The top reported proficiency rate is 57% in English language arts. The lowest is 26% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Mattaponi Elementary
Mattaponi Elementary is a regular public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in the western part of Prince George's County, within the sprawling suburban-rural area known as Greater Upper Marlboro. The school sits on Duley Station Road, outside the historic small-town core of Upper Marlboro itself, which functions as the county seat and houses the school district's central offices. The surrounding area is a mix of housing developments, horse farms, and rural pastoral land, though new subdivisions are increasingly replacing the farms. For a parent, this is a school that draws from a community that is still partly rural in character but steadily suburbanizing.
The student body is relatively small for an elementary school, and the composition reflects the surrounding community. A large majority of students are Black, with a smaller but meaningful share of Hispanic students, and a thin scattering of White, multiracial, and other racial groups. About half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, placing the school in a moderate economic context for the county. The school is not a Title I school as far as the data shows, which is notable given the income level, or the Title I status may simply not have been reported. Special education and English learner counts were not available in the data, which means a parent may want to ask the school directly about the share of students receiving those services and how they are supported.
On state assessments, Mattaponi Elementary shows a mixed picture. In English language arts, across third, fourth, and fifth grades, proficiency rates cluster in the low to mid-fifties range, with fourth grade hitting a high point just above six in ten students meeting the state's bar. That is a solid middle-ground performance for a regular public school in a large county district. In mathematics, however, the pattern is more concerning. Third graders posted a rate just below six in ten proficient, but fourth graders dropped notably, and fifth graders fell to less than a quarter proficient. That downward trajectory across grades in math is a soft spot a family should investigate further. Fifth graders also take the state science test, and the proficiency rate there is in the low to mid-twenties, which mirrors the math weakness. The data only covers one school year, so it is not possible to say whether these numbers represent a trend or a single snapshot, but the drop between third and fifth grade math is sharp enough to warrant a conversation with the school about how math instruction and intervention are structured for upper elementary students.
Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate, no course access data for high school programs, and no chronic absenteeism rate in the available records. The district-level context is relevant here: Prince George's County Public Schools recently adopted a new district-wide literacy initiative aligned with the science of reading and has been working on a boundary review that could change attendance zones for the upcoming school year. A family considering this school should confirm whether Mattaponi's attendance boundary is stable or subject to change under those proposed adjustments. The district also approved a budget increase directed at teacher salaries and student support services, which may affect staffing and class sizes across the system.
Upper Marlboro itself is a small government-centered town that bustles during business hours around the courthouse and county offices, then quiets down. Housing in the school's area is moderate in price compared to the broader Washington region, and homes are predominantly single-family. Rents have been rising more sharply than home values, which recently saw a slight dip year over year. The town's future is somewhat uncertain because of a long-discussed potential relocation of the county seat to Largo, where Metro access exists; that has not happened, but it remains an open question that could eventually shift development patterns.
For a parent, Mattaponi Elementary offers a small-school setting in a community that still has rural edges, with moderate academic performance in reading and a notable challenge in upper-grade math. The district's literacy initiative may strengthen the reading scores over time, but the math results call for a direct inquiry. The school is not in a fast-growth urban area, but the broader Greater Upper Marlboro zone is seeing gradual housing development, and the boundary review could affect who attends. A family weighing this school should talk to current parents and the principal about how the school addresses math instruction in grades four and five and what supports are in place for students who are not yet meeting the state benchmark.
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