Summary:
In zip code 21903, there is one middle school, Perryville Middle, serving grades 6 through 8 with 512 students in Perryville, Maryland, part of the Cecil County Public Schools district.
Perryville Middle stands out for its exceptional performance in advanced math, with 43.5% of students proficient in Algebra I—more than double the district and state averages. However, in core subjects, the school outperforms its district but falls slightly below Maryland state averages: 26.8% proficient in math (district: 20.5%, state: 27.1%), 49.5% in English Language Arts (district: 46.9%, state: 51.7%), and 30.1% in 8th-grade science (district: 27.6%, state: 30.9%). The school has shown consistent improvement in its state ranking over three years, rising from the 53rd to the 64th percentile. A key challenge is chronic absenteeism, affecting 24.1% of students, which is higher than the district average of 21.9% and may be holding back overall performance. The school serves a diverse population, with 46.48% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch, and maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio of 13:1 with per-student spending of $17,329.
The most notable takeaway is the "Algebra I anomaly," where a select group of advanced students achieves exceptional results, suggesting a strong program that could be replicated in other math courses. While the school is a relative bright spot within a lower-performing district, reducing chronic absenteeism could be a high-leverage strategy to push test scores above state averages. The positive ranking trajectory indicates that recent initiatives are having an impact, making Perryville Middle a school with clear strengths and targeted areas for growth.
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