The top reported proficiency rate is 54% in English language arts. The lowest is 45% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Dynard Elementary
Dynard Elementary serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade in a regular public school setting within St. Mary's County. The school sits in Chaptico, a small unincorporated village that retains much of its 17th-century river port character, with a dispersed settlement pattern of historic homes, open space, and limited commercial activity. Little new building has occurred since the 1930s, though some open land remains and development pressure may reach the area in the future. The village has no formal downtown; its civic life centers on Christ Church, a National Register landmark, and nearby Chaptico Park and Chaptico Wharf provide recreation and waterfront access. This is not a place with a busy streetscape or a concentrated school campus the data suggest the school building itself is outside the historic village core, as no school campus within Chaptico was noted in the available materials.
The school enrolls roughly four hundred students, with a grade-by-grade distribution that shows a fairly even spread from kindergarten through fifth grade. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students, and a very small number of Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander students. About two of every five students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, indicating a notable level of economic need. The data do not report figures for students receiving special education services or English learner support, so a parent would want to ask the school directly about those programs.
State testing results from the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program provide a snapshot of academic performance across grades three, four, and five. In English language arts, the share of students scoring proficient or above was roughly half to just over half in grades three and five, and reached about three of five in grade four. In math, proficiency rates were somewhat lower, roughly two of five to just under half, with a slight dip in fourth grade. Science, tested only in fifth grade, showed a similar range around two of five. These figures represent a single year of data, so no trend is available. Overall, the school shows a mixed academic picture: ELA performance is moderately stronger than math, and both subjects sit in a range that a family may wish to compare with other elementary schools in the county. Because the county has only one school district, a direct neighborhood comparison was not possible.
As an elementary school, Dynard does not produce a graduation rate, and the profile lacks data on chronic absenteeism, discipline incidents, staffing ratios, or course access. These gaps are common in data reports for lower-grade schools, but they mean a parent cannot assess attendance patterns or student-support staffing from this page alone.
The area’s housing market is anchored by a typical home value modestly below the statewide median, and the national 30-year mortgage rate at the time of this profile was above six percent, which shapes affordability. The broader St. Mary’s County economy includes defense-related industries and tourism, though no major employers sit within Chaptico itself. For families considering this school, the setting is rural and quiet, with limited commercial infrastructure and a historically rooted, slow-growth character. The school’s academic results suggest room for attention particularly in math, and the absence of several common data points means that a conversation with the school or district office would fill in important details about special education, English learner services, and school climate.
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