Summary:
The five public schools in the 21236 zip code, serving the Perry Hall and Fullerton areas of Baltimore County, include one high school, one middle school, and three elementary schools, all part of the Baltimore County Public Schools district, which faces significant challenges relative to other districts in Maryland.
There is a stark contrast in performance across these schools. Perry Hall Elementary is the standout academic performer, ranking in the 81st percentile among Maryland elementary schools and dramatically outperforming its peers in both math (54.1% proficient) and English Language Arts (68.3% proficient). This is especially notable given that nearly half its students are economically disadvantaged. In comparison, Fullerton Elementary, despite having a similar economic disadvantage rate and higher per-student spending ($19,649), has the lowest academic performance in the zip code, with math proficiency at just 32% and ELA at 44.7%. Gunpowder Elementary falls in the middle, with math proficiency at 34.9% and ELA at 52.5%. Perry Hall Middle posts strong ELA scores (64.3% proficient) but only moderate math scores (27%). However, a dramatic "cliff" occurs at Perry Hall High, where math proficiency collapses to just 6.5%, far below the district average of 21.9%.
Chronic absenteeism is a major crisis at the high school level, with Perry Hall High reporting a rate of 36.2%, which is 10.6 percentage points higher than the district average. This contrasts sharply with the elementary schools, where rates are low (14.5% to 17.4%). Despite these struggles, the high school maintains a graduation rate of 88.6%, above the district's 84.3%. The data clearly shows that school-specific factors, not just demographics or spending, drive success, making Perry Hall Elementary a prime model for improvement, while Perry Hall High requires urgent intervention to address its math and attendance challenges.
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