Over one-third of Maryland public schools earned four or five stars – the top ratings – on this year’s school report cards released Wednesday morning.
Most schools earned the same star rating as they did in the 2021-2022 school year, Chandra Haislet, assistant state superintendent, said in a board meeting last week. But nearly 30% of schools lost stars over the past year.
No Maryland middle school earned 5 stars.
Schools statewide are struggling with chronic absenteeism – meaning students who are absent for 10% or more school days per year – and academic achievement on standardized tests.
Hainslet said there have been some improvements in both fields from last year, but neither have returned to pre-pandemic levels – especially test scores in science and math.
This year marks the fourth compilation of school report card data in Maryland since 2017, with no reports from 2019-2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pre-pandemic measurements for chronic absenteeism and academic growth returned this year after being adjusted for pandemic effects last year.
And, this year, the state added a middle school measure for social studies proficiency. Only 37% of eighth graders statewide earned proficiency on the assessment.
Interim State Superintendent Carey Wright called this year’s data “a new baseline” for Maryland schools, in a press release Wednesday.
Local data takeaways
School scores are based on 100 possible points earned in four categories: academic achievement, academic progress, progress in English Language proficiency, and school quality and student success – which includes absenteeism measures.
High schools are assessed in two additional categories – graduation rates and readiness for post-secondary success.
In Baltimore City and Baltimore County, statewide trends held true.
Three out of four city schools earned the lowest score on chronic absenteeism measures – meaning 40% or more of their students are absent at least one-tenth of the year. The same is true for nearly one-third of Baltimore County schools.
Over 60% of city schools had less than half of their English-learning students on track for proficiency – and over one-third of schools scored the same in the county.
Both districts fared worse than statewide proficiency on the new social studies measure.
Only one Baltimore City middle school, Roland Park Middle, out of 80 total had more than half of their students earn proficiency. Only three in the county earned the same.
Both districts had most high schools boast 50% or more of their ninth grade students as on-track for graduation. In the county, this was true for all high schools.
