The top reported proficiency rate is 21% in English language arts. The lowest is 8% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Hawthorne Elementary
Hawthorne Elementary is a regular public school in Baltimore, Maryland, serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It is part of the Baltimore County Public Schools district, a large system that has recently introduced a new elementary literacy curriculum grounded in the science of reading, a district-wide cell phone policy for instructional hours, and boundary changes for certain feeder systems that took effect for the 2025-2026 school year. The district is also implementing the Blueprint for Maryland's Future, which aims to expand pre-K and increase teacher salaries, and voters have approved a bond issue for school safety upgrades. These district-level shifts shape the context in which Hawthorne Elementary operates.
The school’s enrollment is sizable for an elementary school, with a student body that is diverse. A substantial share of students identify as Black, with smaller but still notable proportions of White and Hispanic students, and a modest share identifying with two or more races. The school also serves a community with high economic need: a large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Data on the share of students with Individualized Education Programs or English learner status was not available.
Academically, state assessment results from the Mary land Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) and the Maryland Integrated Science Assessment (MISA) paint a clear picture of wide need. In mathematics, the share of students scoring proficient or above was very low in third, fourth, and fifth grades. In English language arts, the picture was variable by grade. Fourth-grade proficiency was higher than the math results, but still low in absolute terms. Third-grade ELA results were reported only as a range, which fell within a similar band. Fifth-grade ELA proficiency was lower. On the fifth-grade science assessment, proficiency was very low. Across all tested subjects and grades, the overall proficiency rate was low. Because only one year of MCAP and MISA data was available for this school, it is not possible to say whether these results represent a trend or a single snapshot. A parent may want to ask the school directly about its academic improvement plans and how it addresses the gap between its current performance and grade-level expectations.
The school itself fits a familiar urban public school profile: well-resourced in terms of district initiatives and recent capital funding, but serving a high-poverty population that faces significant academic challenges. The elementary program is standard for the grade span, and the district’s new literacy curriculum may be a point of emphasis for families evaluating reading instruction. The broader city of Baltimore offers historic neighborhoods, a walkable urban fabric, and major employers like Johns Hopkins Hospital and University, though the city’s population has seen a slight decline in recent years.
For a family weighing this school, the central question is whether the academic supports and instructional changes underway can move student achievement upward. The school’s current proficiency rates are low, and the available data does not suggest a strong alternative pathway for students who are not meeting benchmarks. A parent considering Hawthorne Elementary would likely want to learn more about the school’s specific strategies for math and reading recovery, how it uses the district’s new literacy curriculum, and what supplemental programs or tutoring it offers. The school’s size and diversity may be a draw for families seeking a representative urban student body, but the academic numbers carry real weight and merit a direct conversation with the principal or instructional staff.
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