The top reported proficiency rate is 40% in English language arts. The lowest is 13% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Cherry Hill Middle
Cherry Hill Middle serves the middle grades for families in Elkton and the surrounding parts of Cecil County. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and sits in a region where school funding and facilities have been matters of active public discussion recently. The district received its full budget request in the most recent county budget cycle, described as record funding, after a prior year in which the district warned of possible cuts to programs including Pre-K and increases to class sizes.
The school’s student body is predominantly white, with a meaningful share of Black and Hispanic students and a smaller group of students who identify as two or more races. Roughly half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a marker of moderate household income levels in the community. The school is not a Title I school.
On state assessments, the picture is mixed and parents will want to look closely at the results across subjects and grades. In English language arts, roughly two in five students met the state’s proficiency bar in the most recent testing year, with sixth and seventh graders posting a slightly higher rate than eighth graders. In math, the results are considerably lower. Across all three grades tested, about one in seven students scored proficient. The eighth-grade math proficiency rate is very low, and a parent would be wise to ask the school directly about math instruction, intervention supports, and how the school addresses this pattern. On the eighth-grade science assessment, just over one in five students met the proficiency standard, and on the social studies assessment, roughly a quarter were proficient. There is no multi-year trend data available because only one year of this assessment data is reported, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent an improvement or a decline.
Cherry Hill Middle has no graduation rate to report because it serves only grades six through eight. The school’s enrollment is moderate for a middle school of this grade band. There is no publicly reported data on chronic absenteeism, student discipline, course access, or staffing levels in the data provided, so a parent seeking a fuller picture of school climate and day-to-day academic experience would need to request that information from the school or district.
Elkton, the county seat, is a town with a traditional downtown along Main Street, a historic colonial-era core, and a mix of government buildings, a hospital, and retail. It sits at the head of navigation on the Elk River and was historically a transportation hub. The population is growing modestly. Housing values in the zip code are roughly in line with the national median, and rents are slightly above the national typical rent-to-income benchmark. The town is served by a countywide demand-response transit system that requires advance scheduling, so car access is the norm.
The Cecil County Public Schools district has a major facilities project underway combining Bohemia Manor High School and Bohemia Manor Middle School into one shared campus, with completion expected in the near future. That project does not directly affect Cherry Hill Middle’s feeder pattern, but it signals that the district is investing in its secondary school infrastructure. The budget cycle that secured full funding may be relevant context for parents who are concerned about program stability in the district overall.
Cherry Hill Middle is a school where English language arts results sit in a moderate range while math and science results are weak. A family considering this school should expect to take an active role in understanding how the school supports students who are not yet proficient, particularly in math, and what interventions or enrichment are available. The school’s setting in a small county seat offers a traditional town environment with limited public transit and a modest but growing housing market.
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