Francis Scott Key Middle, Silver Spring MD

Original Research by School Decision on Francis Scott Key Middle

Francis Scott Key Middle School is a regular public school in Silver Spring, Maryland, serving grades six through eight. It is part of Montgomery County Public Schools, the large and well-funded district that covers the county. The school sits within a densely populated, diverse community just north of Washington, D.C., and draws its students from nearby neighborhoods inside the Capital Beltway.

The student body is large for a middle school and reflects the area’s rich ethnic diversity. Hispanic and Black students together make up the clear majority, with smaller shares of Asian, white, and multiracial students. A substantial share of students qualify for free and reduced-price meals, indicating that the school serves a high-poverty population. This economic context shapes the challenges and the resources needed at the school.

On state assessments, most students at Key Middle are not reaching proficiency, and the results vary sharply by subject and grade. In English language arts, about two in five sixth graders met the bar, while the share was lower in seventh and eighth grades. In math, the proficiency rates were very low across all three grades, with only a tiny fraction of eighth graders scoring proficient or above. Science and social studies scores for eighth graders were also low. The pattern suggests that while some students are performing at grade level, the vast majority are not, and math is a particular area of concern. The state provides these results for a single year, so there is no trend to compare. A parent exploring this school would likely want to ask about interventions, tutoring, and targeted support in math and literacy.

Silver Spring is a densely built edge city with a walkable downtown core anchored by the AFI Silver Theatre, the Paul Sarbanes Transit Center, and a mix of retail and residential development. The transit center connects to Metro, MARC, and bus lines, and the Purple Line light rail is under construction. The area is home to major federal employers like NOAA and FDA, and many residents commute to Washington. The housing market is expensive, reflecting the intense demand for proximity to the capital. The community is notably foreign-born, with large Salvadoran, Ethiopian, Indian, and Chinese populations. Parks along four creek valleys offer hiking and recreation.

Montgomery County Public Schools, the district that operates Key Middle, has made recent changes that affect all families. It adopted a new elementary literacy curriculum in the 2023-24 school year, and while that targets younger students, it signals a district focus on reading instruction. The district’s operating budget is large and represents a substantial portion of the county’s spending. Ongoing boundary studies could eventually alter attendance zones, though no immediate changes have been announced for this school.

Francis Scott Key Middle operates as a regular public school with no magnet or charter designation. The data does not include information on programs such as honors courses, arts, career pathways, or extracurricular offerings. A parent considering this school may want to contact the school directly to learn what academic and enrichment opportunities are available beyond the core curriculum. The school’s academic results are a clear signal that many students need additional support to reach grade-level standards, and the district’s resources may be a factor in how that support is delivered.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 616%

School 16% · district not reported

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 75%

School 5% · district not reported

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

Grade 81%

School 1% · district not reported

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

English language arts

Grade 640%

School 40% · district not reported

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 736%

School 36% · district not reported

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 829%

School 29% · district not reported

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Science

Grade 811%

School 11% · district not reported

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 818%

School 18% · District 50% · ▼ 32 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below 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-income31%Higher-income50%20 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income13%Higher-income28%15 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income23%Higher-income28%5 pp gap