The top reported proficiency rate is 23% in English language arts. The lowest is 7% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Samuel Chase Elementary
Samuel Chase Elementary is a regular public school in Temple Hills, Maryland, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade within the Prince George's County Public Schools system. It is a neighborhood school with a predominantly residential feel, located in a mid-century suburban setting of garden apartments, duplexes, and single-family homes. The community itself is an unincorporated census-designated place with no traditional downtown; shopping, civic facilities, and the high school that serves the area are located on separate campuses in adjacent communities. The area is auto-oriented, with convenient highway access to the Capital Beltway and a nearby Metrorail Green Line station that connects to Washington, D.C.
The school’s enrollment is composed of a student body that is majority Black, with a substantial Hispanic or Latino population and a very small number of students who identify as white, Asian, or of two or more races. A very large share of students at Samuel Chase qualify for free or reduced-price meals, which places the school in a high-poverty context relative to other public elementary schools. Because it serves only early and elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and this grade band also means the school does not have data for metrics like chronic absenteeism or college readiness that apply to secondary schools.
On state assessments, Samuel Chase Elementary’s results show that proficiency rates in both reading and mathematics were low across the tested grades. In English language arts, a modest portion of third and fourth graders met the state’s proficiency benchmark, while the fifth-grade rate was lower. In mathematics, the share of students scoring proficient or above was very small across all three tested grade levels. In science, which is tested only in fifth grade, the proficiency rate was also low. These numbers represent a single year of data, so no trend direction is available; the school’s comparison to other elementary schools in Prince George’s County could not be established because the data used for that comparison set was insufficient.
The school’s parent district, Prince George’s County Public Schools, has recently undertaken several changes that affect Samuel Chase Elementary families. The district approved a budget increase that directs more money toward teacher salaries and student support services, which may affect class sizes and staffing at the school level. A district-wide literacy initiative adopted in the 2023-2024 school year introduced a new evidence-based reading curriculum aligned with the science of reading, a shift that will shape how all elementary students in the district are taught to read. Additionally, a boundary review conducted in 2024, with changes proposed for the 2025-2026 school year, has the potential to alter which school some children in the area are assigned to attend.
For a family evaluating this school, the picture is clear. Samuel Chase Elementary serves a high-poverty student population in a suburban, commuter-oriented community. Academic proficiency on Maryland’s state tests was low in both reading and math. A parent considering the school would want to look into these results further with the school or district—asking about specific instructional supports, intervention programs, and how the new district literacy initiative is being implemented in the building. The district’s ongoing boundary review is also worth monitoring, as it could affect attendance zones. This is a school where the academic numbers are the central fact, and a family’s next step should be a direct conversation with the school about how it is working to address those results.
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