The top reported proficiency rate is 74% in English language arts. The lowest is 50% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Belvedere Elementary
Belvedere Elementary is a regular public school in Arnold, Maryland, serving prekindergarten through fifth grade. It is part of the Anne Arundel County Public Schools district. The school sits on the Broadneck Peninsula in a residential, suburban setting. Arnold is a census-designated place without a traditional downtown; its civic life is organized around separated campuses and corridors, and the school itself is one of several elementaries serving different neighborhoods within the CDP.
The student body is predominantly white, with a smaller share of Hispanic students and even smaller shares of students who are Black, Asian, or of two or more races. About one in five students qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a rate that points to a relatively affluent overall community. Data on students receiving special education services or English learner support was not available in the records reviewed, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those programs.
State testing results come from Maryland’s MCAP (math and English language arts) and MISA (science) assessments. In third-grade math, a solid majority of students scored at the proficient level or above. Fourth-grade math results were in a similar range, though reported with a band that suggests some uncertainty at the edges. Fifth-grade math dipped notably, with fewer than half of students reaching proficiency. In English language arts, results were stronger across the board: third and fourth grades both showed large majorities proficient, and fifth grade’s results were in a moderate-to-strong range. On the fifth-grade science test, about half of students scored proficient. Because this is the first year of data available in this format, no trend can be established yet. The school serves only elementary grades, so a graduation rate does not apply.
The comparison set used here is relative to districts within Anne Arundel County, but the cohort of districts was too small to produce meaningful proficiency or absenteeism comparisons for a single school. That means the data does not allow a direct statement about how Belvedere Elementary stacks up against other schools in the county, though its overall proficiency picture is one of generally solid performance in English language arts and more mixed results in math and science.
Arnold itself is a mature, family-oriented community with a high median household income and a relatively stable population. The housing market reflects that: typical home values and rents are elevated, and buying a home here carries a financial stretch compared to national benchmarks. The built environment is car-oriented along major routes like Ritchie Highway, though the Baltimore-Annapolis Bike Trail provides a dedicated path for recreation. Local anchors include Anne Arundel Community College, several parks, and marinas along the scenic riversides. The district recently opened a new high school in the western part of the county, which may affect attendance boundaries for families who will eventually move on to secondary schools, but for elementary-aged children the immediate feeder pattern is the relevant consideration.
For a family choosing a school in this area, Belvedere Elementary offers a well-resourced community, strong early literacy results, and a student body that reflects the broader demographics of Arnold. The dip in fifth-grade math and the limited data on special populations are topics a parent may want to explore further with the school. The absence of information on class sizes, staffing, and chronic absenteeism also means those factors remain open questions.
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