Summary:
This analysis examines eight elementary schools serving grades PK through 5 in zip code 21740 (Hagerstown, MD), all part of the Washington County Public Schools district, which holds a 3-star rating and ranks 10th out of 25 districts in Maryland.
The standout top performer is Emma K. Doub Elementary, which ranks in the 80th percentile (4-star) and boasts the highest English Language Arts proficiency (66.1%) and second-highest Math proficiency (47.9%) in the area, all while operating with the lowest per-student spending ($15,749). The most improved school is Fountain Rock Elementary, which jumped from a 2-star to a 4-star rating in two years and now has the highest Math proficiency (49.3%). Rockland Woods Elementary is a consistent strong performer with the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (14.6%) and solid scores above state averages. In stark contrast, Bester Elementary faces significant challenges, ranking in the 16th percentile (1-star) with the lowest Math (13.6%) and ELA (25.3%) proficiency, the highest free/reduced lunch rate (84.69%), and the highest chronic absenteeism (44.3%). Other schools include Pangborn Elementary, Salem Avenue Elementary, Lincolnshire Elementary, and Jonathan Hager Elementary.
A key takeaway is that higher spending does not guarantee higher performance; the highest-spending schools (Bester at $22,906, Lincolnshire at $21,207) are among the lowest-performing, while the lowest-spending schools (Fountain Rock at $14,213, Emma K. Doub at $15,749) are top performers. There is also a strong link between attendance and achievement: the top three performers all have absenteeism rates at or below 24.5%, while the three lowest-performing schools all have rates above 29%. This data reveals a wide spectrum of performance and resources within a single zip code, with average Math proficiency at 30.2% and average ELA proficiency at 47.0% across the eight schools.
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