County schools—Park Elementary, Brooklyn Park Elementary, and Belle Grove Elementary—consistently outperform their Baltimore City counterparts. Park Elementary is the top performer, with the highest state ranking (21st percentile) and leading proficiency rates in both Math (14.9%) and English Language Arts (30.2%). In contrast, the four Baltimore City schools—Maree Garnett Farring Elementary/Middle, Bay-Brook Elementary/Middle, Curtis Bay Elementary, and Arundel Elementary—struggle significantly, with Arundel Elementary being the most challenged, serving only grades PK-2 and having a chronic absenteeism rate of 60.6%.
Chronic absenteeism is the core issue, averaging 39.3% across all schools and showing a strong inverse correlation with academic performance. The two schools with the lowest absenteeism—Brooklyn Park Elementary (27.2%) and Park Elementary (28.7%)—are the only ones showing improvement in state rankings. Notably, higher spending does not guarantee better results: Baltimore City schools spend an average of $2,052 more per student than Anne Arundel County schools, yet produce lower outcomes. This data reveals that a child's educational destiny in this zip code is heavily influenced by which district boundary they live within, not their individual potential.
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