Summary:
Zip code 21655, serving the town of Preston, Maryland, is home to a single school, Preston Elementary School, which serves grades PK-5 within the Caroline County Public Schools district.
Preston Elementary School is a standout academic performer, particularly in mathematics, where its overall proficiency rate of 45.8% is nearly double the district average of 23.7% and significantly higher than the state average of 27.1%. This is especially noteworthy given that 60.1% of its 381 students qualify for free or reduced lunch, a common indicator of economic disadvantage. The school also excels in 5th-grade science, with 42.6% of students proficient, outperforming the district by 17.3 percentage points and the state by 10.2 points. Its English Language Arts performance is consistently strong across grades 3 through 5, hovering around the state average, and its chronic absenteeism rate of 21.4% is notably lower than the district's 28.0% rate, suggesting effective student engagement strategies.
One interesting internal trend is a sharp decline in math proficiency between 4th grade (49.3%) and 5th grade (27.7%), which, while still above the district average, falls below the state average and warrants a closer look at the 5th-grade math curriculum. Overall, the school's state ranking has been steadily improving over the last three years, moving from the 63rd percentile to the 68th percentile. With a student-teacher ratio of 13.6:1 and a spending per student of $20,066, Preston Elementary School demonstrates that a high-poverty school can achieve strong academic results, particularly in STEM subjects, making it a compelling choice for families in the area.
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