Hammond Elementary, Laurel MD - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Hammond Elementary

Hammond Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Laurel, a largely residential city that began as a 19th-century mill town on the Patuxent River and grew into a commuter hub for Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. The school sits within Howard County, a district that has seen notable recent shifts, including the opening of a new high school in 2023 and an ongoing strategic plan centered on attendance, early reading, middle school math, college and career readiness, and discipline approaches. The district has also increased teacher salaries substantially over recent years, which has driven growth in its operating budget and per-pupil spending.

Hammond itself is a regular public school with a substantial enrollment for an elementary building. Its student body is diverse: the largest share of students are white, followed by Black students, then Asian students, with smaller shares of students who are Hispanic or identify as two or more races. About one in five students qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which is a common measure of economic need.

On state assessments, Hammond’s results show a clear pattern across subjects. In English language arts, proficiency rates are solid, with all three tested grades performing in the mid-to-high sixtieth percentile. Math results are more mixed. Third-grade math proficiency is a touch higher than fourth-grade, with fifth-grade a bit lower still. The overall picture is that ELA is a clear strength, while math is a relative soft spot. In fifth-grade science, proficiency is lower than either of the other subjects. These are single-year snapshots; no prior year data was available for comparison.

The school sits within the 20723 zip code, where home values are above the national and state medians, and rents are correspondingly elevated. The mortgage-to-rent math means buying is notably more expensive than renting here, and housing costs represent a significant share of typical income. The area has seen a recent slight dip in home values, while rents continue to rise.

The district’s strategic priorities place a specific emphasis on reading by third grade and middle school mathematics proficiency. For a family considering Hammond, the ELA results suggest the early-reading focus is bearing out at the school level. The math results across grades three through five, which trend down as students get older, are something a parent may want to look into further with the school. The science results for fifth graders are also worth a conversation. Because Hammond serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate, and no chronic absenteeism data was available. The school’s location in Laurel means families have access to a historic Main Street, a MARC train station connecting to Baltimore and Washington, and a mix of older neighborhoods and postwar suburban development. The district’s growing budget and recent boundary adjustments from the new high school may affect feeder patterns over time, though Hammond feeds into middle and high schools that are not addressed in the data here.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 355%

School 55% · district not reported

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

Grade 451%

School 51% · district not reported

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 549%

School 49% · district not reported

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 367%

School 67% · district not reported

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 466%

School 66% · district not reported

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

Grade 565%

School 65% · district not reported

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Science

Grade 543%

School 43% · district not reported

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above 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-income15%Higher-income39%23 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income7%Higher-income39%32 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income15%Higher-income39%24 pp gap