Monocacy Elementary, Frederick MD

Original Research by School Decision on Monocacy Elementary

Monocacy Elementary is a regular public school in Frederick, Maryland, serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade within Frederick County Public Schools. The school’s setting is part of a growing city that serves as the county seat, with a historic downtown core, a major U.S. Army bioscience installation as the largest employer, and a rising population that is reshaping the area. The school itself draws from a diverse residential base, and the home values and rents in the surrounding zip code sit above national medians, with mortgage rates typical of the broader economy; families looking to settle in the attendance zone will find a housing market that has become less affordable over recent years.

The student body reflects the community’s diversity. Black and Hispanic students each make up about a third of the enrollment, White students about a quarter, and multiracial and Asian students account for the remainder. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, indicating that the school serves a population with significant economic need. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not reported, so a parent relying on that information to assess support services would need to follow up directly with the school.

On the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP), the school’s academic results vary by subject and grade level. In English language arts, a majority of third and fourth graders met the proficiency bar, but that share dropped in fifth grade, where fewer than half reached the mark. Math proficiency was lower across the board. A bit fewer than half of third graders were proficient, and that rate declined steadily through fourth and fifth grades. Science, tested only in fifth grade, produced a very small share of students scoring proficient, a result that may warrant a closer conversation with the school about curriculum and support. Because only a single year of test data was available, no trend can be drawn; a parent would benefit from asking how these results compare with prior years and what the school is doing to address the weaker areas.

The school offers no high school level programs, so there is no graduation rate to report. No information on chronic absenteeism, discipline, or staffing was available in the data provided. The district, Frederick County Public Schools, has no parent-relevant changes documented from a recent search, so the operating context appears stable, though a parent should confirm any boundary or program updates with the district directly.

Monocacy Elementary presents as a demographically diverse school in a growing city with elevated housing costs, serving a student body with above-average economic disadvantage. Its test results show relative strength in early elementary reading but a notable drop in fifth-grade English, and consistently lower performance in math and science that would be a reasonable point of inquiry for any family evaluating the academic environment. The absence of special-population and attendance data limits a full picture, but the school’s profile suggests that a parent would want to learn more about how the school supports students who are behind and how it addresses the decline seen in the later elementary grades.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 346%

School 46% · district not reported

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

Grade 433%

School 33% · district not reported

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

Grade 530%

School 30% · district not reported

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 359%

School 59% · district not reported

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

Grade 457%

School 57% · district not reported

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

Grade 538%

School 38% · district not reported

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Science

Grade 513%

School 13% · district not reported

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 18 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-income8%Higher-income22%14 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income7%Higher-income21%15 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income13%Higher-income32%20 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income10%Higher-income23%13 pp gap