Summary:
Zip code 21791, serving the Union Bridge area, is home to a single high school, Francis Scott Key High, which serves grades 9 through 12 with an enrollment of 906 students and is part of the highly-rated Carroll County Public Schools district.
Francis Scott Key High presents a complex academic profile. Its standout strength is English Language Arts (ELA), where 67% of students are proficient—matching the district average and significantly exceeding the state average of 51.7%. However, the school faces a critical challenge in mathematics, with only 15.5% of students proficient compared to the district's 41.9% and the state's 27.1%. This extreme 51.5 percentage point gap between ELA and math proficiency is a major concern. The school's state ranking has improved from the 58th percentile to the 72nd percentile over two years, suggesting overall growth, but this masks the deep math deficiency. The school spends $17,520 per student, yet this investment is not translating into math success, raising questions about resource allocation.
A significant red flag is the chronic absenteeism rate of 31.2%, which is 60% higher than the district average of 19.5% and likely contributes to the math struggles and a higher dropout rate (5.5% vs. 3.2% district). The graduation rate is a solid 93.2%, though slightly below the district's 94.6%. With 41.28% of students receiving free or reduced lunch, the school serves a moderately economically disadvantaged population. The primary takeaway for parents is that Francis Scott Key High excels in literacy but has a systemic math problem that is likely worsened by high student disengagement. Addressing the root causes of both the math performance and absenteeism will be key to the school's future success.
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