The top reported proficiency rate is 43% in English language arts. The lowest is 22% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Pine Grove Elementary
Pine Grove Elementary is a regular public school in Baltimore, Maryland, serving children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as part of Baltimore County Public Schools. The school has a student body that is roughly evenly split between white students and Black students, with smaller shares of Asian, Hispanic, and multiracial students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, indicating that a meaningful portion of families face economic pressures. No data was available on the share of students with individualized education plans or those learning English, a gap a parent may want to ask the school about.
On the Maryland state assessments administered in the 2024-2025 school year, the school’s results varied by grade and subject. In math, the share of students meeting proficiency was below half in third grade and fifth grade, while in fourth grade it was roughly half. In English language arts, fourth graders posted a result where more than half met proficiency, and third graders were reported within a range that suggests roughly half to a bit more than half of students met proficiency. Fifth-grade ELA was a softer spot, with a smaller share reaching the proficient level. Science results for fifth graders showed a modest portion meeting the bar. These are single-year snapshots, and families may want to discuss with the school how the curriculum addresses the drop-off in fifth-grade reading and math.
Because Pine Grove Elementary is a single school within a large district, and only one other entity was available for comparison in Baltimore County, no meaningful comparison to neighboring districts could be drawn. The school sits within the Baltimore County Public Schools system, which has undertaken several recent initiatives that affect elementary families. The district adopted a new elementary literacy curriculum beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, grounded in the science of reading with an emphasis on phonics and comprehension. A district-wide cell phone policy now restricts phone use during the school day for elementary students, requiring phones to be stored and silenced. Boundary changes approved for the 2025-2026 school year affect some feeder patterns into high school, but the elementary zones that feed into Pine Grove were not part of those changes. Voters approved a bond issue for school safety upgrades, including secure entrances and cameras. And the district is in the early stages of implementing the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, a multi-year state plan that is expanding pre-kindergarten access and increasing teacher salaries, which could affect programming and staffing over time.
The school is located in Baltimore, an independent city with a service-oriented economy anchored by Johns Hopkins Hospital and University, a major port, and a variety of historic neighborhoods. The city has seen a modest population decline in recent years, and a major infrastructure project to replace a collapsed bridge is underway with completion expected in the near future. Housing values in the school’s zip code are below the state average, and rents have risen recently, consistent with national trends. Monthly mortgage costs, even with a typical down payment, are notably higher than median rent in the area, so families weighing buying versus renting may want to run their own numbers.
Data on discipline, chronic absenteeism, staffing ratios, and course access were not available for this school. For an elementary school, those gaps are not unusual in publicly reported information, but they are factors a parent may wish to explore directly through school visits or conversations with the principal. Pine Grove Elementary presents a mix of academic results, with stronger fourth-grade reading and a need for attention in fifth-grade math and reading, set within a district that is actively changing its literacy instruction, cell phone policy, and school facilities. Families considering the school will want to understand how the new literacy curriculum is being implemented and how the school supports students who are not yet meeting state benchmarks.
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