The top reported proficiency rate is 45% in English language arts. The lowest is 10% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on G. Lisby Elementary at Hillsdale
G. Lisby Elementary at Hillsdale serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school in the Harford County Public Schools district. The school is located in Aberdeen, a city shaped by the presence of Aberdeen Proving Ground, the dominant employer, and by its position along the I-95 and Northeast Corridor rail corridor. Aberdeen has been growing rapidly, with a population increase over a recent span that makes it the largest municipality in Harford County. The city’s housing market shows a mix of owner-occupied and rental options, with median home values and rents that reflect demand in a growing area. Parents should be aware that the district is implementing a state-mandated policy called Keep Students In Class, which changed attendance and behavioral expectations beginning with a recent school year, and that a local elementary school in Bel Air is being rebuilt as a single-building campus, a capital project that may be relevant to families who move within the county.
G. Lisby Elementary is a neighborhood school with enrollment that is moderate for an elementary school serving this grade band. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. The student body is diverse: the largest group is Black, followed by White, with smaller shares of students who are Hispanic, two or more races, and Asian. No counts were available for the number of students with individualized education plans or students who are English learners, so a family with a child who receives special education or language support services should confirm directly with the school what is offered.
On state assessments, the school’s results show a pattern where performance varies by subject and grade. In English language arts, the share of students scoring proficient or above was strongest in third grade, then declined in fourth grade and fifth grade. Across the three tested grades, the overall ELA proficiency rate sits at a level that a family might describe as mixed—roughly in the middle range. In math, proficiency was lowest in fourth and fifth grades, with third grade somewhat higher. The overall math proficiency rate across all tested students was lower than the ELA rate. In science, which is tested in fifth grade, the share of students reaching proficiency was small. Because only a single year of data was available for this school, there is no trend to show improvement or decline over time. A parent may want to ask the school what steps are being taken to strengthen math and science instruction, particularly in the upper elementary grades.
The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. No data on chronic absenteeism was available, nor on discipline, course access, or staffing ratios. Families who are concerned about school climate or support resources should follow up with the school directly for those details. No program offerings were listed in the data, so a parent interested in specific enrichment or specialized programs should inquire.
Because a comparison against other districts in Harford County was not possible—the cohort was too small to produce a meaningful comparison—there is no local benchmark for how this school’s proficiency levels stack up against other elementary schools in the county. That means a family evaluating this school will need to rely on their own conversations with the school about instruction, peer environment, and available supports, rather than a regional ranking or rating. The school’s role as a regular public elementary school serving a diverse, modest-income community in a growing city gives it a straightforward profile: it is the neighborhood school for its attendance zone, and the primary academic question for a family is whether the current proficiency levels, especially in math and science, align with their expectations for elementary preparation.
See more original research from School Decision →