Midtown Academy, Baltimore MD - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Midtown Academy

Midtown Academy is a K-8 charter school in Baltimore, part of Baltimore City Public Schools. The school serves about the student body typical for a single elementary-middle combination in a dense urban setting. The student population is predominantly Black, with a much smaller share of white students and very small numbers of Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students, reflecting the demographics of the surrounding neighborhoods. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, which places the school in a context where a majority of families face economic pressures.

The school is located in the city’s Mount Royal area, near the University of Baltimore and the Maryland Institute College of Art, in a part of Baltimore with a mix of rowhomes, institutional buildings, and small commercial strips. Baltimore itself is a city defined by its historic neighborhoods, a port economy that has shifted toward services and healthcare, and major employers such as Johns Hopkins Hospital. The residential fabric around the school is walkable, with a stock of older housing and a mix of rented and owner-occupied units, though home values and rents in the broader city are well below state and national averages, making it a relatively affordable urban market.

On state assessments, the academic pattern is uneven. In reading, the school posts results that improve as students get older. Proficiency rates in the early elementary grades are low, with roughly a quarter of third and fourth graders meeting the bar. The middle grades show a marked upward trend. In sixth and seventh grade, reading proficiency reaches into the upper range, and by eighth grade, a solid majority of students score at the proficient level. That kind of rising trajectory through the grade levels is uncommon and suggests that the school may be developing literacy skills effectively over a student’s full tenure.

The math results are much weaker across every grade. Proficiency rates hover in the mid-to-low teens from third through eighth grade, with a particularly low showing in sixth grade, where no students met the standard. The same pattern appears in fifth-grade science, where proficiency is low, though eighth-grade science comes in higher, at about a third of students reaching proficiency. Social studies in eighth grade, the only tested grade for that subject, also shows low proficiency. The overall picture is a school where reading growth is a real strength in the later years, while math and science performance remains a clear concern. A family should look closely at how the school addresses math instruction and whether additional support is available.

Because the school ends at eighth grade, there is no high school graduation rate to consider. Students who attend Midtown Academy will need to transition to a Baltimore City high school for ninth grade, and a family researching those options would want to understand the city’s high school choice process.

Civil rights data on discipline, special education services, and English learner supports was not available. The school’s charter status means it operates with some autonomy from the central district but remains part of Baltimore City Public Schools. No recent district-wide changes of direct, lasting impact on families were identified in public reporting, though the district has faced ongoing budget pressures typical of a large urban system.

Housing around the school is mixed. The area includes some renovated rowhomes and newer apartments near the college campuses, alongside blocks where housing stock is older and less expensive. The market tilts toward renting; the typical rent is well below what a mortgage on the typical home would cost, and the price-to-income ratio suggests buyers would find homes relatively affordable compared with the national picture. The school sits within a short distance of cultural and civic anchors such as the Walters Art Museum and the historic Mount Vernon neighborhood, giving families access to a walkable urban environment.

This is a school that may fit a family looking for a neighborhood charter with a K-8 span, a strong reading trajectory in the middle grades, and the affordability and density of urban Baltimore. The math results are a soft spot that a parent would want to investigate directly with the school, and the lack of any high school program means planning ahead for eighth-to-ninth grade transition is part of the package.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 323%

School 23% · district not reported

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 414%

School 14% · district not reported

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

Grade 515%

School 15% · district not reported

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

Grade 60%

School 0% · district not reported

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

Grade 75%

School 5% · district not reported

▼ 7 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 817%

School 17% · district not reported

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 327%

School 27% · district not reported

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

Grade 429%

School 29% · district not reported

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 520%

School 20% · district not reported

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

Grade 638%

School 38% · district not reported

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 856%

School 56% · district not reported

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 31 pts above county median

Science

Grade 515%

School 15% · district not reported

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 833%

School 33% · district not reported

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 817%

School 17% · District 17% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▲ 4 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 3Lower-income8%Higher-income36%28 pp gap