Orchard Grove Elementary, Frederick MD

Original Research by School Decision on Orchard Grove Elementary

Orchard Grove Elementary is a regular public school in Frederick, Maryland, serving prekindergarten through fifth grade within the Frederick County Public Schools system. It sits in a city that functions as the county seat and a regional crossroads, with a historic downtown and a growing population. The school’s enrollment of roughly six hundred students is distributed fairly evenly across the elementary grades, giving it a mid-sized feel for its grade band.

On state assessments, Orchard Grove’s academic profile shows a clear split between English language arts and mathematics. Across grades three through five, ELA proficiency rates are solidly above the halfway mark, though they taper off somewhat by fifth grade. This suggests that many students arrive reading at grade level or better, and the school is supporting that skill well in the early grades. Math results are lower across the board, with proficiency declining noticeably as students move from third to fifth grade. That pattern is one a prospective parent may want to discuss with the school to understand what math intervention or curriculum support is in place. Science, tested only in fifth grade through the Maryland Integrated Science Assessment, shows a small share of students reaching proficiency, a soft spot worth exploring further.

The student body is diverse. No single racial or ethnic group constitutes a majority. Black and Hispanic students each make up about a third of enrollment, white students about a fifth, and the remainder is a mix of Asian, multiracial, and a small number of American Indian students. A substantial share of students come from families with low enough incomes to qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not available, so a family with a child who has an Individualized Education Program or is learning English may want to ask directly about those supports.

The school is part of Frederick County Public Schools, a district for which we looked for recent parent-relevant changes such as boundary adjustments, curriculum shifts, or major budget referenda but found none that met a lasting-impact bar. That is not unusual: many districts go through quiet years without headline changes.

Housing in the area around Orchard Grove reflects the broader Frederick market. Home values are above the national median, and rents are moderately high relative to incomes. The city has been growing rapidly, with Fort Detrick and the National Cancer Institute as major employers, drawing families and professionals. The downtown area offers civic and recreational anchors such as a golf course, a lake, and a municipal airport, but the school itself is located in a residential zone typical of a suburban-style development.

For a parent or resident trying to get a read on whether this school fits, the picture is mixed. The school shows a clear strength in early literacy. The math and science results are areas where a family might want to dig deeper, especially given that proficiency drops as students reach the upper elementary grades. The diverse student body and significant share of low-income enrollment are characteristics, not verdicts, but they shape the peer environment. The surrounding community is growing and relatively expensive, typical of a desirable commuting and employment hub in western Maryland. There are no recent district upheavals to weigh. Orchard Grove is a school where the academic profile has notable variation by subject and grade, and where a family’s experience may depend heavily on how well the school addresses the soft spots in math and science.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 345%

School 45% · district not reported

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

Grade 438%

School 38% · district not reported

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 523%

School 23% · district not reported

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 366%

School 66% · district not reported

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 463%

School 63% · district not reported

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

Grade 555%

School 55% · district not reported

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

Science

Grade 517%

School 17% · district not reported

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 15 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income20%Higher-income29%9 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income24%Higher-income22%1 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income10%Higher-income40%30 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income6%Higher-income24%18 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income11%Higher-income40%29 pp gap