The top reported proficiency rate is 54% in English language arts. The lowest is 19% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Perrywood Elementary
Perrywood Elementary is a regular public school in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, serving kindergarten through fifth grade as part of Prince George's County Public Schools. The school is located on Watkins Park Drive in a community that blends small-town civic life with suburban and rural surroundings. Upper Marlboro functions as the county seat, a compact town where government offices, the courthouse, and the school district’s administrative headquarters are clustered along Main Street. The immediate residential area west of downtown is quiet and largely composed of single-family homes, while the broader Greater Upper Marlboro area includes housing developments and horse farms, creating a contrast between the old town center and its expanding hinterland.
Academically, the school participates in the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program and the Maryland Integrated Science Assessment. In English language arts, roughly half of students across grades three through five scored at the proficient level or above, with results holding fairly steady from grade to grade. That is the stronger subject in the school’s profile. In mathematics, the share of students reaching proficiency was lower, and it declined notably from third to fifth grade. Science, assessed in fifth grade, showed a similarly modest proficiency rate. Only one year of assessment data was available, so no trend could be examined. The school serves a student population where a substantial majority qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a factor often associated with additional learning challenges. A parent may want to ask the school about the specific supports and interventions in place for math and science instruction.
The student body is predominantly Black, with smaller shares of Hispanic, white, multiracial, and Asian students. Enrollment is moderate for an elementary school serving this grade span. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not reported. The school is not a charter or magnet, and Title I status was not provided. No discipline or staffing data was available in our research.
The district context matters for families. Prince George’s County Public Schools recently approved an operating budget increase with additional funding directed toward teacher salaries and student support services. The district also implemented a system-wide literacy initiative in a recent school year, adopting a new reading curriculum aligned with the science of reading. That shift touches every elementary school, including Perrywood. Additionally, the district conducted a boundary review to address overcrowding and facility use, with changes proposed for a future school year. That means feeder patterns to middle schools could shift, which is a practical consideration for families planning ahead.
Housing in the area carries a cost that is above the national benchmark, reflecting proximity to Washington, D.C., and the broader Maryland market. Rents are similarly elevated. The town of Upper Marlboro itself is small and stable, with a population that has grown only modestly in recent years. A long-running discussion about relocating the county seat to Largo adds uncertainty to the town’s long-term development trajectory, though for now the government centers remain in place.
For a family considering Perrywood Elementary, the academic picture is mixed: reading is the relative strength, while math and science show room for improvement, set against a backdrop of high economic need. The school operates within a large district that is actively investing in literacy and adjusting attendance boundaries. The community setting is a quiet, government-anchored town with suburban and rural edges, where home costs are considerable. The school offers no test results from previous years, nor any comparison to other nearby schools, so a family would need to gather additional firsthand information—visiting, talking to staff, and understanding the specific programs and supports for their child’s grade level.
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