The top reported proficiency rate is 44% in English language arts. The lowest is 20% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School
C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School is a regular public school serving prekindergarten through fifth grade in Waldorf, a large, unincorporated community in Charles County, Maryland. The school is part of Charles County Public Schools, a district for which no recent parent-relevant changes were reported in publicly available sources. Located on Lancaster Circle, Barnhart sits within the suburban fabric of a place that grew dramatically over the past several decades from a small crossroads to the largest commercial and residential area in Southern Maryland, a bedroom community tied to the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.
On state assessments administered through the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP), Barnhart’s results show a pattern that varies by grade and subject. In English language arts, third and fourth graders reached proficiency at rates near the midpoint, while fifth graders recorded a lower rate. In math, the third-grade proficiency rate also came in around that middle mark, but the fourth-grade rate was lower, and the fifth-grade rate was lower still. In fifth-grade science, assessed through the Maryland Integrated Science Assessment, the proficiency rate was low. A single year of data is available, so there is no trend to observe yet; the school has not had a chance to show improvement or decline across multiple years. Because the cohort of districts for comparison within the county was too small, a broader proficiency index was not computed, so these results are best understood as a snapshot of this school alone.
The student body is predominantly Black, with a substantial Hispanic presence, a smaller number of students who identify with two or more races, and a modest share of Asian and white students. A majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a marker of economic need that families may want to consider alongside other support resources. Information on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the data used for this profile.
Waldorf itself is thoroughly auto-oriented, with no incorporated town government and no traditional walkable downtown. Commercial life follows U.S. Route 301, and the St. Charles Parkway provides a residential bypass. The population more than doubled in the 1980s and continues to grow, fueled by the planned community of St. Charles. Home values in the area sit above both the state and national medians, and monthly rents are moderate relative to local incomes. Many residents commute to federal, professional services, and healthcare jobs in the D.C. region; public transit options include county bus service and MTA commuter routes, with a Southern Maryland Rapid Transit line in planning.
For a family considering Barnhart, the school offers a regular elementary program in a setting that is the largest public-school provider in the area. The academic picture is mixed: students in the early tested grades show stronger proficiency in reading than in math, but by fifth grade both subjects drop off, and science is a clear soft spot. A parent may want to discuss with the school how its curriculum and support structures address that decline, particularly in math and science, and what interventions are in place for upper-grade students. The student body is economically diverse in terms of need, and the community context is one of a fast-growing suburb where housing is relatively expensive but commuting access is well established. This is a school that fits a family looking for a neighborhood elementary in a large suburban system, with the understanding that performance across grade levels is uneven and bears monitoring.
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