The top reported proficiency rate is 5% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Billie Holiday Elementary
Billie Holiday Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through third grade in the city of Baltimore. Because the school ends at third grade, a number of the metrics commonly used for older schools do not apply. There is no graduation rate, no college or career pathway data, and state testing results are limited to the grade levels the school actually serves. The school is a regular public school within Baltimore City Public Schools, and it is not a charter or magnet school.
The student body is small for an elementary school, and the overwhelming majority of students are Black. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. The school's enrollment is concentrated in pre-kindergarten through second grade, with only a handful of third graders enrolled, which means the testing picture is drawn from a very narrow slice of the student population.
State assessment data is available for a single year, and it is important to note that Maryland changed both the name and cut scores of its assessments in that year, so comparisons to prior years are not reliable. For the tested grades, the proficiency rate in math for third, fourth, and fifth graders was very low, with the available results clustering in the lowest range of the reporting scale. In English language arts and science, the same pattern held. Participation rates in testing were below typical levels for some grades. When compared to other districts within Baltimore city, the school's overall proficiency index was in the bottom quartile. A parent should know these results come from a small number of test-takers in a school that stops at third grade, so the numbers reflect only a tiny portion of the school's students.
The school environment data that is missing in the available record includes information on discipline, course access, staffing ratios, and attendance patterns. A parent may want to ask the school directly about class sizes, teacher stability, and how the school supports early literacy and numeracy, since those are the central academic tasks in the early grades.
The surrounding area is Baltimore, a large independent city with a mix of historic residential neighborhoods and a downtown core anchored by the Inner Harbor, Johns Hopkins Hospital and University, and the Port of Baltimore. The city has shifted from an industrial base to a service economy. Publicly reported information describes the city's population as having seen a slight decline in recent years, and a major infrastructure project is underway to replace the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge. The housing market in the school's ZIP code is much more affordable than the state and national benchmarks, with home values that have softened in the past year. Rents have risen modestly.
Billie Holiday Elementary serves a very early grade band in a school system that covers the whole city. The testing data that exists shows very low proficiency levels, and the school's small size and narrow grade span mean there is little else in the public record to judge academic programs, student support services, or school climate. A family considering this school should visit and ask about the kindergarten and pre-K program, how reading instruction is structured, and what supports are in place for students who need extra help.
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