Summary:
Zip code 21635, encompassing the town of Galena, Maryland, is home to a single elementary school, Galena Elementary School, which serves 309 students from Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade as part of the Kent County Public Schools district.
Galena Elementary School presents a mixed picture of challenges and positive trends. While the school benefits from a low student-teacher ratio of 11.7 and a high per-student spending of $22,401—well above national averages—its academic proficiency scores lag behind state benchmarks. In the 2025-2026 school year, only 15.7% of students were proficient in mathematics and 36.3% in English Language Arts, compared to state averages of 27.1% and 51.7%, respectively. However, the school's state ranking has shown a steady upward trajectory, improving from the 23rd percentile in 2023-2024 to the 30th percentile in 2025-2026. A notable bright spot is the school's chronic absenteeism rate of 23.1%, which is significantly lower than the district average of 33.1%, indicating stronger student engagement.
Several key findings stand out for parents. First, there is a dramatic "5th grade cliff" in mathematics, where proficiency plummets from 21.7% in 4th grade to just 5.4% in 5th grade, suggesting a critical need for targeted support in upper elementary math. Conversely, 5th-grade science saw a remarkable turnaround, more than doubling from 10.5% to 25% proficiency in one year, pointing to an effective instructional change. English Language Arts is a relative strength, with 4th graders achieving 44.4% proficiency, close to the state average. Overall, Galena Elementary outperforms its district in math and attendance, but the district itself ranks 19th out of 25 in Maryland, highlighting systemic challenges that the school is working to overcome.
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