The top reported proficiency rate is 66% in Math. The lowest is 44% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Spring Garden Elementary
Spring Garden Elementary serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade in the town of Hampstead, part of Carroll County Public Schools. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet school. The school enrolls a student population that is predominantly white, with small shares of students who identify as two or more races, Black, Hispanic, and Asian. Just over a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a marker of economic need that falls in a middle range for the area. Data on the number of students with disabilities or English learners was not available, so a parent with a child in either category should ask the school directly about the services it provides.
On the 2024-25 Maryland state assessments, Spring Garden’s students posted academic results that give a clear picture of where the school stands. In English language arts, proficiency rates were solid across the tested grades. Third graders scored in the upper half of the state’s possible performance range, fourth graders were above that same threshold, and fifth graders reached a similarly solid level. In math, third and fourth graders also came in at that solid level, while fifth graders fell into a lower range that a parent may want to explore further with the school. In fifth-grade science, results were notably lower, with fewer than half of students meeting the state’s proficiency bar. The school has only a single year of assessment data in this format, so there is no trend to compare against. That means it is not possible to say whether these scores represent an improvement, a decline, or a holding pattern. A parent considering the school should treat the fifth-grade math and science figures as points to investigate, particularly since these are the years when students transition to middle school.
Spring Garden sits in Hampstead, a small town in northern Carroll County. The town grew out of a farming and railroad stop and has since developed into a suburban community with a Main Street corridor, a restored train station that now houses a museum and visitors center, and a Main Street Revitalization Plan that local officials describe as a priority. The town has a bypass road that moves through-traffic away from the downtown core. Walkability is concentrated along Main Street; most travel outside that core requires a car. Housing values in the zip code are comparable to the statewide benchmark, and rents are also in line with what is typical for Maryland. The economic context shows a stable national unemployment rate and median household income, and mortgage rates have been in the mid-six percent range, which conditions how far a family’s housing budget can stretch.
The school’s peer environment is shaped by its grade band. Since it ends at fifth grade, there is no graduation rate, no college readiness measures such as SAT or AP participation, and no career pathway data to report. Those are simply not part of what an elementary school produces. The only metrics available for a direct county comparison were proficiency rates, and a single school alone in the cohort made the comparison inapplicable, so this school cannot be placed against its fellow Carroll County elementary schools using this data. That is an inherent limit of the information, not a judgment on the school.
For a family, the core takeaway is straightforward. Spring Garden is a mid-sized elementary school in a small town with a stable, largely suburban feel. Its English and math scores in grades three and four are at a level many families would find reassuring, while fifth-grade math and science provide reason to ask questions. The school does not have a published record of recent district-level changes or strategic initiatives, which may matter to a parent looking for signs of momentum or reform. The town itself offers a quiet, car-dependent setting with a small-town civic life and housing costs that match the state median. A family that values a neighborhood school with decent early-grade outcomes and wants to learn more about the fifth-grade dip should start with a direct conversation with the principal or a visit during the school day.
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