Cross Country Elementary/middle, Baltimore MD

Original Research by School Decision on Cross Country Elementary/middle

Cross Country Elementary/Middle is a regular public school in Baltimore that serves students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the Baltimore City Public Schools district. The school sits in the Park Heights neighborhood, a residential area in the northwest part of the city. Baltimore itself is an independent city with a mix of historic row-house districts, a large port, and a service-oriented economy anchored by Johns Hopkins Hospital and University. The city’s population has seen a slight decline in recent years, and a major infrastructure project to replace the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge is underway. For a family looking at this school, the housing market in the immediate area is relatively affordable, with home values well below state and national averages and rents that are modest compared to the broader region.

The student body is diverse in composition but not in socioeconomic background. The majority of students are Black, with a substantial Hispanic population and smaller numbers of White students and students of two or more races. About seven out of ten students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic need. Enrollment is around the typical size for a combined elementary-middle school, with roughly balanced class sizes across the grades. The school does not serve high school, so there is no graduation rate to report, and there are no Advanced Placement or career and technical education programs because the grade band stops at eighth grade.

Academically, the picture is mixed. On the Maryland state assessments (MCAP), math scores are a weak spot. In almost every tested grade, the share of students scoring proficient or above is low, and in eighth grade the proficiency rate fell to zero. This is a serious concern that a parent would want to discuss directly with the school. English language arts results are stronger, particularly in the middle grades. In sixth and seventh grade, roughly half or more of students met the proficiency bar, while grades three through five and eighth grade showed lower but still meaningful proficiency rates. Science and social studies results are low, with a very small proportion of students reaching proficiency.

When compared to other schools within Baltimore city, Cross Country Elementary/Middle’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades lands in the top quartile. That relative strength is important context: while the absolute numbers are modest and several subjects have ample room for improvement, the school performs better than many of its city peers. The data available does not include information on chronic absenteeism or discipline, so a parent may want to ask about those areas directly.

For families choosing a school in this part of Baltimore, Cross Country offers a pathway that keeps a child in one building from pre-K through the end of middle school, which can provide stability. The high proportion of students from low-income households means the school likely receives federal Title I funding to support its programs, though the payload does not confirm that status. The surrounding neighborhood is urban and walkable in parts, with historic housing stock and a mix of older homes. The city’s top employers, particularly the Johns Hopkins system, are a short drive or transit ride away.

Overall, Cross Country Elementary/Middle is a school where academic challenges are real, especially in math and science, but where the English language arts results in the middle grades and the school's relative position among city schools point to some areas of effectiveness. A parent considering this school should expect to engage actively with the school on math performance and should look into supports for students who are behind. The school’s grade span and its context in a large, economically diverse city make it one option among many in Baltimore, and its fit depends on a family’s priorities for academic foundation, continuity, and community.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 335%

School 35% · district not reported

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 424%

School 24% · district not reported

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 511%

School 11% · district not reported

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 612%

School 12% · district not reported

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 722%

School 22% · district not reported

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 80%

School 0% · district not reported

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

English language arts

Grade 438%

School 38% · district not reported

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 532%

School 32% · district not reported

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 650%

School 50% · district not reported

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

Grade 841%

School 41% · district not reported

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Science

Grade 57%

School 7% · district not reported

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 816%

School 16% · district not reported

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 814%

School 14% · District 17% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above 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 4Lower-income6%Higher-income9%3 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income11%Higher-income19%8 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income45%Higher-income39%6 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income17%Higher-income14%3 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income11%Higher-income11%0 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income11%Higher-income12%0 pp gap