The top reported proficiency rate is 60% in English language arts. The lowest is 28% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Oakland Terrace Elementary
Oakland Terrace Elementary is a regular public school in Silver Spring, Maryland, serving students from prekindergarten through fifth grade. It is part of Montgomery County Public Schools, a large suburban district that receives a substantial portion of the county’s budget and has recently adopted a new elementary literacy curriculum district-wide. The school is located in a community that is both urban and suburban, with a walkable downtown core that includes a major transit hub, cultural venues, and mixed-use development. The broader Silver Spring area is notably diverse, with a high share of foreign-born residents and significant communities from El Salvador, Ethiopia, India, and China. Housing in the area is expensive, with home values and rents that place it well above national averages, and the local economy is anchored by large federal employers like NOAA and the FDA.
The school’s enrollment is moderate in size for an elementary school, drawing from a mix of neighborhoods within and around the Capital Beltway. The student body is diverse, with a substantial share of Hispanic and white students, a smaller but notable Black population, and a modest Asian and multiracial presence. Roughly a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, indicating a meaningful but not dominant share of families with lower incomes. Data on special education and English learner populations was not available in the school’s records, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those services.
State testing results from the 2024-25 school year offer a mixed picture. In English language arts, the school’s proficiency rates across grades three, four, and five averaged close to three in five students scoring at the proficient level or above, with the strongest performance in fourth grade. Math proficiency was lower, hovering around half of students meeting the bar, and fifth grade saw a dip below that mark. Science results, tested only in fifth grade, were notably weaker, with fewer than three in ten students reaching proficiency. For a school serving only elementary grades, these are the core academic measures available. The overall pattern suggests that while many students are developing solid reading skills, math and especially science are areas where the school is still working to lift performance. A parent may want to investigate what supports are in place for students who are not yet meeting benchmarks in those subjects.
Because the school does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and the limited grade span means no data on college readiness, advanced coursework, or career pathways. The school’s status as a regular elementary school means it follows the standard MCPS curriculum and does not offer magnet or charter programs. The district is currently conducting a systemwide boundary analysis, so families should be aware that attendance boundaries could shift in the coming years as part of long-term facilities planning.
The community context matters here. Silver Spring is a dense, transit-connected place with a strong civic core. The school is set in a residential area inside the Beltway, so families can expect a mix of older single-family homes and apartments, with good access to parks along the creek valleys. The Purple Line light rail, expected to open in late 2027, will improve connections to Bethesda and College Park, but the existing Red Line and bus network already make commuting without a car feasible for many. For a family weighing this school, the key considerations are the academic profile—solid in reading, uneven in math and science—and the reality of living in a high-cost, diverse, urban-adjacent community where the school is one of many in a large, well-resourced district. The school’s own test results are the main evidence available; a visit and a conversation with the principal about intervention programs and the new literacy curriculum would help fill in the gaps.
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