The top reported proficiency rate is 81% in English language arts. The lowest is 79% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Shipley's Choice Elementary
Shipley's Choice Elementary is a regular public school serving prekindergarten through fifth grade in Millersville, a largely suburban unincorporated community in central Anne Arundel County. The school sits within Anne Arundel County Public Schools, a district that recently opened a new high school in nearby Severn, adjusting attendance boundaries for families in the growing western part of the county. Millersville itself has a stable housing stock, mostly built from the 1960s through the 1980s, and is known among local families as a more affordable alternative to the pricier Severna Park area while still part of the same county school system. The built environment is car-dependent, though the Baltimore & Annapolis Trail runs through the historic core and connects to parks and a broader trail network. Kinder Farm Park and a new community park under construction are key recreational anchors.
On state assessments administered through Maryland's MCAP and MISA programs, Shipley's Choice students posted strong results in English language arts. Across the tested grades, most students scored at or above the proficient level, with a consistently high share meeting that bar. Math performance was more varied. Third graders performed at a similarly high level, but results in fourth and fifth grade were lower, with a moderate share of students reaching proficiency. Science results for fifth graders fell in a similar moderate range. Because only a single year of assessment data is available, no trend line can yet be drawn. In the small cohort of Anne Arundel County schools in this comparison universe, the overall proficiency index could not be used to place the school relative to others, so a reader interested in how Shipley's Choice stacks up against nearby elementary schools may want to investigate further.
The student body is small for a K-5 school. The share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals is very low, indicating an affluent enrollment. The student population is predominantly white, with much smaller shares of Asian, Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not reported here, so a parent seeking information about special education or language support services would need to ask the school directly. No disciplinary, staffing, or attendance data were available in this file.
The school's location in an established, middle- to upper-middle-income suburban area shapes the peer environment. Home values in the zip code are well above the state and national medians, and the broader economic context shows a stable but elevated housing market. Rents are also high relative to incomes, and mortgage rates have been in the six percent range recently. The community is not experiencing rapid growth; the most notable development is the construction of a large athletic park rather than new subdivisions.
For a family considering Shipley's Choice, the picture is of a small elementary school with strong reading performance, variable math results, a very low poverty rate, and an overwhelmingly white student body. The suburban setting is quiet and car-oriented, with parks and trails providing outdoor options. The district's recent boundary changes for a new high school may become relevant as children move through the system, though for elementary grades the immediate attendance area appears stable. Parents who value high overall proficiency and a homogenous peer environment may find this school a good fit, while those seeking robust student diversity or wanting a deeper look at how math achievement is addressed at the upper elementary grades may want to engage directly with school leadership.
See more original research from School Decision →