The Belair-edison School, Baltimore MD

Original Research by School Decision on The Belair-edison School

The Belair-Edison School is a charter school in Baltimore City that serves students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the Baltimore City Public Schools system but operates under its own charter, giving the school some flexibility in its approach to curriculum and governance. The school is located in the Belair-Edison neighborhood, a residential area in northeast Baltimore.

On the Maryland state assessments known as MCAP, the school’s results are low across every tested grade and subject. In math, the share of students reaching proficient or above runs at a very modest level, generally in the single digits for grades four through eight and only slightly higher in third grade. English language arts proficiency is somewhat higher but still below the levels many parents would expect, with roughly one in five or one in six students meeting the bar depending on the grade. Science, tested in fifth and eighth grades, shows a very small share of students proficient. Eighth grade social studies is similarly low.

Because the school does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report. The data also does not include information on chronic absenteeism, discipline, or staff qualifications, so a full picture of the school environment beyond test scores is not available from the records reviewed. A parent considering this school would want to inquire directly about attendance patterns, school culture, and how the school supports students who are behind academically.

The student body is almost entirely Black, with a small number of Hispanic students and very few white or Asian students. A very high share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a community with considerable economic need. This is a neighborhood school drawing from an area where housing values are well below the national median and the surrounding real estate market is relatively affordable by regional standards.

Baltimore itself is a large city with a mix of historic rowhouse neighborhoods and a service economy anchored by Johns Hopkins Hospital and University. The population has seen a modest decline in recent years. The Belair-Edison neighborhood is primarily residential, and the school sits on Brehms Lane, within walking distance of many homes.

The Belair-Edison School’s proficiency index, which averages results across subjects and grades, places it in the bottom quartile relative to other districts within Baltimore city. That is a clear signal that academic attainment at this school is well below citywide norms, let alone state or national averages. For a family focused on strong academic outcomes, this would be a central concern and one that merits a close look at what intervention programs or supports the school offers. For a family seeking a charter option within Baltimore that serves a full K-8 span and reflects the local community, the school is worth a visit to see whether the day-to-day experience aligns with what the test scores alone suggest.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 313%

School 13% · district not reported

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 45%

School 5% · district not reported

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 54%

School 4% · district not reported

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 61%

School 1% · district not reported

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 74%

School 4% · district not reported

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 88%

School 8% · district not reported

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 323%

School 23% · district not reported

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 424%

School 24% · district not reported

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 512%

School 12% · district not reported

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 619%

School 19% · district not reported

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 727%

School 27% · district not reported

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 822%

School 22% · district not reported

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Science

Grade 52%

School 2% · district not reported

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 82%

School 2% · district not reported

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 88%

School 8% · District 17% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

This schoolBaltimore City Public Schools, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income9%Higher-income7%2 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income5%Higher-income15%10 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income24%Higher-income20%4 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income13%Higher-income19%7 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income7%Higher-income5%1 pp gap