The top reported proficiency rate is 85% in English language arts. The lowest is 73% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Jacksonville Elementary
Jacksonville Elementary serves roughly 500 students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the unincorporated community of Phoenix, Maryland, part of the Baltimore County Public Schools district. The school sits in an area that blends suburban residential development with what publicly reported sources describe as rural “horse country,” and the community lacks a traditional downtown grid. Shopping centers such as Manor Shopping Center and Paper Mill Village provide grocery stores and services, and the Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail runs directly through Phoenix, offering a lengthy paved path for walking and biking. Nearby Gunpowder Falls State Park adds extensive parkland. The area’s history includes a reported major gasoline leak from an Exxon Mobil facility several years ago that contaminated local wells and led to litigation and a civil penalty, a publicly reported incident that marked the community’s transition from its industrial past.
The student body is predominantly white, with small shares of Asian, Hispanic, black, two-or-more-races, and American Indian or Alaska Native students. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a figure that is well below the national average. This is a relatively affluent elementary school community by that measure. The school’s enrollment is consistent from kindergarten through fifth grade, with pre-kindergarten serving a small number of students. Data on special education status and English learner status were not available, so those profiles are not detailed here.
On state assessments, Jacksonville Elementary’s students perform at strong levels. In English language arts, results were high across grades three through five, with grade four showing particularly elevated proficiency. Grade three and grade five also posted strong reading scores. In mathematics, grade three had a high proficiency rate, and the results for grades four and five were reported as ranges that also fall in a solidly proficient band. Science testing in grade five produced a broader range that is more moderate, but still above the midpoint of what is typical. Because this is an elementary school serving only through grade five, there is no graduation rate to report.
The district, Baltimore County Public Schools, has implemented several changes that affect Jacksonville Elementary. A new elementary literacy curriculum aligned with the science of reading, emphasizing phonics and phonemic awareness, was adopted district-wide beginning in the previous school year and continues to shape how reading is taught. A new district-wide cell phone policy restricting phone use during instructional time was also implemented, though for an elementary school this is a less salient issue than it might be in upper grades. The district is also implementing the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, a multi-year state plan that expands pre-K, increases teacher salaries, and boosts college and career readiness. Baltimore County voters approved a bond issue for school safety and security improvements, funding upgrades such as secure entrance vestibules and access control systems, which apply to Jacksonville Elementary as a district school. Boundary changes approved by the Board of Education affecting Hereford, Dulaney, and Loch Raven high school feeder systems took effect as of the current school year, but Jacksonville Elementary feeds into different middle and high schools within the Hereford zone; parents in the attendance area should verify their specific feeder pattern if boundary changes are a concern.
For families considering this school, the academic picture is one of consistent strength, particularly in reading and math, within a relatively homogenous and economically advantaged student population. The community offers a car-dependent suburban-rural feel with significant outdoor recreational assets. The housing market in the zip code reflects values that are notably above both state and national benchmarks, suggesting that living in this attendance area carries a premium. A parent looking for a school with high test scores in a low-poverty setting will find that here, while a family seeking more economic or racial diversity, or schools with a wider range of specialized programs, may want to look further into what the larger district offers at the middle and high school levels. The school itself, as a regular elementary, does not have magnet or charter status, and its Title I status was not reported, consistent with its low share of students qualifying for meal assistance.
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