The top reported proficiency rate is 48% in English language arts. The lowest is 17% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Lothian Elementary
Lothian Elementary is a regular public school in Anne Arundel County, serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It sits in the unincorporated community of Lothian, a semi-rural area in southern Anne Arundel County where farms, single-family homes, and mobile home parks exist alongside gravel pits and industrial facilities that bring heavy truck traffic on winding rural roads. This is a car-dependent setting with low walkability, no downtown core, and a low population density. Civic life in Lothian centers on natural areas like the Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary and Patuxent Wetland Park, along with community groups such as We Are Lothian.
The school’s enrollment is moderate for a PK-5 school. The student body is diverse, with the largest racial group being white, followed by a significant Hispanic population. Black students, students identifying as two or more races, Asian students, and American Indian or Alaska Native students each make up smaller shares. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a community with considerable economic need. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the profile.
On state assessments, Lothian Elementary’s results show a mixed picture, with a notable gap between English language arts and math. In fourth grade, roughly half of students scored proficient or above in ELA, the strongest showing of the three tested grades. Third and fifth grade ELA proficiency rates were lower but still well above the school’s math results. Math proficiency declined sharply by grade, with a small share of fifth graders reaching proficiency on the MCAP. Science proficiency among fifth graders was also low. For a parent, the inconsistent ELA versus math performance and the decline in math as students move through the grades are worth asking the school about directly. The school’s overall proficiency is from a single year of reported data, so there is no trend to compare. No chronic absenteeism data, staffing information, or discipline records were available in the profile.
Because Lothian Elementary does not serve grades beyond fifth, there is no graduation rate or high school metrics to report. The school’s parent district, Anne Arundel County Public Schools, recently opened Severn Run High School, a new comprehensive middle and high school in the western part of the county, which redrew attendance boundaries for families in that area. That change does not directly affect Lothian Elementary, but it signals the district’s pattern of responding to growth in certain parts of the county.
Housing in Lothian is predominantly owner-occupied, with home values that are well above the national median. Rents are also above the national median. The area has not seen major new housing developments as of the available research, retaining its semi-rural residential character. The typical home in this ZIP code is expensive enough that buying with a mortgage at current rates produces a monthly payment significantly higher than renting would, a reality for any family considering a move to this attendance zone.
Lothian Elementary offers a standard elementary program for its grade band. There is no advanced coursework, career pathways, or special magnet programs to report, as those offerings are not part of an elementary school’s typical scope. Parents looking for a small-town, semi-rural public elementary school with a diverse student body in a district that is otherwise large and suburban will find that here. Parents concerned about the low math and science proficiency rates, or those who want to understand how the school supports students in those subjects, should ask the school directly for more detail. The absence of civil-rights data, staffing ratios, and chronic absenteeism rates means a prospective parent will need to seek that information from the school or district to get a full picture of the learning environment. This is a school where the test results and economic context tell a story worth investigating further, not one that speaks for itself at first glance.
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