Katherine Johnson Global Academy, Baltimore MD

Original Research by School Decision on Katherine Johnson Global Academy

Katherine Johnson Global Academy is a regular public school serving grades three through eight in the Baltimore City Public Schools system. Named for the NASA mathematician, the school operates in Baltimore’s Rosemont neighborhood, an area within a city that transitioned from an industrial base to a service economy anchored by Johns Hopkins Hospital and University. The school is not a charter or magnet school, and its Title I status is not publicly listed in the available data.

The student body is predominantly Black, with a very small share of white, Hispanic, and multiracial students. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, indicating a high level of economic need. The school serves a mid-sized enrollment for its grade band, with the largest concentrations of students in the upper elementary and middle school grades. Data on the percentage of students receiving special education services or classified as English learners was not available.

State testing results from the most recent school year show very low proficiency rates across all subjects and grade levels tested. In mathematics, the share of students scoring at or above the proficient benchmark was in the single digits in every tested grade, and in one grade it was zero. In English language arts, the picture was similar, with proficiency rates in the low single digits or low teens depending on the grade. Science proficiency, based on the Maryland Integrated Science Assessment for grades five and eight, was also very low, and in grade five no student reached the proficient level. Social studies data for grade eight showed a similarly low rate. Compared to the small set of other school districts within Baltimore city, the school’s overall proficiency index sits in the bottom quartile.

Because the school does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report.

The housing context in the school’s ZIP code reflects a market where home values are well below the state median and have softened recently. Rents are more moderate relative to incomes. The wider Baltimore area has seen a slight population decline in recent years and is undertaking a major infrastructure project to replace a collapsed bridge, with completion expected in the near future.

A parent considering this school will find an environment where the vast majority of students come from low-income households and where state test results are significantly lower than what is typical across Maryland. The school’s academic challenges are pronounced, and families would want to discuss directly with the school what instructional supports, interventions, and enrichment opportunities are in place. The available data does not include information on course access, staffing ratios, or discipline patterns, so those factors would need to be investigated separately. The district’s recent public reports did not contain specific four-year changes of lasting interest to parents, so the broader strategic direction of Baltimore City Public Schools is not detailed here.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 36%

School 6% · district not reported

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 43%

School 3% · district not reported

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 57%

School 7% · district not reported

▼ 15 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 63%

School 3% · district not reported

▼ 10 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 70%

School 0% · district not reported

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

Grade 82%

School 2% · district not reported

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

English language arts

Grade 38%

School 8% · district not reported

▼ 38 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 413%

School 13% · district not reported

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 53%

School 3% · district not reported

▼ 37 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 67%

School 7% · district not reported

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

Grade 713%

School 13% · district not reported

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

Grade 813%

School 13% · district not reported

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

Science

Grade 50%

School 0% · district not reported

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

Grade 83%

School 3% · district not reported

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

Social studies

Grade 84%

School 4% · District 17% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 8 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 6Lower-income9%Higher-income13%4 pp gap