The top reported proficiency rate is 38% in English language arts. The lowest is 5% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Maple Elementary School
Maple Elementary is a regular public school in Cambridge, Maryland, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as part of Dorchester County Public Schools. Located at the southern end of the Eastern Shore, the school sits in Dorchester County, a coastal area where the Choptank River meets the Chesapeake Bay. Cambridge itself is the county seat, a small city with a historic downtown along the waterfront, a mix of residential neighborhoods, light industry, and a tourism economy anchored by a large resort and the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge nearby. The city has seen modest population growth in recent years, with downtown revitalization efforts underway since its designation as a Maryland Main Street community.
Maple Elementary’s student body is diverse. A large share of students are Black, a significant share are Hispanic, and there is a smaller but notable proportion of White students and students who identify as two or more races. Every student at the school qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, reflecting a community where economic need is widespread. The school is not a charter or magnet school and serves all students in its attendance zone without any selective admission.
The academic picture, based on the most recent state assessments, shows a school where most students are not yet reaching the state’s proficiency benchmarks in math and science, while English language arts scores are mixed. In third grade, roughly a quarter of students scored at the proficient level or above in math; by fourth grade that share shrank, and by fifth grade it dropped further. The pattern in reading and writing was somewhat stronger: about two in five third graders met the proficiency bar, a share that declined gradually through the upper grades. Science results for fifth graders were very low, with only a small fraction of students reaching proficiency. These are the only test data available for the school—no prior year results were provided, so there is no way to see whether performance is improving or declining over time.
Because Maple Elementary serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to consider. The school also does not report chronic absenteeism data, discipline records, or teacher-to-student ratios in the available information. Parents interested in those details would need to ask the school or district directly. No programs such as gifted education, dual-language tracks, or specialized arts offerings were listed in the data.
The broader context of the Dorchester County district suggests a system with limited size—there is only one school district in the county, so the kind of cross-district academic comparisons often available elsewhere do not apply here. The district brief found no recent changes or new initiatives that would be relevant to families.
Housing in the area is moderately priced relative to the state. Home values in Cambridge are below the Maryland median, and the owner-occupancy rate reflects a mix of homeowners and renters. The unemployment rate in the region has been steady near the national average, and median household income in the city is lower than the national figure, consistent with the high rate of economic need seen in the school.
For a family considering Maple Elementary, what stands out most is the level of economic disadvantage and the academic challenge that many students face. The school’s test results indicate that significant support is likely needed in math and science, while literacy outcomes, though higher, still leave room for improvement. The lack of trend data and absence of information on class sizes or support programs mean a prospective parent would want to visit the school and speak with staff to understand what interventions and enrichment are actually in place. The Cambridge setting offers a small-city environment with some amenities and a slowly growing population, but the school itself is one piece of a district where resources may be stretched thin.
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