The top reported proficiency rate is 23% in English language arts. The lowest is 6% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Sussex Elementary
Sussex Elementary is a regular public school in Baltimore County Public Schools serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. Located in the Baltimore area, the school sits within a city that has shifted from an industrial past to a service-oriented economy, with Johns Hopkins Hospital and University as major employers. The city is dense with historic districts, public monuments, and civic anchors like the Inner Harbor, Fort McHenry, and Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Baltimore’s population has experienced a modest decline in recent years, and a major infrastructure project to replace the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge is underway, with completion expected in the near future.
At the school itself, enrollment is substantial relative to its grade band. The student body is diverse: a little under a third of students are white, just under a third are Hispanic, and about a quarter are black. Students who identify as two or more races make up roughly a tenth of the population, with smaller shares of Asian and American Indian or Alaska Native students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, indicating a significant proportion of families with lower household incomes. Data on students with individualized education plans and English learners was not available.
On state assessments administered through the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program, the school’s performance is a soft spot. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above was low across all tested grades, and by fifth grade it dropped to a small single-digit percentage. In English language arts, third and fourth graders showed a somewhat higher proficiency rate, though still below the midpoint of what one would expect to see in a typical school, and fifth graders were considerably lower. In science, only a small fraction of fifth graders reached proficiency on the Maryland Integrated Science Assessment. A parent looking at these results will want to investigate further with the school to understand the context. Because the data covers only a single year, there is no trend to report, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent a pattern or a snapshot.
The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to consider. Data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, course access, and staffing was unavailable.
The district, Baltimore County Public Schools, has made several recent changes relevant to families at an elementary school. It adopted a new elementary literacy curriculum beginning in the 2023-2024 school year that is aligned with the science of reading, with an emphasis on phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. This is a district-wide shift in how reading is taught, and it may affect what Sussex students experience in the classroom. The district also implemented a cell phone policy restricting phone use during instructional time for all grade levels, and boundary changes affecting some high school feeder systems took effect in the 2025-2026 school year, though it is unclear whether those changes touch the feeder pattern for Sussex. The district is also implementing the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, a multi-year state plan that includes expanding pre-K, increasing teacher salaries, and additional state funding. A bond issue for school safety and security improvements was approved by voters, funding upgrades like secure entrance vestibules and cameras across district schools.
Housing in the area around the school has a home-price benchmark that is roughly in line with the national median, and rents are moderate. The typical mortgage payment on a median-priced home is higher than the average rent, making renting more affordable month to month. The national unemployment rate is low, and median household income nationally has shown modest growth in recent years.
Sussex Elementary is a neighborhood school serving a diverse student body in a community with considerable economic need. The test results are a clear concern for any family evaluating academic performance. The district is undertaking significant curriculum and policy changes, which may have a long-term impact on instruction and school climate, but the available data does not yet show whether those changes have translated into improved outcomes at this school. A parent seeking a strong academic starting point will want to engage directly with the school about its instructional approach, support services, and how it is addressing the proficiency gaps evident in the assessment results.
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