Summary:
Zip code 21830 in Hebron, Maryland, is home to a single elementary school, Westside Intermediate, which serves grades 2 through 5 with 342 students and is part of the Wicomico County Public Schools district.
Westside Intermediate stands out as a strong academic performer within its district, particularly in mathematics. For the 2025-2026 school year, the school's math proficiency rate of 41.5% significantly outpaced the district average of 24.9% and the state average of 27.1%. However, English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency tells a different story: while the school's 42.9% rate is slightly above the district's 41.5%, it falls well below the state average of 51.7%. The school also boasts a remarkably low chronic absenteeism rate of 12.0%, compared to the district's 22.4%, indicating strong student engagement. With a student-teacher ratio of 13.6 and per-student spending of $19,978, the school is well-resourced, yet its state ranking sits at the 52nd percentile (411th out of 864 schools), earning a 3-star rating.
A critical finding is a dramatic performance drop between 4th and 5th grade. In math, 4th graders achieved a 51.1% proficiency rate, but 5th graders plummeted to just 25.3%. Similarly, ELA scores fell from 49.5% in 4th grade to 25.3% in 5th grade. This "5th grade cliff" is not seen in district or state averages, suggesting a potential issue with curriculum or instruction at that level. Additionally, while the school excels in math relative to the state, its ELA deficit indicates a need for targeted improvement. The high per-student spending has not yet translated into top-tier overall performance, raising questions about resource allocation, particularly for addressing the 5th-grade decline and ELA gaps.
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