Summary:
Zip code 21811, encompassing Berlin, MD, is home to a single high school, Stephen Decatur High, which serves grades 9 through 12 with a total enrollment of 1,462 students. This school is part of the top-ranked Worcester County Public Schools district, which holds a 5-star rating and is ranked #1 out of 25 districts in Maryland. The school itself has shown a strong upward trajectory in its state ranking, moving from the 51st percentile (3 stars) in 2023-2024 to the 82nd percentile (4 stars) in 2025-2026, now placing 41st out of 227 high schools statewide.
Stephen Decatur High demonstrates a notable academic split between subjects. It excels in English Language Arts (ELA), with 71.7% of students proficient, significantly outperforming the state average of 51.7% and even exceeding its district's average of 69.9%. However, math proficiency stands at just 28.5%, which is only slightly above the state average of 27.1% and far below the district's 48.8% average. This gap suggests a clear area for improvement, especially given the district's overall high performance. The school also boasts a strong graduation rate of 94.8%, though its chronic absenteeism rate of 18.0% is a concern, indicating that nearly one in five students miss significant school days.
With a student-teacher ratio of 17.4:1 and per-student spending of $19,242, the school serves a moderately high-poverty population, as 44.05% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Despite this challenge, the school achieves above-average ELA scores and a high graduation rate, pointing to effective support systems. The dropout rate is a low 3.6%. Overall, Stephen Decatur High is a school with clear strengths in literacy and graduation outcomes, but it faces a significant challenge in boosting math achievement to match its district's high standards.
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