Patterson Park Public Charter School, Baltimore MD

Original Research by School Decision on Patterson Park Public Charter School

Patterson Park Public Charter School in Baltimore is a school that serves children from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. It is a regular public school operating under a charter, which gives it some autonomy from the district, though it remains part of Baltimore City Public Schools. A parent considering this school will find a student body with a particular composition, test results that demand close attention, and a context shaped by the city around it.

The student population is predominantly Hispanic and Black, reflecting the diversity of southeast Baltimore. The school’s enrollment draws from the neighborhoods around Patterson Park, an area of the city known for its historic rowhouses, growing young family population, and walkable blocks. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, placing the school in a high-need economic context. The school does not have high school grades, so there is no graduation rate here; the pathway it offers runs from early childhood through the middle school years, which means families will need to plan for a high school transition regardless.

Looking at the most recent state test results, the picture is mixed and the weaknesses are clear. In elementary math, proficiency rates are very low across every grade level, with the strongest of them still at a level many families would find concerning. In middle school math, the scores drop further, reaching a point where virtually no students met the proficiency bar in the eighth grade. English language arts tells a somewhat different story. While early elementary reading scores are modest, the middle school grades show rates that are notably stronger, with the sixth and eighth grades reaching levels that sit within reach of broader district averages. The school’s overall proficiency on the Maryland state assessments, when averaged across all tested subjects and grades, places it in the top quartile relative to the other districts in Baltimore city. That comparison, however, is within a two-district universe limited to the city itself, so the bar for that positioning is important to keep in mind. Science and social studies results are also available for the upper grades, with science showing a moderate uptick by eighth grade, while social studies proficiency remains modest. The single-year data does not allow for a trendline, and a parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand whether scores are improving over time.

The school environment and support systems data was not available in a way that can be reported here. There is no information on discipline, course access, staffing ratios, or chronic absenteeism. A parent about to make a decision may wish to ask the school directly about class sizes, tutoring, special education services, and English learner supports. Because the school does not serve high school, there are no advanced placement or dual-enrollment course offerings to consider; the curriculum is a general education pathway through the end of middle school.

Housing in the surrounding 21224 zip code is moderately priced relative to the state as a whole, with home values that have been fairly flat recently. Rents have edged upward slightly. The neighborhood itself is an urban setting with a mix of rowhomes and apartments, and the school sits a short walk from Patterson Park, one of the city’s largest green spaces. The broader city economy is anchored by Johns Hopkins Hospital and University, and the area lost industrial jobs decades ago, shifting toward services and health care. The city’s population has seen a modest decline in recent years, though southeast Baltimore has attracted new residents drawn to its historic housing stock and relative affordability.

A family evaluating Patterson Park Public Charter School should recognize the academic challenges in math, the relative bright spot in middle school reading, and the fact that this is a school serving a high-poverty population with limited data on supports beyond what test scores show. It is a neighborhood charter school in one of Baltimore’s most vibrant districts, and for a family committed to being involved, it may offer a close-knit, walkable option, but the academic numbers warrant a real conversation with the school’s leadership.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 343%

School 43% · district not reported

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

Grade 410%

School 10% · district not reported

▼ 18 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 54%

School 4% · district not reported

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

Grade 63%

School 3% · district not reported

▼ 10 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 76%

School 6% · district not reported

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 80%

School 0% · district not reported

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

English language arts

Grade 335%

School 35% · district not reported

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 427%

School 27% · district not reported

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

Grade 521%

School 21% · district not reported

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

Grade 643%

School 43% · district not reported

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

Grade 844%

School 44% · district not reported

even with state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Science

Grade 511%

School 11% · district not reported

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

Grade 831%

School 31% · district not reported

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

Social studies

Grade 826%

School 26% · District 17% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▲ 13 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-income6%Higher-income22%16 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income5%Higher-income22%17 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income6%Higher-income20%14 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income39%Higher-income68%29 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income21%Higher-income47%26 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income8%Higher-income31%23 pp gap