Summary:
The 11 schools in Frederick, MD's 21701 zip code, part of the Frederick County Public Schools district, serve students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade and include six elementary schools, two middle schools, and three high schools, with the district itself ranking in the top 20% of Maryland.
The standout school in the area is Frederick Classical Charter, a K-8 school that leads the zip code in both math (53.1% proficient) and English Language Arts (77.9% proficient) while also having the lowest chronic absenteeism rate at 8.9%. Among high schools, Linganore High is the top performer with outstanding ELA proficiency (76.1%) and a low free/reduced lunch rate of 16.7%, while Frederick High and Gov. Thomas Johnson High face significant challenges with chronic absenteeism rates above 26% and graduation rates below the district average. At the elementary level, Spring Ridge Elementary excels as a 4-star school with strong math scores (46.2% proficient), while Lincoln Elementary struggles despite having the highest per-student spending ($21,708) and smallest class sizes (12.4:1), ranking in the 48th percentile with the lowest test scores in the zip code.
A key takeaway is that higher spending does not guarantee better outcomes, as Liberty Elementary achieves 4-star status with similar spending to Lincoln Elementary. The data also reveals a stark divide between high schools, with Linganore High performing well while the other two high schools struggle with poverty and absenteeism. Additionally, Algebra I proficiency rates are dramatically higher when taken in middle school (56.9% to 77.3% proficient) compared to high school (5.5% to 24.2%), suggesting that advanced students are well-prepared earlier while high school students taking the exam face greater difficulty.
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