The top reported proficiency rate is 15% in English language arts. The lowest is 0% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Callaway Elementary
Callaway Elementary sits in northwest Baltimore, serving prekindergarten through seventh grade as a regular public school within Baltimore City Public Schools. It is a small school, with an enrollment that makes it a compact community relative to many of the district’s elementary schools. The student body is overwhelmingly made up of Black students, and a substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, reflecting the economic profile of the surrounding area.
The school’s academic performance, as measured by the most recent state assessments in math, English language arts, and science, is notably low. In mathematics, proficiency rates declined sharply across grades three, four, and five, with the tested cohort in grade three showing a rate that is well below most benchmarks. In grades four and five, the share of students meeting the state’s proficiency bar was very small, and in fifth grade no student scored at the proficient level. In English language arts, the pattern is similar. For grade three, the state reported a range rather than a precise figure, but the data suggests a proficiency rate that nonetheless remains low. By grade four, about a fifth of students reached proficiency, and by grade five that figure dropped to roughly a tenth. In fifth-grade science, no student scored at the proficient level. The overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades places Callaway Elementary in the bottom quarter among the very small set of districts within Baltimore city, which in practical terms means the school’s academic attainment is far below the district median for its peer set. A parent looking at these results should understand that the school is serving a population with significant academic challenges, and the proficiency numbers point to deep instructional needs.
Because the school does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report. The school’s grade span ends at seventh grade, but the vast majority of enrolled students are in the elementary grades, with only a tiny number of students in sixth and seventh grade, so the school functions essentially as a primary school.
The neighborhood context of Callaway Elementary is an urban one. Baltimore as a whole has a mixed residential fabric, with historic rowhouse districts and a service-oriented economy anchored by Johns Hopkins Hospital and the university. The city’s population has seen a slight decline in recent years, and while the Inner Harbor and downtown remain commercial hubs, the area around the school is a residential, less tourist-visited part of the city. A parent considering this school would be looking at a Baltimore housing market where home values have seen a small recent dip and rents have edged upward, which is in line with some national trends. The school itself is situated on Fernhill Avenue, a street in the northern reaches of the city, in a neighborhood that is predominantly residential.
The district brief for Baltimore City Public Schools did not turn up any recent, parent-facing changes of lasting impact, so there is nothing to report on that front. A family evaluating Callaway Elementary will want to look into what academic interventions and supports are in place, because the low proficiency rates suggest that the typical classroom experience may not yet be closing the gap to grade-level standards for many students. The school’s small size could be a plus for a family who wants a close-knit, community-oriented setting, but the performance data is a serious consideration that warrants a conversation with the school about how instruction is being tailored to meet students where they are.
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