The top reported proficiency rate is 38% in Math. The lowest is 22% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Wellwood International School
Wellwood International School is a regular public elementary school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Pikesville, a suburban census-designated place just northwest of the Baltimore city limits. It is part of the Baltimore County Public Schools district, the county’s sole school system. The student body is moderate in size for an elementary school and draws from the surrounding neighborhood.
The demographic composition shows a majority of students who are Black, with sizable Hispanic and White populations, and smaller shares of Asian and multiracial students. Slightly more than half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, indicating that a substantial portion of the community relies on this support. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the records we reviewed, so we cannot describe those populations here.
On state assessments administered through Maryland’s MCAP for English language arts and math and the MISA for science, the school’s results vary by grade level and subject. In math, third graders scored above the midpoint, with more than half reaching proficiency. Fourth graders were below that level, with roughly a third proficient, and fifth graders dipped further, with about a quarter meeting the bar. In English language arts, third graders performed in a range that roughly spanned from just over half to just over half of students proficient, though the state reports this as a range rather than an exact figure. Fourth graders saw about two in five proficient, and fifth graders about a third. Science, tested only in fifth grade, showed about one in five students proficient, a softer result that a parent may want to explore further with the school. Because the district’s comparison set for this school was too small for any county-level positioning, we cannot say how these figures compare to nearby elementary schools.
The district that operates Wellwood, Baltimore County Public Schools, has undertaken several changes in recent years that affect the school. A new elementary literacy curriculum aligned with the science of reading was adopted starting in the 2023-2024 school year, emphasizing phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. This shift applies district-wide and reshapes how reading is taught at Wellwood. The district also implemented a new cell phone policy for the 2024-2025 school year that restricts phone use during instructional time for elementary students, including keeping phones stored and silenced throughout the school day. Baltimore County voters approved a bond issue for school safety improvements, which funds secure entrances and other upgrades. Additionally, the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, a multi-year state plan, is guiding the district toward expanded pre-K, increased teacher salaries, and higher standards, with additional state funding flowing to the district. Boundary changes affecting some high school feeder systems were approved for 2025-2026, though those changes are likely not relevant to Wellwood’s elementary attendance zone. The data we reviewed did not include program offerings or course access information for these grades, so we cannot describe specialized programs.
Pikesville itself is a suburban community with a mix of residential neighborhoods and a commercial corridor along Reisterstown Road. It has been the center of the Baltimore area’s Jewish community since the mid-1950s, and the area hosts several independent schools and religious institutions. Public schools, including Wellwood, are distributed along the corridor rather than clustered in a single downtown. The Baltimore Metro Subway runs through Pikesville with two stops, and multiple bus routes serve the area, though walkability is limited outside the main commercial segments. Housing values and rents have been rising modestly, and the area has seen tight availability in its housing stock. No information on recent major development projects was found in the records we reviewed.
For a family considering Wellwood International School, it offers a neighborhood elementary setting within a large district that is actively rolling out curriculum and policy changes. The academic results show stronger performance in the early grades, with a noticeable decline by fifth grade, particularly in science. Parents may want to ask the school about support for students as they move through the upper elementary years and about how the district’s literacy initiative is being implemented in the classroom.
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