The top reported proficiency rate is 22% in English language arts. The lowest is 12% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Harmony Hills Elementary
Harmony Hills Elementary is a regular public school in Silver Spring, Maryland, serving students from prekindergarten through fifth grade. It sits within Montgomery County Public Schools, the largest school district in Maryland, in a densely populated and highly diverse suburban area just north of Washington, D.C. Silver Spring itself is a varied place—its downtown core is urbanized and walkable, anchored by a major transit hub and cultural landmarks, while the surrounding neighborhoods range from inner-suburban residential streets inside the Capital Beltway to more spread-out communities farther east. The area is home to a notably foreign-born population, with significant Salvadoran, Ethiopian, Indian, and Chinese communities, and major employers include NOAA, the FDA, and Seventh-day Adventist Church headquarters. Home values and rents in the zip code are above national medians, and the area has seen sustained redevelopment and population growth in recent decades, with a new light rail line expected in the next few years.
Academically, on the state assessments administered in the 2024-25 school year, the proficiency rates for Harmony Hills students were below state averages across all tested subjects and grade levels. In mathematics, the share of students scoring proficient or advanced was in the teens and twenties depending on grade, with fourth grade showing the lowest. In English language arts, proficiency rates were similarly modest, hovering around one in five students in each grade tested. In fifth-grade science, the figure was lower still. Because the state testing data is only available for a single year, there is no trend to indicate improvement or decline over time. A parent considering this school may want to ask the school leadership directly about the academic improvement plan and what support strategies are in place to raise achievement.
The student body is large for an elementary school and is heavily diverse. More than six in ten students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a common indicator of economic need. The vast majority of students identify as Hispanic, with smaller shares of Black, White, Asian, and multiracial students. Data on special education and English learner populations was not available in the state reporting, but given the demographics, it is reasonable to expect that a substantial number of students are English learners, and a family may want to confirm the specific programs and supports for these groups.
The school is part of Montgomery County Public Schools, a large district that adopted a new elementary English language arts curriculum in the 2023-24 school year and continues to conduct systemwide boundary studies that could affect attendance zones. The district also commands a large share of the county’s operating budget, reflecting a long-term fiscal commitment that shapes resources available to schools like Harmony Hills. For families, this means district-level changes in curriculum and boundaries may directly affect the school experience, and it is worth staying informed about ongoing planning efforts.
Overall, Harmony Hills Elementary offers a full pre-K through fifth-grade program in a diverse, economically mixed community in a region with strong transit and employment anchors. Its state test results indicate that many students are not yet meeting grade-level expectations, a fact that families will want to weigh alongside the school’s broader support environment and the district’s ongoing improvement initiatives.
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