The top reported proficiency rate is 61% in English language arts. The lowest is 34% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Warwick Elementary School
Warwick Elementary School is a regular public school serving prekindergarten through fifth grade in Secretary, a very small waterfront town on the Warwick River in rural Dorchester County. Secretary has a quiet, residential character with minimal commercial activity—a pizzeria, the historic Captain Phipps business, a post office, and a handful of churches serve as the community’s civic anchors rather than a downtown shopping district. The town has experienced a gradual population decline in recent years, and most employed residents commute to jobs elsewhere, likely in the county seat of Cambridge or nearby communities. There is no public transit; the town is car-dependent, and the housing market is relatively affordable compared to Maryland state averages.
The school’s enrollment reflects the surrounding community. A substantial majority of students are White, with smaller shares of Black and Hispanic students, and a modest number of students who identify as two or more races. Every student at Warwick qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a marker of high economic need across the entire student body. The school is an elementary-only campus, so there is no graduation rate or high school program to report.
Academically, Warwick’s state test results on the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program and the Maryland Integrated Science Assessment show a mix of performance that varies noticeably by grade level. In third grade, overall reading and math proficiency were strong, with most students meeting the state’s proficiency bar in English language arts and a solid majority doing so in math. Fourth-grade results were much softer, particularly in math, where fewer than one in three students reached the proficient level; reading also declined from the third-grade mark, though it remained above the math score. Fifth-grade reading results fell in a middle range, and math proficiency recovered somewhat from the fourth-grade dip but still sat below the third-grade level. Fifth-grade science proficiency, measured on a separate assessment, was in line with the lower end of the school’s math and reading scores, with roughly a third of students reaching proficiency. The overall pattern suggests that Warwick’s strongest academic performance is in the early elementary years, with a notable drop in fourth grade—especially in math—that a parent may want to explore further with the school to understand what supports are in place.
No multi-year trend data are available beyond a single school year, so it is not possible to tell from the provided information whether these fluctuations are typical or part of a larger pattern. Civil rights data, program offerings, and staffing details were not reported, which limits a fuller picture of student supports and course access. The Dorchester County district did not surface any recent parent-relevant changes such as boundary adjustments or facility improvements. For families considering this school, the key takeaways are a tight-knit, economically challenged elementary setting in a shrinking rural town, with uneven academic outcomes that are strongest in third grade and weaker in fourth-grade math. The absence of comparative data within the county—Dorchester has only this one district in the comparison set—means a reader cannot benchmark Warwick against nearby peer schools.
See more original research from School Decision →