Waverly Elementary/middle, Baltimore MD

Original Research by School Decision on Waverly Elementary/middle

Waverly Elementary/Middle is a regular public school in Baltimore serving prekindergarten through eighth grade. It sits within the Baltimore City Public Schools district. The school serves a neighborhood population that is overwhelmingly Black, with Black students making up nearly nine-tenths of enrollment. Hispanic students account for a small share, and white students and students of two or more races each make up a very small fraction. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, placing the school in a high-poverty context.

The school is set in Baltimore, a large independent city with a service-oriented economy anchored by Johns Hopkins Hospital and University. Baltimore is known for its historic neighborhoods and a large number of buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, and civic life centers on the Inner Harbor and downtown. The city’s population has seen a modest decline in recent years. Housing values in the area around the school are below the state median. The district brief turned up no specific recent changes of lasting parent impact.

On state assessments, the picture is one of very low attainment. Proficiency rates in math are weak across every tested grade, with the rate falling to nearly zero in the upper elementary and middle school grades. In English language arts, performance is stronger in sixth grade than in other grades, but overall the rates are low. In science, tested at grades five and eight, proficiency is absent in grade five and very low in grade eight. In eighth-grade social studies, proficiency is also low. The school’s overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint among the two districts in Baltimore city, though that comparison set is very small.

This is a school whose test results are a primary concern. A parent considering Waverly, whether as a zoned school or a choice, will want to investigate what academic supports and interventions are in place, particularly in math and science. The data does not tell us what those supports are. The school serves grades through eighth, so there is no graduation rate to report. The enrollment is typical for a combined elementary-middle school in an urban setting.

The community context matters here. The school is located in the Waverly neighborhood, an older residential part of Baltimore. Housing costs are moderate relative to much of the region, and the area is well-served by nearby parks and institutions. The school building sits on Ellerslie Avenue, a side street in a block that mixes rowhouses, small businesses, and community facilities.

Waverly Elementary/Middle fits a family that is rooted in this part of Baltimore and wants a neighborhood school that keeps a child from pre-K through the end of middle school. The academic challenges are clear, and a family that values strong test performance may find the data concerning. A family that chooses this school should expect to be active in understanding and supplementing the academic program. The school has no special charter or magnet status. It operates as a regular public school serving its attendance area.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 322%

School 22% · district not reported

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 47%

School 7% · district not reported

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 52%

School 2% · district not reported

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

Grade 61%

School 1% · district not reported

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

Grade 72%

School 2% · district not reported

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 82%

School 2% · district not reported

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

English language arts

Grade 329%

School 29% · district not reported

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

Grade 413%

School 13% · district not reported

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

Grade 513%

School 13% · district not reported

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

Grade 648%

School 48% · district not reported

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Grade 828%

School 28% · district not reported

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

Science

Grade 50%

School 0% · district not reported

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

Grade 87%

School 7% · district not reported

▼ 20 pts below state median · even with county median

Social studies

Grade 813%

School 13% · 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-income9%Higher-income7%2 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income20%Higher-income12%9 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income14%Higher-income41%28 pp gap