Schools in Zip Code 21671

Zip code 21671 is home to a single school, Tilghman Elementary, a small, rural Pre-K through 5th grade school in Tilghman, Maryland, serving 99 students as part of the Talbot County Public Schools district.

Tilghman Elementary presents a complex picture for parents. On one hand, the school benefits from significant resources, including a very low student-to-teacher ratio of 10.5:1 and a high per-student spending of $23,455. However, these investments have not yet translated into top-tier academic results. Overall proficiency in Math (19.4%) and English Language Arts (44.4%) for the 2025-2026 school year fell below both the district and state averages. A notable bright spot is 3rd-grade ELA, where students matched the state average at 50% proficiency, outperforming the district. In contrast, Math is a consistent weakness across all grades, and 4th-grade ELA proficiency (33.3%) lagged significantly behind the state (48.6%). The school's state ranking has also been volatile, swinging from the 54th percentile to the 24th and back to the 38th percentile over three years, a pattern common in very small schools where a single classroom's performance can heavily influence overall results.

The most critical challenge facing the school is a chronic absenteeism rate of 29.8%, meaning nearly one in three students misses too much school. This rate is significantly higher than the district average of 25.2% and is likely a primary driver of the academic struggles. Additionally, a majority of students (58.59%) qualify for free or reduced lunch, indicating a high level of economic need. For parents, the key takeaway is that while Tilghman Elementary is well-funded and has small class sizes, it faces substantial hurdles related to attendance and poverty that impact its overall academic performance, making it a school with both strong potential and significant challenges.