The top reported proficiency rate is 27% in English language arts. The lowest is 8% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Perryville Elementary
Perryville Elementary serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school within Cecil County Public Schools. It is one of three public schools in the town of Perryville, a small incorporated community at the outlet of the Susquehanna River into the Chesapeake Bay. The town has a mixed character: a historic core with a train station and waterfront park sits alongside highway-oriented commercial development anchored by an IKEA distribution center, a casino, and a Great Wolf Lodge resort that opened in 2023. Perryville has grown in recent years, and the school sits within the town’s residential areas rather than a centralized downtown.
The student body is predominantly white, with a meaningful presence of Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Information on students with disabilities and English learners was not available from the data provided.
State assessment results reflect a mixed picture. In third grade, roughly two out of five students met proficiency standards in both math and English language arts on the MCAP exams. By fourth grade, math proficiency dropped sharply to about one in seven students, while ELA remained at about one in four. In fifth grade, math and ELA proficiency each stood at roughly one in seven and one in five students, respectively. Science assessment results for fifth graders on the MISA test were notably lower, with very few students reaching the proficient level. Across all tested grades, combined proficiency in ELA was just over a quarter of students, and in math it was slightly higher than a fifth. Because the data covers only a single school year, no trend line is available. A parent taking a close look at these results may want to ask the school how it supports students as they move through the upper elementary grades, especially in math and science.
The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. No data was provided on chronic absenteeism, staffing ratios, or course access such as gifted or intervention programs. The school’s Title I status was also absent from the available information. A parent interested in those areas would need to follow up directly with the school or the district.
At the district level, Cecil County Public Schools recently secured full funding from the county government after a budget cycle that had raised the possibility of cuts to prekindergarten programs and class-size increases. The district also has a major capital project underway to combine a high school and middle school into a shared campus in the Bohemia Manor feeder area, though that does not directly affect Perryville Elementary’s building or programming.
Housing in Perryville reflects a town that has seen steady development. Home values sit around the national median, with a moderate year-over-year increase. Rents are somewhat lower than mortgage costs, and the town’s location at an I-95 interchange and the northern terminus of the MARC commuter rail line makes it a commuter option for families working in Baltimore or Wilmington. The town’s largest employers include the Perry Point VA Medical Center, the casino, the resort, and the IKEA distribution center.
Perryville Elementary offers a neighborhood school experience within a small town that has seen investment and population growth. The academic results suggest that families who value strong early elementary performance may find the third-grade outcomes encouraging, while the lower proficiency in later grades is a point to explore. A parent considering this school would benefit from speaking with teachers and administrators about how the school addresses the drop in math and science performance between third and fifth grade, and about what supports are available for students who are not yet at grade level.
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