Hazelwood Elementary/middle, Baltimore MD

Original Research by School Decision on Hazelwood Elementary/middle

Hazelwood Elementary/Middle is a regular public school in Baltimore, Maryland, serving children from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. It sits in the northeast section of the city, within the Baltimore City Public Schools system. The school enrolls a student body that is overwhelmingly Black, with a much smaller share of Hispanic students and very few white students or students of other races. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a marker of the high level of economic need in the community.

The school’s academic results on the state’s Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program are a central fact for any family considering it. On math, proficiency rates are very low across all tested grades. In every grade from third through eighth, only a small fraction of students scored at the proficient level or above. The pattern is consistent: math is a clear area of challenge. In English language arts, results are somewhat higher but still far from where most parents would hope to see them. The strongest performance appears in eighth grade, where a substantial minority of students met or exceeded the standard. Sixth and seventh graders also showed a moderate share of proficient scores. Third graders’ results were reported as a range, falling somewhere in between. Fourth and fifth graders, however, posted lower rates. Science proficiency is also low: no fifth graders reached the proficient level, and eighth graders posted a modest share. In social studies, tested only in eighth grade, about one in five students scored proficient.

Taken together, the school’s overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint relative to the two school districts in Baltimore city. That is a narrow field, and it points to the fact that some other schools in the city face similar challenges. Still, the absolute levels of academic achievement are low, particularly in math and elementary science. A parent considering Hazelwood would likely want to have a direct conversation with the school about how it supports students who are below grade level and what interventions or programs are in place to accelerate progress. The school offers no high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report; students leave after eighth grade to attend a high school elsewhere in the district.

The neighborhood around Hazelwood reflects the broader city context. Baltimore is an independent city with a mix of historic rowhouse neighborhoods, 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. Housing in the immediate area is relatively affordable compared to the state as a whole, with home values well below the Maryland average and rents that are moderate. The city has many historic districts and a walkable urban fabric, but the school’s specific surroundings are more residential.

No recent district-level changes of lasting impact to parents were found in publicly available materials, and the school’s own program offerings, discipline data, and staffing details were not included in the available information. For a family deciding whether this school fits their child, the picture is straightforward: Hazelwood serves a high-poverty population with very low test scores, particularly in math, while offering a pre-K-through-8 span that keeps students in one building through middle school. The setting is a large city with a mix of economic pressures and cultural assets. A parent would be wise to visit, ask about academic support and enrichment, and see how the school’s approach matches their child’s needs.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 313%

School 13% · district not reported

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

Grade 44%

School 4% · district not reported

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

Grade 52%

School 2% · district not reported

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

Grade 65%

School 5% · district not reported

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

Grade 73%

School 3% · district not reported

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

Grade 811%

School 11% · district not reported

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 414%

School 14% · district not reported

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 515%

School 15% · district not reported

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

Grade 632%

School 32% · district not reported

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

Grade 733%

School 33% · district not reported

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

Grade 842%

School 42% · district not reported

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

Science

Grade 50%

School 0% · district not reported

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

Grade 815%

School 15% · district not reported

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

Social studies

Grade 821%

School 21% · District 17% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▲ 9 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-income7%Higher-income8%1 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income17%Higher-income30%13 pp gap