The top reported proficiency rate is 38% in English language arts. The lowest is 13% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Harford Hills Elementary
Harford Hills Elementary is a regular public school in Baltimore serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It sits within the Baltimore County Public Schools system, a large district that has recently introduced a new elementary literacy curriculum grounded in the science of reading and a district-wide cell phone policy restricting use during instruction. These shifts shape the daily experience across all district elementary schools.
The school is relatively small for its grade band. Its student body is racially diverse: the largest groups are Black students and white students, each making up a substantial share, followed by smaller shares of Hispanic students and students who identify as two or more races, with a modest Asian population. A clear majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, indicating that the school serves a predominantly low-income community. Data on students receiving special education services or English learner support was not available; a parent may wish to ask the school directly about those resources and how they are staffed.
On state assessments in the most recent year, Harford Hills Elementary’s results show a mixed picture. In English language arts, proficiency rates start moderately higher in third and fourth grade and drop noticeably by fifth grade. In math, performance is lower across all three tested grades, with a steep decline by fifth grade. Science results, tested only in fifth grade, are similarly low. The proficiency index could not be compared to other districts in Baltimore County because the comparison set was too small to yield a position. With only one year of assessment data available, it is not possible to see a trend over time. These scores suggest that many students are not yet meeting grade-level benchmarks, particularly in math and science, and a parent may want to discuss with the school how it supports students who are behind and what interventions are in place.
The school is located in northeast Baltimore, roughly along the Harford Road corridor. This part of the city is primarily residential, with older single-family homes and rowhouses, and offers relatively moderate housing costs compared to much of the Baltimore metro area. Rent prices have risen notably, and buying a home is significantly more expensive than renting on a monthly basis, which may be a factor for families considering a move into the attendance zone. The school’s boundary may be affected by recent Baltimore County board-approved attendance zone changes for certain high school feeder systems, though Harford Hills Elementary feeds into a middle and high school sequence that a family would want to verify.
Baltimore itself is an independent city with a historic urban fabric, extensive waterfront development around the Inner Harbor, and major employers anchored by Johns Hopkins Hospital and the university. The city’s population has seen a slight decline in recent years. For a family choosing this school, the peer environment is diverse and predominantly low-income, the academic results are below the state average in most tested areas, and the broader context includes a large district in the middle of significant instructional and policy changes. A parent considering Harford Hills Elementary should look into the specific support structures for struggling students and the quality of the feeder middle school, as those will shape the long-term pathway beyond fifth grade.
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