The top reported proficiency rate is 20% in English language arts. The lowest is 5% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Baltimore Highlands Elementary
Baltimore Highlands Elementary is a regular public school in the Baltimore County Public Schools district, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. The school is located on Annapolis Road in the city of Baltimore, a place with a mix of residential neighborhoods, a major port, and a service-oriented economy where Johns Hopkins Hospital and University are the top employers. Baltimore’s population has seen a slight decline in recent years, and a major infrastructure project is underway to replace the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge. The city is known for its historic districts, a walkable urban fabric in areas like Fell’s Point and Federal Hill, and civic anchors such as the Inner Harbor and Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
The school’s enrollment is diverse. The student body is composed of a substantial share of Hispanic students, followed by Black students and White students, with smaller groups of students who are two or more races, Asian, and American Indian or Alaska Native. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a population with significant economic need. Data on the share of students with an individualized education program or who are English learners was not available in the provided information.
Academically, the state testing results are a central story. On the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program, the share of students scoring proficient or above in math and English language arts was low across all tested grades. In math, the proficiency rate was in the single digits or just under one-fifth, depending on the grade. In English language arts, the rate was roughly one-sixth to one-quarter. In science, the proficiency rate was very low. Because the data covers only one school year, there is no trend to compare against. State testing data was not available for the pre-kindergarten through second-grade levels. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand what academic supports are in place and how the school is working to improve these outcomes.
The school is a regular public school without charter or magnet status. Its Title I status was not reported in the data. No information was available on discipline, staffing, attendance, or course access. The school is part of the Baltimore County Public Schools district, which has implemented several changes that are relevant for families. The district adopted a new elementary literacy curriculum beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, aligned with the science of reading and emphasizing phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. This represents a district-wide shift in how reading is taught across elementary schools. The district has also approved boundary changes for several high school feeder systems, affecting attendance zones for Hereford, Dulaney, and Loch Raven, effective the 2025-2026 school year. A new district-wide cell phone policy, starting in the 2024-2025 school year, restricts phone use during instructional time for all grade levels. Additionally, the district is implementing the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, a multi-year state plan that expands pre-kindergarten, increases teacher salaries, and improves college and career readiness, with additional state funding.
The comparison fact-set could not position this school relative to other districts in Baltimore County because the cohort of comparable entities was too small. Housing in the area is moderately priced relative to national benchmarks, with home values and rents that have shown modest year-over-year growth. For a family considering this school, the picture is one of a high-poverty elementary school with low academic proficiency rates, situated within a large district undergoing significant curriculum and policy changes. The school’s diverse student body and the district’s new literacy focus are the supporting context, while the academic results are the clearest area for a parent to investigate further.
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