The top reported proficiency rate is 41% in English language arts. The lowest is 11% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on George Washington Elementary
George Washington Elementary serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade in the city of Baltimore. It is a regular public school, not a charter. The school is small, enrolling roughly that many children for its elementary grade span. Demographically, the student body is predominantly Black, with a much smaller share of white students, a modest Hispanic population, and a small number of students who identify as two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, which means the school serves a population with significant economic need.
The school sits in Baltimore, an independent city that has shifted from heavy industry to a service-oriented economy anchored by Johns Hopkins Hospital and University. The city is known for its historic districts, walkable urban fabric, and concentration of civic life around the Inner Harbor. Its population has seen a modest decline in recent years, and a major infrastructure project is underway to replace a collapsed bridge. For families considering this area, housing values and rents in the school’s zip code are below both the state and national benchmarks, making it a more affordable part of the city’s housing market.
State assessment results are available for the most recent school year and they paint a mixed picture. In English language arts, the share of students scoring proficient or above was solid in third grade, dipped a bit in fourth grade, and held in fifth grade. Across all tested grades, the combined proficiency rate fell short of what many families would hope to see, though the third-grade reading result was a relative bright spot. In math, the picture was much harder. Proficiency rates were low in third grade, dropped to a reported zero in fourth grade, and remained low in fifth grade. Science results for fifth graders also showed a very low proficiency rate. The overall proficiency index, which averages performance across subjects and grades, placed George Washington Elementary in the top quartile among the small number of districts in Baltimore city, but that comparison uses a narrow set of peers within the same county and the underlying numbers are low in absolute terms. A parent considering this school would want to look into what academic interventions and supports are in place, particularly in math and science.
The school offers no high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report, and no data on program offerings, discipline, or staffing was available. Chronic absenteeism figures were also missing. The district brief turned up no specific recent changes of lasting parent impact that were publicly reported.
For a family, this is a small, neighborhood elementary school in a dense urban setting with a high-poverty student body. The academic data points to a school where most students are not meeting state proficiency benchmarks in math and science, and where English language arts performance, while stronger, still leaves many students below the proficient threshold. A parent would want to understand what the school is doing to address these gaps and whether there are particular programs or supports that align with their child’s needs.
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