Guilford Elementary, Columbia MD

Original Research by School Decision on Guilford Elementary

Guilford Elementary is a regular public school in Columbia, Maryland, part of the Howard County Public Schools system, and serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade. It sits within one of the county’s planned villages, part of the larger Columbia community, a large suburban area developed around a network of villages, each with its own center of shops and services. Columbia itself is a highly educated, affluent community, a census-designated place that is the second most populous in the state and sits between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., with many residents commuting to those cities.

The student body at Guilford is diverse. More than half of the students come from households that qualify for free or reduced-price meals. The racial and ethnic composition reflects the surrounding area’s diversity, with Black students making up the largest share, followed by Hispanic, White, and Asian students, and a smaller number of students who identify as two or more races. These characteristics give the school a varied peer environment, one that looks quite different from some of the county’s more uniformly affluent schools.

State assessment results from a single recent year show that the school’s performance is a notable area of concern. In English language arts, the proportion of students meeting proficiency standards was in the range of two-fifths to just under half across grades three through five. In mathematics, the share was lower, roughly one-quarter of students across those same grades. Science proficiency among fifth graders also fell below a third of students. These results come from the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program and the Maryland Integrated Science Assessment. For context, there was no comparison data available against other districts in Howard County because the comparison set was too small, but the numbers themselves are soft spots that a parent would want to understand from the school directly. Only a single year of data was available, so no trend can be drawn.

The district has drawn attention to a few recent developments that may matter to Guilford families. A new high school, Guilford Park High School, opened in 2023, which has shifted attendance boundaries and feeder patterns for parts of the district. Howard County Public Schools has also adopted a strategic plan focused on attendance, reading proficiency by third grade, middle school math, college and career readiness, and discipline practices, all aligned with state requirements. Additionally, teacher salaries and support staff pay have been increasing in recent years, which has pushed up the district's operating budget and per-pupil spending.

In terms of the community context, the housing market in the area is expensive. Home values and rents are at a high level relative to national and state benchmarks, which will be a factor for any family looking to move into Guilford’s attendance zone. The area is largely built out, with new development concentrated on redevelopment and densification in the downtown Columbia area rather than new suburban expansion.

For a family evaluating Guilford Elementary, the main takeaway is clear. This is a school with a diverse student body in a well-regarded, well-resourced district in an expensive suburban community. The academic performance, however, based on the most recent state tests, is well below what a parent might assume from the county’s overall reputation. A parent considering this school should ask what supports are in place to address the low proficiency rates in math and reading, and what the school and district are doing to change those results.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 329%

School 29% · district not reported

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Grade 424%

School 24% · district not reported

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Grade 523%

School 23% · district not reported

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 342%

School 42% · district not reported

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 447%

School 47% · district not reported

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

Grade 548%

School 48% · district not reported

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

Science

Grade 529%

School 29% · district not reported

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

This schoolHoward 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-income7%Higher-income26%19 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income16%Higher-income26%9 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income8%Higher-income35%27 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income14%Higher-income14%1 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income8%Higher-income18%10 pp gap