The top reported proficiency rate is 81% in English language arts. The lowest is 38% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Wilson Wims Elementary School
Wilson Wims Elementary School serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade in Clarksburg, a fast-growing suburban community in northern Montgomery County. The school is part of Montgomery County Public Schools, one of the largest and most well-funded districts in Maryland, and it operates as a regular public school without charter or magnet status.
The student body is diverse. Asian students make up the largest share, followed by Black, White, and Hispanic students, with smaller groups of students who identify as two or more races, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander. Just under one in five students qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a rate notably below the national average for public elementary schools.
On the 2024-25 state assessments, the school posted strong results in English language arts across all tested grades. Third-grade proficiency was particularly high, with the vast majority of students scoring proficient or above on the MCAP. Fourth- and fifth-grade results, while somewhat lower, remained well above what one typically sees statewide, placing the school on solid footing relative to most Maryland elementary schools. Math scores were more varied. Third graders performed very well. Fourth-grade math proficiency dipped compared to the third-grade level but still landed in a respectable range. Fifth-grade math results were reported with a range, a narrower band that still suggested performance above the state average but not at the same level as the lower grades. Science, tested only in fifth grade, showed a clear soft spot: just over a third of students were proficient on the Maryland Integrated Science Assessment, a result that parents may want to understand better by asking the school about science instruction and curriculum support.
Because the school only serves elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and the data did not include chronic absenteeism figures, so that measure cannot be evaluated here. There was also no information about course access or extracurricular programs, but given the school's grade band, those offerings are typically limited to what an elementary school provides.
Clarksburg as a community is a product of rapid growth. The population multiplied several times over in the decades leading up to 2020, driven by construction of single-family houses and townhouses in new subdivisions. That boom came with growing pains: homes were built too close together, some without proper permits, and roads were too narrow for emergency vehicles, eventually prompting a development moratorium. The county later placed additional limits on development near a local creek, a restriction that was upheld in court. Despite these constraints, a new town center is being built, and retail has grown around a large shopping center and an outlet mall with many stores. The area is car-dependent, with most errands requiring a drive, but it offers ample park space including several large regional parks and many local trails and playgrounds. Major employers in the immediate area include a defense contractor and the outlet mall, though many residents commute to jobs elsewhere in the Washington, D.C. region.
A few district-level changes are worth noting. MCPS introduced a new elementary literacy curriculum starting in the 2023-24 school year, replacing the prior reading program, a shift that affects every elementary school including Wilson Wims. The district's operating budget has grown to consume a large share of the county's overall spending, reflecting a sustained fiscal commitment that shapes both resources and property taxes. MCPS is also in the middle of a systemwide boundary analysis as part of long-term facilities planning, a process that could eventually change which schools some students attend, though no specific boundary changes for Wilson Wims have been announced from the available data.
Housing in the area carries a premium. Home values in the zip code are well above state and national medians, and rents have been rising modestly. For a family considering the school, the combination of strong early literacy outcomes, a diverse student population, and a high-cost, growth-focused suburb with ongoing development tensions is the context to weigh. The science result is the one place where a closer look at what the school offers would be reasonable before enrolling.
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