The top reported proficiency rate is 58% in English language arts. The lowest is 34% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Bakerfield Elementary
Bakerfield Elementary is a regular public school in Aberdeen, Maryland, serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as part of Harford County Public Schools. It operates as a neighborhood school, not a magnet or charter, and is one of several elementary schools feeding into the county’s middle and high schools.
The school enrolls a student body that is diverse across racial and ethnic lines. Black students make up the largest group, followed by white students, then Hispanic students, with smaller shares of students who are multiracial or Asian. A substantial share 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 available in the profile, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those populations and the supports offered.
On state assessments from the most recent school year, the picture varies by subject. In English language arts, across grades three through five, a majority of students scored at the proficient level or above. That is a clear strength and suggests that, at least in reading and writing, the school is helping most of its students meet the state’s academic standards. Math performance is notably lower. In third grade, roughly half of students were proficient, but that share dropped in fourth grade and again in fifth grade, where about one in three students reached proficiency. Science, tested only in fifth grade, showed a similar pattern, with about one in three students proficient. The gap between ELA and math is wide, and the decline in math as students move through the grades is something parents may want to inquire about, particularly what interventions or curriculum adjustments are in place to support students who are not yet meeting benchmarks.
Aberdeen itself is a growing city shaped by the presence of Aberdeen Proving Ground, a major U.S. Army installation that is the dominant employer and a driver of the local economy. The city has a compact downtown with a train station serving Amtrak and MARC commuter rail, but most of the area is car-dependent. Housing values and rents, while not the highest in the state, reflect steady demand in a region that has seen population growth in recent years. For a family considering moving into the area, the school sits within a residential neighborhood and draws from the surrounding community.
At the district level, Harford County Public Schools is in the middle of a capital project rebuilding Homestead-Wakefield Elementary as a single campus, a change that affects families in that attendance zone but not Bakerfield. A new state law, Keep Students In Class, took effect for the 2024–2025 school year and shifts how attendance and behavioral policies work across all Maryland districts, so parents can expect those changes to apply here as well.
Bakerfield Elementary offers a standard elementary program in a setting that reflects the economic and demographic mix of its community. Its strongest academic showing is in English language arts, while math and science are areas where proficiency is lower, especially by fifth grade. A parent whose child needs extra support in math or who wants to understand how the school addresses the early achievement gap would benefit from a direct conversation with the school about those supports. The data available do not include chronic absenteeism or discipline statistics, so those are additional topics a family may wish to explore on their own.
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