Summary:
The 21286 zip code in Towson, Maryland, is served by five public schools within the Baltimore County Public Schools district, which ranks 18th out of 25 districts in the state, and includes two high schools, one middle school, and two elementary schools that reveal a stark divide in educational outcomes.
The area is defined by two distinct clusters of schools. Cromwell Valley Elementary Regional Magnet is the standout performer, ranking in the top 12% of Maryland elementary schools with exceptional math (58.7%) and English Language Arts (75%) proficiency rates, along with the lowest chronic absenteeism rate in the area at 9.5%. Towson High is the top secondary school, earning a 4-star rating and a 74th percentile rank, with a strong 73.1% ELA proficiency and a 94.1% graduation rate. In contrast, Loch Raven High, Loch Raven Technical Academy, and Pleasant Plains Elementary all rank in the bottom 20-28% of their school types, struggling with extremely low academic proficiency and chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 36.3% to 47.5%.
A critical takeaway is that spending per student does not predict success—Pleasant Plains Elementary spends the most at $20,133 per student yet has some of the lowest test scores, while Towson High spends the least at $15,278 and achieves excellent outcomes. Additionally, even the high-performing schools show a significant math gap, with Towson High at only 21.1% math proficiency versus 73.1% in ELA. The three struggling schools also face high poverty rates, with an average of 63.2% of students receiving free/reduced lunch, compared to 29.2% at the two high-performing schools, highlighting a localized disparity in educational opportunity within this single zip code.
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