The top reported proficiency rate is 64% in English language arts. The lowest is 33% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Yorktown Elementary
Yorktown Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school in Bowie, part of Prince George’s County Public Schools. The school sits in a primarily residential eastern suburb of Washington, D.C., a community that grew rapidly in the 1960s with the Levitt and Sons planned development of Belair at Bowie. The city is heavily car-dependent, with commercial activity concentrated at Bowie Town Center and along highway corridors, and it hosts Bowie State University, Maryland’s oldest historically Black university. Housing in the area represents a substantial investment, with home values and rents both running above national benchmarks. A short commute time to the capital is a draw for many families.
Yorktown is a modest-sized elementary school. More than a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is majority Black, with a white population that makes up the next-largest share, followed by Hispanic students, then students identifying as two or more races, Asian students, and a small American Indian or Alaska Native population. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not available, a gap families may want to ask the school about directly.
State assessment results from the 2024-25 school year show a clear pattern. In English language arts, performance is a point of strength: the combined proficiency rate across tested grades sits in the mid-sixtieth percentile, with the strongest showing in third grade, where about three-quarters of students scored proficient or above. Fourth-grade ELA proficiency also reached a solid level, above the school’s overall average. Fifth-grade ELA was lower but still a majority of students were proficient. Math results are more mixed and weaker overall, with a combined rate in the low fortieth percentile. Third-grade math was notably stronger than later grades, with a majority of students proficient, but fourth and fifth grade math fell to below the one-third mark. Science, tested only in fifth grade, showed about a third of students proficient. These numbers suggest that while early literacy foundations are solid, math proficiency erodes in the upper elementary years, and science performance is a soft spot a parent may want to explore further with the school.
Because Yorktown is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report, and no course access data such as high school pathways. The school does not have a charter or magnet designation. The district brief notes that Prince George’s County Public Schools approved a significant operating budget increase for the 2025 fiscal year, with funds directed to teacher salaries and student support. It also implemented a district-wide literacy initiative in the 2023-24 school year adopting a science-of-reading curriculum, which has a direct effect on how Yorktown’s elementary students learn to read. A boundary review was conducted in 2024 with changes proposed for 2025-26, meaning that some families’ assigned school may shift.
The school’s setting is suburban and car-oriented, with no single traditional downtown. City parks, ball fields, community centers, and an ice arena are within reach. The Bowie State MARC station provides rail access to Washington. For families deciding between elementary options in Bowie, Yorktown’s academic picture is one where literacy instruction appears to be a clear asset, while math and science attainment signal an area to monitor and potentially supplement at home. The school’s relatively small enrollment in a large, well-established district may appeal to families seeking a neighborhood-scale environment.
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