Connexions: a Community Based Arts School, Baltimore MD

Original Research by School Decision on Connexions: a Community Based Arts School

ConneXions: A Community Based Arts School is a charter school in Baltimore serving grades six through twelve. It operates within the Baltimore City Public Schools system and, as its name suggests, centers its identity on the arts as a framework for learning. The school sits in the western part of the city, in a residential neighborhood near the Gwynns Falls Leakin Park. Baltimore itself is a large, independent city with a diverse patchwork of historic neighborhoods, a service-oriented economy anchored by Johns Hopkins Hospital and University, and a civic life that clusters around the Inner Harbor and its sports venues. The city’s population has seen a modest decline in recent years, but it remains a dense urban environment with a walkable fabric in many districts and a rich stock of historic buildings.

The school enrolls roughly five hundred students, with attendance growing notably from middle to high school grades. The student body is overwhelmingly Black, making up the vast majority, with small shares of Hispanic, white, and multiracial students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, reflecting the high-poverty context of the surrounding community. The school is a charter, meaning it has some autonomy over its curriculum and operations, and its arts-based approach is a defining feature that sets it apart from many other public schools in the city.

State testing results are reported for the middle school grades, as is typical for Maryland’s MCAP assessments in math and English language arts for grades six through eight, and for science and social studies in grade eight. In English language arts, the share of students scoring proficient or above was modest, in the low double digits across those grades. In math, the proportion at the proficient level was essentially zero. In grade eight, science and social studies proficiency rates were similarly very low. Because the school serves high school grades, a parent may want to ask the school directly about how its older students perform on state assessments, especially since the data provided covers only the middle school years. The school’s overall proficiency, averaged across all tested subjects and grades, sits in the bottom quartile when compared to other schools in Baltimore city.

The school’s name and charter status point to an intentional program. It is built around arts integration, which for some families is the primary draw. The academic numbers, however, are a significant consideration. The combination of very low math proficiency and modest ELA proficiency suggests that many students are entering high school without foundational skills in place. A parent considering ConneXions will want to learn more about how the school supports struggling students, what remediation or intervention strategies are in place, and how the arts curriculum connects to academic growth. The high-poverty context of the student body is a factor that often correlates with lower test scores, but that does not change the reality of the academic outcomes as reported.

The school environment data did not include information on discipline, staffing ratios, course access, or attendance. The district brief turned up no recent parent-relevant changes to report. So there are gaps in what is known publicly about the day-to-day conditions inside the school.

ConneXions is a choice school in a large urban district, offering an arts-centered pathway for families who value that emphasis. The test results are a soft spot by any measure, and a parent should expect to engage with the school directly to understand how it addresses academic challenges. For a household that prioritizes a creative, community-based setting and is prepared to supplement academic instruction or work closely with the school on skill-building, this school may be a fit. For a family whose first concern is strong academic proficiency data, the numbers here are not competitive with most other schools in the city.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

60-64%Cohort of 63 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

244 schools plotted. 22 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 60%

School 0% · district not reported

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

Grade 70%

School 0% · district not reported

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

Grade 80%

School 0% · district not reported

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

English language arts

Grade 616%

School 16% · district not reported

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 711%

School 11% · district not reported

▼ 37 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 811%

School 11% · district not reported

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Science

Grade 84%

School 4% · district not reported

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

Social studies

Grade 84%

School 4% · District 17% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below 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-income14%Higher-income18%4 pp gap