Arundel Middle, Odenton MD - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Arundel Middle

Arundel Middle, a regular public school in Odenton, Maryland, serves grades six through eight as part of the Anne Arundel County Public Schools system. The school sits in the western part of the county, a corridor that has seen enough residential growth that the district recently opened a new comprehensive middle and high school, Severn Run High School, to redraw attendance boundaries and add capacity. Families moving into the area or already living in Odenton’s attendance zone should know that this is a large middle school, typical for a suburban county system, with an enrollment that places it among the bigger schools in its grade band.

The student body is diverse. White students form the largest single group, but Black students make up a substantial share, followed by Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students, with small numbers of Native American and Pacific Islander students. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that is moderate for a Maryland middle school. The school does not report data on students with disabilities or English learners in the available records, so a parent who needs information on those services would want to ask the school directly.

On state assessments, Arundel Middle shows a clear split between subjects. In English language arts, across all three grades, roughly two-thirds of students score at or above the proficient level on the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP). That is a notably strong result, consistent across sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. In math, the picture is softer. Sixth-grade proficiency is about a third, seventh grade rises slightly, but eighth grade drops to about a fifth of students meeting the bar. That decline in grade eight is not unusual nationally—many middle schools see a dip as algebra-readiness expectations ramp up—but it is sharp enough that a family whose child struggles with math would want to look into what supports the school offers. Science and social studies are tested only in eighth grade; here, proficiency runs around two-fifths for science and closer to three-fifths for social studies, placing them in a middle range.

Because this is a middle school, there is no graduation rate to examine. Chronic absenteeism data is also absent from the public record, which is a gap a parent might wish to check with the school or district, as attendance patterns can affect the school environment. The available test data covers only one year, so there is no trend to gauge whether performance is improving or declining.

The housing market in the Odenton area is expensive by both state and national standards. Home values and rents both sit above the Maryland median, and the monthly cost to own with a conventional mortgage exceeds the typical rent, making affordability a real consideration for families. The economic context—moderate unemployment and a median household income that has held steady in recent years—suggests a relatively stable but high-cost community.

Comparisons to other middle schools in Anne Arundel County are not available from the data, because the county operates as a single school district, limiting the peer set. The district itself is large and has been investing in new facilities to keep pace with growth, which signals that Arundel Middle’s attendance boundaries may shift over time.

Overall, Arundel Middle offers a solid literacy program for its students, with English outcomes that are a clear strength. Math performance, particularly in eighth grade, is a softer spot that prospective families may want to explore further with the school’s administration. The school is large and diverse, set in a pricey suburban community that continues to expand. For a family prioritizing strong reading and writing results and comfortable with a big school environment, this is a plausible fit.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 634%

School 34% · district not reported

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 738%

School 38% · district not reported

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 819%

School 19% · district not reported

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 668%

School 68% · district not reported

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 768%

School 68% · district not reported

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 866%

School 66% · district not reported

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Science

Grade 846%

School 46% · district not reported

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 862%

School 62% · District 47% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

This schoolAnne Arundel County Public Schools, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income38%Higher-income71%32 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income26%Higher-income42%16 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income25%Higher-income46%21 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income8%Higher-income29%20 pp gap