The top reported proficiency rate is 54% in English language arts. The lowest is 19% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Roye-williams Elementary
Roye-Williams Elementary serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school in the Harford County Public Schools district, located in the historic waterfront city of Havre de Grace. The school is part of the district’s network of elementary schools and draws from the surrounding residential neighborhoods of this small city, which sits at the mouth of the Susquehanna River where it meets the Chesapeake Bay. Havre de Grace has a compact, walkable historic district with a mix of frame and brick houses, a restored waterfront promenade and boardwalk, several museums focused on maritime and decoy carving traditions, and a downtown business district with shops and restaurants. The city has a growing population and a relatively high rate of educational attainment among adults. Two railroad mainlines pass through on elevated tracks, but travel within the city is primarily by road, with US Route 40 and connections to Interstate 95 nearby.
The school enrolls a body of students that is diverse in background. The student population includes a substantial share who identify as white, with significant numbers of Hispanic and Black students, and a smaller number who identify as Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, or two or more races. More than half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, indicating that a majority of families have lower household incomes.
On the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program, or MCAP, the school’s results show a mixed picture. In English language arts, the share of students scoring at the proficient level or above varied by grade. Fourth and fifth graders performed at a level where roughly three in five met that bar, while third graders performed at a lower level where fewer than half did. In mathematics, the results were lower across all three tested grades. The strongest math performance was in fourth grade, where a little over two in five students were proficient, while third and fifth grades saw around one in three or fewer. Science results, which are tested only in fifth grade, showed a low proficiency rate. A parent considering this school may want to ask school staff about supports in math and science, and how the school addresses the gap between its reading and math outcomes.
State testing data for special populations, including students with individualized education programs and English learners, was not available in the data provided, so a family with a child in either group should discuss services directly with the school.
The data provided does not include information on rates of chronic absenteeism, teacher staffing ratios, or course access, so those aspects of the school environment could not be characterized.
Housing in the Havre de Grace area reflects the broader market trends in the region. Home values in the area have seen a slight year-over-year decline, and the typical rent is at a level that is a modest portion of the national median household income. The estimated monthly mortgage payment on a median-priced home, assuming a typical down payment and the prevailing interest rate, is moderately higher than the typical rent. Families new to the area may want to evaluate the local housing market with an agent familiar with the school’s attendance zone.
At the district level, Harford County Public Schools is undertaking a capital project to rebuild Homestead-Wakefield Elementary School in Bel Air as a single-building campus. That project is a lasting change for families in that area, though it does not directly affect Roye-Williams Elementary. A new state-mandated policy called Keep Students In Class, which took effect with the 2024-2025 school year, brings changes to attendance and behavioral expectations that apply across all Maryland districts, and parents can expect to see those procedures in place at the school.
Because only a single year of assessment data was provided, there is no trend information available to show whether performance at Roye-Williams has been improving or declining over time. The school serves grades that are not tested in all subjects, and as an elementary school it does not have a graduation rate, so those measures do not apply. A family looking for a fuller picture of the school’s trajectory would need to obtain results from prior years directly from the district.
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