Sunderland Elementary, Sunderland MD

Original Research by School Decision on Sunderland Elementary

Sunderland Elementary is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Calvert County, part of the Calvert County Public Schools district. It sits in the unincorporated, semi-rural community of Sunderland, a residential area at the crossroads of several state routes with no central business district of its own. The area is described as quiet and established, with houses set back on gridded roads and limited sidewalks, functioning largely as a commuter base for Washington, D.C. and Baltimore.

The school enrolls a large student body for an elementary school. The student population is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Black students, students who identify as two or more races, and Hispanic students, and a very small Asian contingent. About one-fifth of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a modest share that points to a generally middle- to higher-income community context, consistent with the area’s above-state-average home values and household incomes.

On the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program, the school’s English language arts results are a clear strength. Across the tested grades, proficiency rates are strong, particularly in third grade. Math results are more mixed, with third grade showing a solid proficiency rate while fifth grade sits at a lower level. Science results, from the Maryland Integrated Science Assessment given in fifth grade, are considerably lower, with roughly one-third of students reaching proficiency. A parent may want to ask the school how it supports science instruction and how math achievement trends across the upper grades compare with earlier years, since that pattern may reflect a transition in curriculum or student readiness.

The school offers no data on chronic absenteeism, staffing ratios, or discipline, so a parent interested in school climate would need to seek that information directly. There is also no public record of recent district-level changes, such as budget shifts, boundary adjustments, or program overhauls, that would affect Sunderland Elementary specifically. The district’s year was not marked by visible referendums or construction projects in the search results.

Because Sunderland Elementary serves only through fifth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. Students in this attendance area typically move on to Northern Middle School and Huntingtown High School, both of which are in nearby communities and are not part of this school’s profile.

For a family considering this area, the school offers above-average elementary reading outcomes and a stable, largely middle-class peer environment in a semi-rural part of Calvert County where housing prices and incomes run above state norms. The weaker science result and the dip in upper-elementary math proficiency are the points most worth investigating further with the school. The lack of a walkable downtown or town center means daily errands and activities require driving, but the broader region provides access to the Patuxent River, Chesapeake Bay, and commuting routes to the Washington region.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 369%

School 69% · district not reported

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 459%

School 59% · district not reported

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 550%

School 50% · district not reported

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 382%

School 82% · district not reported

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 469%

School 69% · district not reported

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 567%

School 67% · district not reported

▲ 27 pts above state median

Science

Grade 534%

School 34% · district not reported

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

This schoolCalvert County Public Schools, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 5Lower-income25%Higher-income30%5 pp gap