The top reported proficiency rate is 64% in Social studies. The lowest is 19% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Rising Sun Middle School
Rising Sun Middle School serves sixth through eighth grade in the small Cecil County town of Rising Sun, a historic stagecoach stop that grew substantially in the 2000s and has since stabilized. The school is a regular public school in the Cecil County Public Schools system, and it is the only middle school in its feeder area.
The student body is predominantly white, with a much smaller share of Hispanic students and very small numbers of Asian, Black, and multiracial students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
On state assessments, the school’s results vary noticeably by subject and grade. English language arts results are a clear strength. In the most recent testing cycle, eighth-grade proficiency was strong, seventh-grade was stronger, and sixth-grade was moderate but still higher than many middle schools nationally. Across all three grades, the combined ELA proficiency rate was solid. Social studies results in eighth grade were also solid, and eighth-grade science proficiency was near the midpoint.
Math tells a different story. Proficiency rates in math were low across all three grades, with sixth grade below a quarter, eighth grade below a fifth, and seventh grade only slightly above a quarter. The combined math proficiency rate was low. A parent considering the school would want to investigate how the school supports students who are below grade level in math, what interventions are available, and how math instruction changes as students move through the grades.
Because Rising Sun Middle School does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report. The school has no charter or magnet designation, and Title I status was not listed in the data.
The town of Rising Sun itself is compact and oriented around automobile travel, with US Route 1 skirting the town’s northwest edge. The historic downtown along Main Street contains Town Hall and several properties on the National Register of Historic Places. The school is on a separate campus outside the downtown core, consistent with the pattern of small Maryland towns. The population grew significantly in the 2000s and then declined slightly by the 2020 census, with estimates showing relative stabilization in 2024. Median home values have risen considerably over that period, and the cost of living is near the national average.
At the district level, Cecil County Public Schools has two major developments a family should know about. A large school construction project is combining Bohemia Manor High School and Bohemia Manor Middle School into a single shared campus, expected to open in 2026. That project will reshape the secondary school experience for families in the Chesapeake City area, but Rising Sun Middle School is not directly affected. Separately, the district faced a budget crisis in spring 2024, warning of potential cuts to positions and programs including Pre-K if the county did not fully fund its budget request. The crisis was averted when the county provided record funding in the next budget cycle, so programs and staffing were preserved for now, but the episode shows that district funding depends on annual county budget decisions.
For a family weighing this school, the picture is mixed. The ELA and social studies results give confidence in the core literacy and humanities instruction. The math results are a soft spot that warrants a closer look, including how the school handles math placement, intervention, and support for students who are behind. The school serves a largely white and economically mixed community in a small town that has seen home values rise but remains near average in cost of living. The district’s recent budget volatility is worth asking about at the school level, since future cuts could affect class sizes or programs at this middle school as well.
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