Best Public Schools in Zip Code 21239

The three public elementary schools in Baltimore's 21239 zip code—Leith Walk Elementary/Middle, Northwood Elementary, and Yorkwood Elementary—serve a predominantly low-income community within the Baltimore City Public Schools district, which ranks in the 4th percentile statewide. All three schools have high free/reduced lunch rates (76% to 82%), but they show very different academic outcomes, making school choice critical for families in this area.

Northwood Elementary is the clear standout, consistently outperforming both its local peers and the district average in Math and English Language Arts (ELA). In the 2025-2026 school year, Northwood achieved a 20.1% Math proficiency rate (compared to the district's 13.3%) and a 35.2% ELA proficiency rate (compared to the district's 32.9%). It is the only school in the zip code with a 2-star rating and the highest state ranking (29th percentile). In contrast, Leith Walk Elementary/Middle is the largest school (910 students, grades PK-8) but the lowest-performing, with a 1-star rating and a 10th percentile state ranking. Its Math proficiency is just 5.4%, and 8th-grade Science proficiency is only 1.7%. Yorkwood Elementary, the smallest school (294 students), shows mixed results: it struggles in 4th-grade Math (5.5% proficient) but excels in 5th-grade ELA (38.5% proficient, the highest single-grade ELA score in the zip code).

A key finding is the "spending vs. performance" paradox: Yorkwood Elementary has the highest spending per student ($25,164) and the highest chronic absenteeism rate (54.2%), yet does not have the top test scores. Meanwhile, Northwood Elementary spends less ($23,063) and has a higher student-teacher ratio (17:1) but achieves the best results. Chronic absenteeism is a major issue, but not an absolute barrier: Leith Walk has the lowest absenteeism (30.2%) yet the lowest test scores, suggesting deeper instructional challenges. Grade-level performance is also uneven, with sharp drops in Math proficiency at Leith Walk (from 14.1% in 3rd grade to 2.5% in 8th grade) and Yorkwood (from 23.1% in 3rd grade to 5.5% in 4th grade), while Northwood maintains consistent proficiency across grades 3-5.