Yellow Springs Elementary, Frederick MD

Original Research by School Decision on Yellow Springs Elementary

Yellow Springs Elementary is a regular public school in Frederick, Maryland, that serves children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It is part of Frederick County Public Schools, a single-district county, which means the school’s performance is best understood on its own terms rather than through a comparison with nearby districts.

Academically, the school’s state assessment results show reading and language arts as a relative strength. In the most recent testing year, across the tested grades, a solid majority of students met or exceeded proficiency in ELA. Fourth-grade reading was particularly strong. Math results were more varied. A slight majority of third and fourth graders scored at the proficient level, but the share fell notably in fifth grade. Science scores in fifth grade were the lowest area tested. A parent looking at these results may want to ask the school about math support and science instruction in the upper elementary years, since those subjects show a clear drop-off from the school’s stronger reading performance.

The student body is diverse. White students make up the largest group, but no single background accounts for more than a modest plurality. Black and Hispanic students each form a substantial share, with smaller proportions of Asian students and students of two or more races. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, indicating a range of household incomes. No data was reported for students with disabilities or English learners, so those figures are not available. As an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report; that metric applies only to high schools.

The school sits within the city of Frederick, a growing county seat with a historic downtown known for its church spires and a creek running through the central corridor. Fort Detrick, a U.S. Army bioscience and communications installation, is the county’s largest employer and anchors the local economy. The city has seen rapid population growth in recent years. Home values and rents in the area are in line with national trends, and the local unemployment rate has been stable. The district recently did not report any major policy changes, budget shifts, or redistricting that would affect families directly.

Yellow Springs Elementary does not have magnet or charter status, nor does it have a Title I designation available in the data. No information on discipline rates, chronic absenteeism, course access, or staffing ratios was provided. The school appears to be a neighborhood elementary serving a moderately diverse community in a city that is expanding, with academic results that point to strong literacy skills and room for improvement in math and science. For families weighing this school, the key takeaway is a solid foundation in reading that may contrast with uneven performance in other subjects, set in a growing suburban city with a stable economic base.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 349%

School 49% · district not reported

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 459%

School 59% · district not reported

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 535%

School 35% · district not reported

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 361%

School 61% · district not reported

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 473%

School 73% · district not reported

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 555%

School 55% · district not reported

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Science

Grade 529%

School 29% · district not reported

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

This schoolFrederick County Public Schools, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.