The top reported proficiency rate is 38% in English language arts. The lowest is 29% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Martin Boulevard Elementary
Martin Boulevard Elementary is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Baltimore, part of Baltimore County Public Schools. It is a neighborhood school, not a charter or magnet, and no Title I status was reported. The school sits on the eastern edge of Baltimore City, in an area that is part of the larger Baltimore County system, and its students come from the surrounding residential neighborhoods.
The student body is diverse. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a marker of the school’s economic context. In terms of race and ethnicity, the largest group of students is Black, followed by a sizable Hispanic population, a smaller share of white students, and smaller numbers of students who are Asian, two or more races, or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. The school serves a modest enrollment for its grade band, with class sizes that appear typical for an elementary school of this scale. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report.
State testing data from the most recent school year provides a picture of academic performance across grades three, four, and five in math, English language arts, and science. Martin Boulevard Elementary’s results show variation by subject and grade. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above was highest in third grade, dropped in fourth grade, and rose again in fifth grade. In English language arts, the pattern was similar: third and fifth graders had a stronger showing, while fourth graders were lower. In fifth-grade science, about a quarter to a third of students met proficiency. Across the school as a whole, the combined proficiency rate in both math and ELA sat below the midpoint when compared to state averages. These numbers represent a single year of data, and without a prior year to compare against, a trend cannot be established. For families trying to understand the academic picture at Martin Boulevard, these results suggest that performance is uneven across grades and subjects, with some grades performing better than others in reading and math. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, especially around the dip seen in fourth-grade test scores, to understand what supports are in place.
The school operates within Baltimore County Public Schools, a large district that has recently made several changes that affect elementary students. The district adopted a new elementary literacy curriculum beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, one that emphasizes phonics and the science of reading. This shift represents a significant change in how reading is taught across all elementary schools, including Martin Boulevard. The district has also implemented a new cell phone policy restricting use during instructional time for elementary students, and it is in the early stages of implementing the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, a state plan that expands pre-K and increases funding. A parent at Martin Boulevard can expect the school to be part of these district-wide efforts.
The housing context around the school, based on the ZIP code, shows home values that are moderately below the state average but close to the national figure. Rents are also somewhat below the state median. The broader economic context includes a median household income that is roughly in line with national averages and an unemployment rate that is typical for the period. This is a working- and middle-class area where housing costs, while not inexpensive, are more manageable than in some other parts of the Baltimore region.
Baltimore itself is a dense, historic city with a service-oriented economy anchored by Johns Hopkins Hospital and University. The city has a rich collection of historic districts and a walkable urban fabric in many neighborhoods, but it has experienced a slight population decline in recent years. The school is located on a street that places it in a residential part of eastern Baltimore, not in the denser downtown core, so the immediate feel is more suburban than urban, even though the address is within city limits. The county district is currently managing boundary changes for several high school feeder systems that will take effect in the 2025-2026 school year, but those changes affect high school attendance zones and may have little direct impact on an elementary school.
Martin Boulevard Elementary is a neighborhood school serving a diverse and economically mixed population. Its test scores indicate that some grades are performing better than others, and the overall results are below state norms. The district is actively working on literacy instruction and early childhood expansion, which may influence the school’s academic trajectory in the coming years. For a family considering this school, the key factors to weigh are the school’s current academic profile, the support it provides for the grades where performance is weaker, and how well the school’s approach fits a particular child’s learning needs.
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