Thomas Johnson Elementary/middle, Baltimore MD

Original Research by School Decision on Thomas Johnson Elementary/middle

Thomas Johnson Elementary/Middle serves students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade in a single building in Baltimore. It is a regular public school within the Baltimore City Public Schools system, not a charter or magnet school. Families considering it will be looking at a school that spans the full elementary and middle school arc, so a child who starts here in PK could stay on the same campus through the end of eighth grade.

The school draws from its surrounding neighborhood in the city. Baltimore itself is an independent city with a mix of historic residential districts, a working port, and a service economy. The city has many walkable areas and a dense collection of historic buildings. Johns Hopkins Hospital and University are the largest employers. The population has seen a slight decline in recent years, and a major infrastructure project to replace the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge is underway with a projected completion in the fall of 2028. No recent district-level changes specific to school operations were found in publicly reported sources.

In terms of academic performance on the state’s MCAP assessments, the picture is split by subject and grade level. English language arts results are a clear strength across most grades. Third, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade all posted proficiency rates comfortably above the midpoint of the scale, with several grades approaching or exceeding a roughly two-thirds proficient rate. Fourth grade ELA proficiency was at about the halfway mark. Math results were more uneven. Third, fourth, fifth, and seventh grade math proficiency rates clustered around the midpoint, with about half of students scoring proficient or above. Sixth grade math proficiency was lower, and eighth grade math was a notable soft spot, where the share of students reaching the proficient level was very low. In science, the eighth grade proficiency rate was stronger than the fifth grade rate. In social studies, the eighth grade proficiency rate was solidly above the halfway mark.

When these results are rolled up into a single index of overall proficiency across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s composite sits in the top quartile relative to other districts in Baltimore city. That comparison is across a small set of two districts, so the top-quartile label reflects the school’s position within a narrow field.

The student body is diverse. White students make up a little more than half of the enrollment, Black students about one-quarter, Hispanic students a substantial share, and students who identify as two or more races or as Asian make up smaller portions. More than a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, which means the school serves a meaningful number of families with lower household incomes.

The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Data on chronic absenteeism and on the share of students with disabilities or English learner status was not available in the provided records, so those factors cannot be assessed here.

A parent evaluating Thomas Johnson will find a school where literacy instruction is a clear strong point, with most tested grades showing solid proficiency in English language arts. Math performance is less consistent and drops off notably by eighth grade, which a family may want to ask the school about directly. Science and social studies results are mixed. The school’s overall proficiency index, compared with other schools across the city’s limited set of districts, is favorable. The setting is a large city with a robust historic fabric and a service-based economy, and the school itself serves a racially and economically diverse student body under one roof from early childhood through the middle school years.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 346%

School 46% · district not reported

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

Grade 449%

School 49% · district not reported

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 39 pts above county median

Grade 551%

School 51% · district not reported

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 44 pts above county median

Grade 637%

School 37% · district not reported

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

Grade 748%

School 48% · district not reported

▲ 36 pts above state median · ▲ 43 pts above county median

Grade 87%

School 7% · district not reported

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 369%

School 69% · district not reported

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 44 pts above county median

Grade 451%

School 51% · district not reported

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

Grade 568%

School 68% · district not reported

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 51 pts above county median

Grade 674%

School 74% · district not reported

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 50 pts above county median

Grade 773%

School 73% · district not reported

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 42 pts above county median

Grade 873%

School 73% · district not reported

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 48 pts above county median

Science

Grade 531%

School 31% · district not reported

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Grade 844%

School 44% · district not reported

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 37 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 863%

School 63% · District 17% · ▲ 45 pts above district

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 50 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 6Lower-income17%Higher-income70%53 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income36%Higher-income63%27 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income50%Higher-income25%25 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income9%Higher-income54%45 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income24%Higher-income30%6 pp gap