Forest Knolls Elementary, Silver Spring MD

Original Research by School Decision on Forest Knolls Elementary

Forest Knolls Elementary sits in the East Silver Spring neighborhood, just inside the Capital Beltway in a part of Montgomery County that blends older single-family homes with modest apartment buildings and townhouses. The school itself is a regular public elementary serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, part of the large Montgomery County Public Schools system.

The student body reflects the diversity of the surrounding community. Hispanic students make up the largest share, followed by a substantial white population, a smaller Black cohort, and a notably smaller Asian group, with a small number of students identifying as two or more races. More than a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, placing the school in the mid-range of economic need for the county. The share of English learners and students receiving special education services was not available in the data reviewed; a parent may want to ask the school directly about these figures.

On state assessments, the picture varies by grade and subject. In third and fourth grade, a solid majority of students met or exceeded the state’s proficiency bar in both English language arts and math. Fifth-grade results showed a steeper drop-off, with fewer than half of students reaching proficiency in either subject, and science results were lower still. Because this is the only year of data provided, it is not possible to say whether this pattern is typical or an anomaly for these students as they moved up. A parent may want to ask the school about supports available for older elementary students, especially in math and science.

The school does not offer programs that would be visible at this grade band, such as Advanced Placement or career pathways, and it does not hold a magnet or charter designation. No information on chronic absenteeism, discipline rates, or staffing ratios was available. The district has recently adopted a new elementary literacy curriculum, Benchmark Advance and HMH Into Reading, which all elementary schools now use.

Silver Spring itself is a large, urbanized area with a walkable downtown core anchored by the AFI Silver Theatre and the Paul Sarbanes Transit Center, which connects the neighborhood to Washington, D.C., via Metro and MARC train. The surrounding residential streets are served by several creek-side parks. Housing values in the zip code are well above the national median, and rents are correspondingly high, reflecting Montgomery County’s expensive market. The county’s school district commands a large share of the county budget, and ongoing boundary studies could eventually affect attendance areas, though no changes specific to Forest Knolls have been announced.

For a family considering the school, the key factors are the solid early-elementary test results, the diversity of the student body, and the school’s location in a well-connected, amenity-rich part of the county. The drop in proficiency by fifth grade and the absence of certain data points are worth exploring further with the school itself.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 362%

School 62% · district not reported

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 458%

School 58% · district not reported

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 535%

School 35% · district not reported

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 361%

School 61% · district not reported

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 464%

School 64% · district not reported

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 539%

School 39% · district not reported

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Science

Grade 532%

School 32% · district not reported

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

This schoolMontgomery 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-income20%Higher-income45%25 pp gap