The top reported proficiency rate is 25% in English language arts. The lowest is 3% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Harford Heights Elementary
Harford Heights Elementary serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade in Baltimore’s neighborhood of Broadway East, a part of the city with a dense, walkable urban fabric of rowhouses and historic blocks. The school is a regular public elementary school within Baltimore City Public Schools, and it is not a charter or magnet school. Enrollment is small for a city elementary school, and the student body is predominantly Black, with a smaller share of Hispanic students and very small numbers of other racial groups. A substantial majority of families qualify for free or reduced-price meals, indicating that the school serves a community with high economic need.
State test results from the most recent year show a mixed picture. In math, third-grade students met state proficiency standards at a rate that is higher than what the school sees in the later grades, but by fourth and fifth grade the share of students scoring proficient drops sharply. Reading scores follow a similar pattern: third grade shows a modest share of students meeting the bar, while fifth grade falls off considerably. Science, which is tested only in fifth grade, shows the lowest results of all. These are patterns a parent may wish to discuss with the school to understand what supports are in place for students as they move through the grades, particularly the transition from primary to upper elementary. The school’s overall proficiency across all tested subjects and grades, when compared to other schools in the city’s public school system, sits in the top quarter of that group. That relative position, however, is set against a citywide baseline where absolute proficiency rates are low across the board.
Because the school’s grade span ends at fifth grade, there is no high school graduation rate or data on advanced coursework. Only one year of test results is available, so no trend can be described. Information about special education services and English learner programs was not reported in the available data, a gap that often reflects the nature of the school’s data reporting rather than an absence of services; a parent looking into these areas should ask the school directly.
The housing market around Harford Heights is more affordable than much of the region. Home values are well below the state and national medians, and rents are moderate relative to typical household incomes in the area, making the neighborhood accessible for many families. The broader city of Baltimore has a mixed economic base, anchored by Johns Hopkins Hospital and University, the port, and a growing service sector. The city’s population has seen a mild decline in recent years, and a major infrastructure project to replace a collapsed bridge is underway with an expected completion timeline. The district itself has not reported recent changes that would directly affect a family’s day-to-day experience at Harford Heights.
For a family considering this school, the key takeaway is a small elementary school in an affordable urban neighborhood where academic performance is low in absolute terms but near the top when compared to other schools in the city. The drop-off in proficiency between third and later grades is a point to explore with the school, and the absence of data on special programs or student support staff means a visit or conversation with the principal would be valuable. The school fits a family looking for a neighborhood school with a high level of economic diversity and a setting within Baltimore’s older, walkable street grid.
See more original research from School Decision →