The top reported proficiency rate is 29% in English language arts. The lowest is 11% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Deerfield Run Elementary
Deerfield Run Elementary sits in Laurel, Maryland, as a regular public elementary school serving prekindergarten through fifth grade within Prince George’s County Public Schools. Laurel itself began as a nineteenth-century mill town on the Patuxent River, later grew into a commuter stop for Washington and Baltimore after the B&O Railroad arrived, and today maintains a historic Main Street district among suburban residential corridors. The school is located on Laurel-Bowie Road, one of the area’s main arteries.
State testing results from the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program offer a clear picture of where Deerfield Run’s students stand. In English language arts, the share of students scoring proficient or above ranged from about a quarter to roughly a third across the tested grades, with fourth grade showing a slightly higher figure than third or fifth. In math, proficiency rates were lower, landing in the single digits to low teens depending on the grade. Science results for fifth graders, measured by the Maryland Integrated Science Assessment, came in at a similar level to the math figures. A parent reviewing these numbers will find that performance in English is notably stronger than in math, though both subjects remain below the averages of many schools in the region. Deerfield Run has data for only one school year in the available trend series, so there is no multi-year comparison to show whether these results are improving or declining.
The student body is diverse, with a large majority of children identifying as Black or Hispanic. A small share identify as white, Asian, or two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, indicating that the school serves a community with many households under moderate income. Total enrollment is in the low hundreds, with roughly balanced class sizes across kindergarten through fifth grade, plus a small prekindergarten program. Data on special education and English learner populations was not available in the source materials, so a family with a child in those programs would want to ask the school directly about available supports.
Laurel’s housing market reflects the broader Washington-Baltimore corridor. Home values in the school’s ZIP code sit above the state typical home value, and rental costs are near the state average. The area’s historic district gives the town a walkable Main Street core with the Laurel Museum, a MARC train station providing rail access to both cities, and a preserved fossil park that is publicly reported as the most prolific Cretaceous dinosaur site in the eastern United States. These civic assets add context for families considering the neighborhood, though the school itself is located on a multi-lane road typical of suburban commercial corridors rather than directly in the historic downtown.
At the district level, Prince George’s County Public Schools has recently undertaken several changes that may affect Deerfield Run. The district approved an operating budget increase with additional funding directed to teacher salaries and student support services. It implemented a district-wide literacy initiative in the 2023-2024 school year, adopting a new evidence-based reading curriculum aligned with the science of reading, which would apply to Deerfield Run’s elementary grades. A boundary review was conducted in 2024 to address overcrowding and facility utilization, with changes proposed for the 2025-2026 school year, meaning the school’s attendance zone could shift. These district actions are publicly reported and represent the most concrete recent changes a family should be aware of.
This is a school where academic proficiency is an area of concern, particularly in mathematics, and where a strong majority of students come from low-income households. The setting is suburban Laurel, a town with historic roots and solid transit connections to major job centers. A parent looking at Deerfield Run will want to understand what specific academic interventions and supports the school offers, how the new district literacy initiative is being implemented at the building level, and what specialized services are available for students who need them. The available data does not cover staffing ratios, discipline rates, or program offerings, so those are gaps a family would need to explore directly with the school.
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