The Historic Cherry Hill Elementary/middle, Baltimore MD

Original Research by School Decision on The Historic Cherry Hill Elementary/middle

The Historic Cherry Hill Elementary/Middle is a regular public school in the Baltimore City Public Schools system serving students in grades three through eight. A parent considering this school will encounter a mixed picture: a neighborhood school with deep roots in its community, but one where state test results present a real challenge.

The school serves a student body that is predominantly Black, with a smaller share of Hispanic students and a very small number of white and multiracial students. A very large majority of the student population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school primarily serves families facing economic disadvantage. The school is not a charter or magnet school. Its enrollment of roughly five hundred students is moderate for a school spanning six grade levels, lending itself to a setting where students can be known individually.

State assessment data from the most recent school year shows that across all tested subjects and grade levels, the share of students scoring proficient is very low. In English language arts, the rate of proficiency varied somewhat by grade, with a small peak in seventh grade, but the overall picture is one of students largely performing below grade-level benchmarks. In mathematics, the proficiency rates were even lower, and no student scored proficient on the fifth-grade science assessment. The school’s overall proficiency index, when compared to other schools across Baltimore city, falls in the bottom quarter of that group. This is the central fact a parent will need to weigh. There is no multi-year trend data available to see if performance has been improving or declining; only a single year of results was reported.

Because the school does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report. Similarly, data on chronic absenteeism and on special population groups such as students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the provided materials. A parent may want to ask the school directly about how it supports these groups and about student attendance patterns, as those factors are often closely tied to academic outcomes.

The school is located in the Cherry Hill neighborhood of Baltimore, a city that has shifted from a heavy-industry past to a service-oriented economy anchored by major institutions like Johns Hopkins Hospital and University. The city is known for its historic districts, walkable neighborhoods, and a high concentration of historic buildings, but it has also experienced a slight population decline in recent years. The surrounding housing market, based on the zip code that includes the school, shows home values below the state average, and a large infrastructure project to replace a collapsed bridge is underway.

Within the Baltimore City Public Schools system, the district brief did not identify any recent changes with a direct, lasting impact on parents, though budget and enrollment dynamics are publicly reported.

In sum, The Historic Cherry Hill Elementary/Middle is a neighborhood school in an economically challenged community that serves a high-needs student body. Its academic performance, as measured by state assessments, is well below the city average and merits close attention from any parent evaluating options. The school has little publicly available trend data on behavior or attendance. A family considering this school would be wise to visit, speak with the principal about academic supports and interventions, and ask how the school works to move students toward grade-level proficiency.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 310%

School 10% · district not reported

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

Grade 46%

School 6% · district not reported

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

Grade 51%

School 1% · district not reported

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 63%

School 3% · district not reported

▼ 11 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 73%

School 3% · district not reported

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

Grade 81%

School 1% · district not reported

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

English language arts

Grade 314%

School 14% · district not reported

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

Grade 49%

School 9% · district not reported

▼ 36 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 52%

School 2% · district not reported

▼ 38 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 613%

School 13% · district not reported

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

Grade 720%

School 20% · district not reported

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 812%

School 12% · district not reported

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Science

Grade 50%

School 0% · district not reported

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

Grade 81%

School 1% · district not reported

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

Social studies

Grade 82%

School 2% · District 17% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 11 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-income5%Higher-income5%0 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income5%Higher-income9%4 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income10%Higher-income17%7 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income17%Higher-income11%6 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income7%Higher-income11%4 pp gap