Original Research by School Decision on Colonel Richardson High School
Colonel Richardson High School serves students in grades nine through twelve in Federalsburg, a small, rural town in southern Caroline County. The school is part of Caroline County Public Schools, a district of about ten schools spread across several towns. Federalsburg has a historically working-class character rooted in milling, shipbuilding, and farming, with a mix of residential neighborhoods and a traditional Main Street. The town’s population has been essentially flat for years, and housing is notably affordable relative to state and national benchmarks. Daily life is car-dependent; there is no public transit. Major employers include a steel fabrication company and the local railroad headquarters, and a marina park offers some outdoor recreation. The school building is integrated into the town center rather than on a separate campus.
Academically, the most recent state testing data shows a mixed picture. In English language arts, about six in ten students met the state standard, a performance that sits at a solid level for a comprehensive high school. In mathematics, the share of students reaching proficiency was in the single digits, a very low result. Geometry, a separate metric, showed about one in three students proficient. These figures represent a single year’s snapshot, so a parent may want to ask the school how it supports math learning and whether interventions are in place. State testing results for science were not available for this grade band. A four-year graduation rate was also not reported in the data provided, so that important measure is absent from this picture.
The student body is around five hundred, making it a modestly sized high school. White students make up the majority, roughly half, with Black students accounting for about a quarter and Hispanic students about a tenth. Small shares identify as Asian, two or more races, or American Indian. A majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a population with significant economic need. Information on students with disabilities and English learners was not provided.
No data on course offerings, advanced placement, career and technical programs, or dual enrollment were included, so it is not possible to describe the breadth of the academic pathway here. Similarly, discipline rates, chronic absenteeism, and staffing ratios were absent from the data. These are gaps a family would want to fill by talking to the school or visiting.
The school’s setting in Federalsburg offers an affordable housing market relative to the state average, but job opportunities outside of manufacturing and agriculture are limited, and the town has seen little population or development growth. The district itself is small, with a single high school serving the county, so there is no meaningful comparison to other local high schools within the same county. This is the only comprehensive high school in Caroline County.
Colonel Richardson High School is likely to fit a family looking for a small-town, rural environment with affordable housing and a school where a majority of students come from lower-income backgrounds. The academic picture shows a strength in English language arts and a clear challenge in mathematics that warrants further inquiry. Without information on advanced coursework or support programs, the academic pathway beyond core classes is unclear. A parent should seek out details on math instruction, graduation rates, and available electives or career pathways to get a fuller sense of what the school offers.
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