The top reported proficiency rate is 72% in English language arts. The lowest is 33% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Deale Elementary
Deale Elementary serves students from kindergarten through fifth grade in the waterfront fishing village of Deale, part of the Anne Arundel County Public Schools system. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet institution, and its enrollment is relatively small for an elementary school serving that grade range. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. The student body is predominantly white, with a smaller share identifying as two or more races, a smaller still share identifying as Hispanic, and a very small share identifying as Black. No students identify as Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander in the available data. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available for this profile.
Academically, the picture is mixed and varies by grade level and subject. In English language arts, third graders posted a strong proficiency rate on the state's Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program assessment. Fourth graders also performed well, though at a lower rate than the third-grade cohort. For fifth grade, the reported proficiency rate fell within a broad range that sits below both the third- and fourth-grade figures. In mathematics, results were weaker across all three tested grades. Third-grade math proficiency was below half, fourth-grade math was similar, and fifth-grade math was lower still. Science results for the tested fifth-grade class were modest, with roughly one in three students scoring proficient on the Maryland Integrated Science Assessment. Because only one year of data was available for this school, the profile does not show a trend. A parent considering Deale Elementary may want to discuss with the school how math and science instruction is structured, especially in the upper elementary grades, and what supports are in place for students who are not yet meeting proficiency benchmarks.
The comparison data that would normally place this school's overall proficiency against other elementary schools in Anne Arundel County was not usable because the cohort of comparable schools within the county was too small for a meaningful position. That means this narrative cannot say whether Deale Elementary's results are above or below typical performance for the county.
Deale itself is a low-density, waterfront community on the Chesapeake Bay, with a population that has been essentially flat in recent decades. The built environment centers on tidal creeks, particularly Rockhold Creek, where marinas, charter fishing operations, and waterfront restaurants cluster. There is no traditional walkable downtown; commercial activity is spread along the waterways. The community is described in published reports as offering affordable homes and a laid-back lifestyle, and it functions as a bedroom community for workers commuting to Annapolis and Washington, D.C. The largest local industries by employment are public administration, professional and technical services, and construction, while tourism tied to boating and waterfront recreation is a notable economic thread. Civic anchors include the Deale Volunteer Fire Department and several marina resorts. The school sits within this dispersed, rural-residential setting.
At the district level, a publicly reported change relevant to Anne Arundel County families was the opening of Severn Run High School, a new comprehensive middle and high school in Severn, which redrew attendance boundaries in the growing western part of the county. That change does not directly affect Deale Elementary's attendance area, but it reflects the district's ongoing adjustments to enrollment shifts.
For a family considering this school, the central characteristics are a small, predominantly white elementary school in a stable, low-density waterfront community with a modest economic mix. The early elementary literacy results are a clear strength, while upper-elementary math and science performance is softer, and the lack of multi-year trend data makes it difficult to assess whether this reflects a persistent pattern or a single year's results. A parent would benefit from visiting the school, asking about classroom-level instructional strategies in math and science, and understanding how the school supports students who enter below grade level in those subjects.
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