Schools in Zip Code 21774

The four public schools serving zip code 21774 (New Market, MD) are part of the highly-rated Frederick County Public Schools district and serve students from pre-kindergarten through 8th grade, with no high school located within the immediate area.

The elementary schools in this area are academic powerhouses. Blue Heron Elementary is the standout, ranking 26th in the state with a 5-star rating and the highest test scores, achieving 74% proficiency in Math and 82% in ELA. New Market Elementary is a consistent 5-star performer, ranking 65th in Maryland, with 64.6% Math and 73.8% ELA proficiency. Deer Crossing Elementary also performs well but has a notable dip in 4th-grade math. The transition to New Market Middle shows a significant drop in math proficiency to 36.1%, though it excels in advanced courses like Geometry. Overall, the elementary schools average 68.6% Math and 76.2% ELA proficiency, far exceeding district and state averages.

A key finding is that higher spending does not guarantee better results. Deer Crossing spends the most per student ($21,754) but does not have the top scores, while Blue Heron spends the least ($15,384) and achieves the highest performance. This suggests that factors like strong parental involvement and school culture are more critical. Chronic absenteeism is low at the elementary level (8.4%) but rises to the district average at the middle school (16.3%). The community is generally affluent, with an average free/reduced lunch rate of 16.4%, though this varies from 8.53% at Blue Heron to 19.79% at New Market Elementary.