The top reported proficiency rate is 61% in English language arts. The lowest is 37% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Clemens Crossing Elementary
Clemens Crossing Elementary is a regular public school in Columbia, Maryland, serving kindergarten through fifth grade. It is part of the Howard County Public Schools system. The school sits in a highly educated and affluent part of the county, a large planned community of villages located between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. The housing market around the school reflects that context: home values and rents are well above national and state benchmarks, and the area is largely built out, with new development focused on denser redevelopment in the downtown Columbia core rather than new suburban expansion.
The school community draws from Columbia’s population, which has a high share of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher and a median household income above the national average. The student body is diverse. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. The largest racial or ethnic group is white students, followed by Black students, with smaller shares of Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students, and very small counts of Native American and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students.
On the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program, the school’s proficiency rates show a pattern that changes by grade. In third grade, both English language arts and math proficiency are at levels that are encouraging for a parent looking at the start of the testing years. By fourth grade, proficiency in both subjects drops, and by fifth grade it drops further. Fifth graders took the Maryland Integrated Science Assessment, and the proficiency rate there is lower, a soft spot that a parent may want to look into further with the school. Because the data covers only a single school year, there is no trend line to show whether these grade-level declines are a typical pattern at this school or a one-year fluctuation. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to consider.
A few notable gaps exist in the available data. Information on special education identification rates and English learner counts was not available. Discipline data, staffing ratios, and chronic absenteeism rates were also absent, which limits a full picture of the school climate. These are common gaps in publicly reported data for elementary schools, but a parent may want to ask the school directly about class sizes and support services.
Howard County Public Schools, the district, has been active in recent years. A new high school opened in 2023, which shifted some attendance boundaries and feeder patterns. The district has also adopted a strategic plan emphasizing attendance, early reading proficiency, middle school math, college and career readiness, and discipline practices, all aligned with the state’s Blueprint for the Future. Teacher and staff salaries have increased, which has pushed up the district’s per-pupil spending, a factor that affects county funding and property tax obligations.
For a family considering Clemens Crossing, the school sits in a community with high housing costs and a strong local job market anchored by healthcare, the school system itself, and the county government. The commute patterns are long on average, with many residents traveling to Baltimore or Washington, D.C. The school offers a straightforward K-5 pathway in a district that is investing in its strategic priorities and has a track record of high overall outcomes across the county. The grade-level test results are mixed, with stronger performance in the early grades and a noticeable decline by fifth grade, particularly in science, which is worth a closer conversation with the school.
See more original research from School Decision →