The top reported proficiency rate is 53% in English language arts. The lowest is 30% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Relay Elementary
Relay Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as part of Baltimore County Public Schools. The school is located in the Baltimore zip code that covers the Relay area, a neighborhood within the broader city. The school itself is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet.
The student body is diverse. White students make up the largest share, followed by Asian students, Black students, students who identify as two or more races, and Hispanic students. The enrollment is of a size that is common for an elementary school supporting a full range of early grades. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, reflecting a moderate level of economic need among the families the school serves. Data on students receiving special education services and those classified as English learners was not available in the source materials, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the availability of those supports.
Academically, the picture from state testing is mixed and varies by subject. In English language arts, results are stronger. In third grade, about half of students scored at the proficient level or above on the state assessment known as MCAP. Fourth grade shows a similar rate, and fifth grade marks a higher share reaching that threshold. These ELA results overall represent a performance that is broadly around the middle of the range one would see across the district. In math, the results are lower. The proficiency rates for third, fourth, and fifth grades each fall below the rates seen in ELA, with the fourth and fifth grade math proficiency rates dropping notably. On the fifth grade science assessment, about a third of students scored proficient or above.
Because the district brief notes that Baltimore County Public Schools adopted a new elementary literacy curriculum beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, built around the science of reading, the ELA results at Relay Elementary reflect a school operating under that new approach. A parent interested in how the curriculum is working on the ground might find it useful to speak with teachers or visit a classroom.
The district also implemented a cell phone restriction policy starting in the 2024-2025 school year that requires elementary students to keep phones stored and silenced all day, which shapes the daily environment.
Housing in the area around Relay Elementary is priced below the Maryland statewide benchmark for home values, and rents have been rising at a modest pace. The economic context in Baltimore itself shows a stable unemployment rate around the national figure, while real median household income nationally has been relatively flat in recent years. The city's population has declined slightly in recent years. Major employers include the Johns Hopkins Hospital and University, and the Port of Baltimore continues to be a driver of the local economy.
The academic data available for Relay Elementary covers only a single school year, so there is no trend to examine yet. The comparison tool that would place this school's proficiency index against other schools in Baltimore County was not able to run because the cohort of comparable schools was too small for a meaningful comparison. That means the closest available context for a parent is to look at the district-level picture and the specific grade-level results reported here.
For a family considering Relay Elementary, the key takeaway is a school that is delivering solid reading results in a district that has invested in a new literacy curriculum, while math results are an area where a parent may want to seek additional information about how the school supports students in that subject. The school serves a diverse, economically mixed student body in a part of Baltimore with housing costs that are more accessible than much of the rest of the state.
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