The top reported proficiency rate is 60% in English language arts. The lowest is 42% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Pasadena Elementary
Pasadena Elementary is a regular public school serving prekindergarten through fifth grade in the Anne Arundel County Public Schools system. It sits in the census-designated place of Pasadena, a predominantly residential, car-dependent community on the Marley Neck peninsula in northern Anne Arundel County. The area has seen rapid population growth and has a high rate of owner-occupied housing, with commercial activity concentrated along Governor Ritchie Highway and Mountain Road. The school itself is a neighborhood elementary school, drawing from the surrounding suburban subdivisions.
The student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic population and a smaller Black population also represented. Asian and multiracial students make up the remainder. More than a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, indicating a moderate level of economic diversity. The school serves grades PK through five, and its enrollment is moderate for an elementary school in this grade band.
On the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP), Pasadena Elementary's results show a mixed picture. In English language arts, the school performs at a level that is a clear strength. Across grades three, four, and five, a majority of students met or exceeded the state's proficiency standard, with the highest share in fifth grade. This is a solid academic foundation for a neighborhood elementary school. In math, the results are softer. Across the same three grades, less than half of students reached the proficiency threshold, with the fourth-grade cohort showing the lowest rate. Science results, tested only in fifth grade, also show less than half of students meeting the bar. A parent may want to ask the school about its math and science instructional strategies and how it supports students who are not yet meeting the standard.
The school's enrollment is moderate for an elementary school serving prekindergarten through fifth grade. The student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic population and a smaller Black population also present. More than a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a share that gives the school a moderate level of economic diversity. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the provided records.
Pasadena Elementary is part of Anne Arundel County Public Schools, a large district that recently opened a new comprehensive middle school, Severn Run High School, in the growing western part of the county. That change redrew some attendance boundaries, though it is unlikely to affect this school's catchment area directly. The school itself is a regular neighborhood elementary school, not a charter or magnet, and it does not have a Title I designation in the data provided.
The community context is that of a suburban, car-dependent census-designated place that has grown rapidly. Housing values in the area are above the national median, and the area has a high rate of owner-occupied homes. The typical commute is long, consistent with a community where many residents work in Baltimore or along the Washington corridor. The school sits on a suburban campus along a major road, consistent with the area's development pattern.
Because Pasadena Elementary serves only through fifth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. The school's academic data covers only the most recent testing year, so no multi-year trend is available. The comparison set for this school within Anne Arundel County was too small to produce a meaningful relative position, so the school is best understood on its own terms: a neighborhood elementary school with a clear strength in English language arts and room for improvement in math and science. A parent considering this school may want to visit, ask about math intervention and enrichment, and see how the school's approach fits their child's needs.
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