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Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 21502

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At a glance

Schools

2,298

Students

Top rankedNortheast Elementary122^nd of 864 Maryland elementary schools

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Biggest riser

South Penn Elementary up 50 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

South Penn Elementary 10.3 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

4★

3★

2★

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Summary:

This analysis examines eight elementary schools in zip code 21502 (Cumberland and Lavale, MD), serving grades PK-5 within the Allegany County Public Schools district, revealing a wide range of academic performance and socioeconomic conditions.

Northeast Elementary is the standout top performer, ranking in the 86th percentile statewide with the highest proficiency rates in both Mathematics (61.6%) and English Language Arts (73.2%), despite having the lowest per-student spending ($16,123) and the highest student-teacher ratio (14.3:1). Parkside Elementary also performs well, showing consistency with the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (19.5%) and the second-lowest free/reduced lunch rate (50.45%). In contrast, South Penn Elementary and John Humbird Elementary face significant challenges, ranking in the 34th and 46th percentiles respectively, with alarmingly high chronic absenteeism rates (43.9% and 38.2%) and very high free/reduced lunch rates (79.63% and 85.12%). Cash Valley Elementary is a high-performing school overall (74th percentile) but shows inconsistent grade-level performance, with 5th graders excelling while 3rd graders lag behind in ELA.

A key takeaway is that spending does not equal performance: Northeast Elementary achieves top results with the lowest spending, while South Penn Elementary has the second-highest spending ($23,297) and the lowest student-teacher ratio (10.3:1) but the lowest academic performance. There is a strong correlation between poverty, attendance, and performance, as schools with lower free/reduced lunch rates like Bel Air Elementary (48.15%) and Parkside Elementary (50.45%) have the lowest chronic absenteeism and highest rankings. Additionally, South Penn Elementary shows a significant "5th grade slump" in math, with only 7.3% of 5th graders proficient compared to 43.4% of 3rd graders, indicating a critical instructional breakdown.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MCAP Mathematics (2026)				MCAP English Language Arts (2026)				MCAP Science (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCAP Mathematics 3rd Grade	MCAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MCAP Mathematics All Grades	MCAP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts All Grades	MCAP Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Bel Air Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	14401 Barton Blvd	Cumberland	21502	Allegany County	Allegany County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 729-2992	216	17	12.7	48.1%	200 (92.6%)	2 (0.9%)	1 (0.5%)	4 (1.9%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.7%)	60	328^th of 864 public elementary schools	62.0%		60.9	326^th of 865 public elementary schools	62.3%	2	44.4	37.5	32.5	37.4	51.9	50.0	52.5	51.5	37.5	$18,765	$1,437	$17,328
Cresaptown Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	13202 6th Ave	Cresaptown	21502	Allegany County	Allegany County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 729-0212	268	22	12.1	57.8%	235 (87.7%)	9 (3.4%)	5 (1.9%)	4 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	14 (5.2%)	67	275^th of 864 public elementary schools	68.2%		66.4	283^rd of 865 public elementary schools	67.3%	8	70.0	39.1	29.4	44.5	66.7	47.8	55.9	55.5	40.0	$18,903	$1,983	$16,919
John Humbird Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	120 Mary St	Cumberland	21502	Allegany County	Allegany County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 724-8842	242	21	11.5	85.1%	174 (71.9%)	31 (12.8%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (14.5%)	41.6	470^th of 864 public elementary schools	45.6%		43.5	461^st of 865 public elementary schools	46.7%	9	31.3	19.2	30.8	28.3	47.9	30.8	51.3	45.1	22.5	$22,835	$3,547	$19,288
Northeast Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	11001 Forest Ave Ne	Cumberland	21502	Allegany County	Allegany County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 724-3285	272	19	14.3	57.7%	223 (82.0%)	12 (4.4%)	5 (1.8%)	4 (1.5%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (9.9%)	86.9	122^nd of 864 public elementary schools	85.9%		85.1	135^th of 865 public elementary schools	84.4%	13	65.1	67.3	51.2	61.6	79.1	75.0	65.1	73.2	38.6	$16,123	$1,270	$14,852
Parkside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	50 Parkside Blvd	Lavale	21502	Allegany County	Allegany County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 729-0085	222	17	13.0	50.5%	176 (79.3%)	10 (4.5%)	6 (2.7%)	5 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (11.3%)	72.7	247^th of 864 public elementary schools	71.4%		86.3	120^th of 865 public elementary schools	86.1%	127	36.0	46.9	44.7	43.2	52.0	75.0	57.9	62.1	44.7	$19,913	$2,950	$16,963
West Side Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	425 Paca St	Cumberland	21502	Allegany County	Allegany County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 724-0340	321	27	11.7	72.6%	229 (71.3%)	29 (9.0%)	14 (4.4%)	3 (0.9%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (13.7%)	38.8	491^st of 864 public elementary schools	43.2%		46.1	443^rd of 865 public elementary schools	48.8%	48	26.7	31.3	22.2	26.5	42.2	45.8	36.4	41.2	25.9	$21,225	$3,660	$17,565
Cash Valley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	10601 Cash Valley Rd Nw	Lavale	21502	Allegany County	Allegany County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 724-6632	266	24	11.0	62.4%	222 (83.5%)	15 (5.6%)	12 (4.5%)	2 (0.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.3%)	74.6	226^th of 864 public elementary schools	73.8%		72.7	233^rd of 865 public elementary schools	73.1%	7	52.6	52.6	65.8	57.0	44.7	68.4	68.4	60.5	33.3	$25,419	$3,969	$21,450
South Penn Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	500 E 2nd St	Cumberland	21502	Allegany County	Allegany County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(301) 777-1755	491	48	10.3	79.6%	346 (70.5%)	48 (9.8%)	13 (2.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	82 (16.7%)	31.1	566^th of 864 public elementary schools	34.5%		24.7	616^th of 865 public elementary schools	28.8%	50	43.4	32.3	7.3	29.6	36.8	36.9	23.6	33.2	9.1	$23,297	$3,802	$19,495

Cities Near Zip Code 21502

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Cresaptown	0.52 mi	2	102^nd
Cumberland	1.62 mi	9	158^th
Lavale	3.28 mi	2	64^th
Frostburg	5.6 mi	4	112^th
Lonaconing	7.01 mi	2	174^th

See the top MD Maryland cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Maryland State Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.