College Park Academy, Riverdale MD

Original Research by School Decision on College Park Academy

College Park Academy is a public charter school in Riverdale Park, Maryland, serving grades six through twelve under the Prince George’s County Public Schools system. It operates as a regular school with charter status, meaning it has some autonomy over its curriculum and operations while remaining part of the county’s district.

The school’s academic profile presents a mixed picture. On state assessments, reading and writing skills come through as a relative strength. English language arts results in sixth and eighth grade show a majority of students meeting the proficiency benchmark, and seventh grade results fall in a similar range. Social studies in eighth grade also posts solid proficiency. Science performance lands around the midpoint, with about half of tested eighth graders reaching the proficient level. Math, however, is notably weaker across all tested grades, with proficiency rates well below half. The pattern holds whether students are taking grade-level math or algebra and geometry. A parent considering this school may want to ask about the school’s math curriculum and any interventions or supports in place for students who struggle with that subject. No graduation rate was available in the data, and program offerings such as Advanced Placement, dual enrollment, or career pathways were not reported, so those aspects are not possible to characterize here.

The student body is diverse and reflects the surrounding community. About half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a common measure of economic need. Racially, the largest groups are Black and Hispanic students, with a smaller share of White students, along with Asian and multiracial populations. The school’s enrollment is moderately sized for a combined middle and high school, with each grade from six through twelve containing a comparable number of students.

Riverdale Park is a semi-urban streetcar suburb with a mix of older homes, mid-century apartment buildings, and newer development. Commercial activity runs along Baltimore Avenue, where the Riverdale Park Station mixed-use project added retail and residential density, anchored by a Whole Foods Market. The town’s historic core includes the Riversdale mansion and a grid of president-named streets, traffic circles, and green space. Major employers include the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the U.S. Postal Service, and the university just north in College Park. The MARC Camden Line has a station at the town center, and two Purple Line light rail stations are planned to open in the near future, which may further shape growth. The town has seen commercial expansion along the highway corridor and has undergone annexations over time.

At the district level, Prince George’s County Public Schools adopted a district-wide literacy initiative aligned with the science of reading, a curriculum shift that affects how elementary students learn to read. The district also approved a budget increase directed toward teacher salaries and student support, and it completed a boundary review to address overcrowding, with changes proposed for a coming school year. Those decisions may matter to families whose children are nearing school age or who anticipate redistricting.

Overall, College Park Academy offers a charter school environment in a town with improving transit access and a mix of housing styles. The school’s academic strengths lie in literacy and social studies, while math is an area where many students are not yet meeting state standards. Families will want to look into the school’s specific approach to math instruction and any support structures available, as well as the absence of reported program offerings beyond the core curriculum.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=90%Cohort of 54 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

244 schools plotted. 22 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 624%

School 24% · district not reported

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 724%

School 24% · district not reported

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 812%

School 12% · district not reported

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 658%

School 58% · district not reported

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Science

Grade 851%

School 51% · district not reported

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 36 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 864%

School 64% · District 21% · ▲ 43 pts above district

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 44 pts above county median

This schoolPrince George's County Public Schools, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income54%Higher-income63%10 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income28%Higher-income31%4 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income25%Higher-income45%20 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income17%Higher-income22%5 pp gap