The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in English language arts. The lowest is 30% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on St. Michaels Elementary
St. Michaels Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school in the Talbot County Public Schools district. The school is located in the small historic waterfront town of St. Michaels, a place that transitioned from shipbuilding and seafood processing to a tourism-driven economy centered on inns, restaurants, and the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. The town is compact, with a historic square and a residential core, and the school sits within this community fabric rather than on a separate campus.
The student body is predominantly white, with Black and Hispanic students each making up a measurable share of enrollment. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a mix of family economic circumstances. The school draws its attendance from the town itself and likely the surrounding area, given the local district structure.
On state assessments administered through the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program, the school’s results show a varied picture by grade and subject. In third grade, just above half of students met the proficiency standard in English language arts, while in fourth grade the rate was half, and in fifth grade it dropped to about two out of five. In mathematics, proficiency rates declined steadily across the grades, from roughly two out of five in third grade to about one in four in fifth grade. Fifth-grade science results showed about three out of ten students meeting the bar. These patterns suggest that the school’s academic performance is stronger in the earlier grades and in literacy compared to math and science, and that by fifth grade the share of students reaching proficiency falls off notably. Because the school does not serve upper grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and no chronic absenteeism data was available. A single year of testing data was provided, so trends over time could not be assessed.
The school operates within a district for which no recent major changes—such as boundary adjustments, curriculum shifts, or building projects—were publicly reported in the available information. St. Michaels itself has seen modest population growth, with a historic preservation ethic shaping development. Housing values in the area are well above national and state benchmarks, reflecting the desirability of this waterfront community, and the town’s small size and tourism orientation mean that many families working in the local economy may face an affordability gap between earnings and home prices.
For a family considering this school, the picture is one of a small-town elementary with a mixed academic profile. The school serves a community where tourism and local services drive employment, and where historic charm and high housing costs coexist. In the early elementary years, literacy outcomes are closer to the midpoint, but math and science proficiency, particularly by fifth grade, are weaker. A parent may want to ask the school about supports in upper elementary math and science, and about how the school addresses the slide in proficiency rates as students progress through the grades. The absence of data on special education and English learner populations means those families would need to inquire directly about services and inclusion.
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