Cabin John Middle, Potomac MD - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Cabin John Middle

Cabin John Middle sits in Potomac, an affluent, primarily residential suburb of Washington, D.C., within Montgomery County Public Schools. The school serves grades six through eight and is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. The community around it is car-dependent, with a small commercial cluster at Potomac Village and many residents commuting to D.C. and Northern Virginia for work. Housing values in the area are substantially above national and state benchmarks, and rental costs are similarly elevated, a direct reflection of the community’s wealth and desirability. The district, MCPS, is a large countywide system that commands a significant share of the county’s budget, and it has recently undertaken a new elementary literacy curriculum adoption and a systemwide boundary analysis that families should be aware of as it may affect future school assignments.

The school’s enrollment is sizable for a middle school. The student body is racially and economically diverse in composition. White and Asian students each make up roughly comparable shares, with Black and Hispanic students present in smaller but notable proportions, and a small share of students identifying as two or more races. The share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals is quite low, a figure that aligns with the area’s high-income profile. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the resources available for those populations.

Academically, the story is mixed and worth examining closely. In English language arts, the school posts a strong record. Across grades six, seven, and eight, a large majority of students scored at or above proficiency on the state MCAP assessment. This is a clear strength, placing the school in a favorable light for literacy instruction. Science and social studies results for eighth graders, the only tested grade for those subjects, also show a solid majority of students meeting the proficiency bar, a positive sign for content-area learning.

Math tells a more complicated and concerning story. In sixth grade, a modest majority of students reached proficiency. In seventh grade, that share drops substantially. In eighth grade, the proficiency rate is very low, with only a tiny fraction of students meeting the mark. However, it is important to note that the eighth-grade math test in Maryland includes students who take the grade-level MCAP math assessment, while many students who have advanced to Algebra I or Geometry take end-of-course exams instead. Data shows that students taking the Algebra I and Geometry end-of-course assessments posted strong proficiency rates. This pattern suggests that the school’s math program sorts students into different tracks, with a significant number of eighth graders placed in advanced courses where they perform well, while the students who remain in the grade-level math course struggle. A parent should ask the school directly about math placement policies, how students are assigned to advanced or on-grade-level math, and what supports are available for students who need more help before they fall behind. The low proficiency on the on-grade-level eighth-grade math test is a soft spot that warrants a close conversation.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 657%

School 57% · district not reported

▲ 43 pts above state median · ▲ 31 pts above county median

Grade 735%

School 35% · district not reported

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 85%

School 5% · district not reported

even with state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 683%

School 83% · district not reported

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

Grade 787%

School 87% · district not reported

▲ 39 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

Grade 874%

School 74% · district not reported

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

Science

Grade 861%

School 61% · district not reported

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

Social studies

Grade 874%

School 74% · District 50% · ▲ 24 pts above district

▲ 43 pts above state median · ▲ 29 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 6Lower-income55%Higher-income87%32 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income18%Higher-income64%46 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income23%Higher-income66%43 pp gap