The top reported proficiency rate is 61% in English language arts. The lowest is 39% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Paramount Elementary
Paramount Elementary is a regular public school serving prekindergarten through fifth grade, located on Longmeadow Road in Hagerstown, Maryland. It is part of Washington County Public Schools, the sole school district in the county. The school occupies a campus in a residential area of a city that functions as the commercial and industrial hub for a tri-state region spanning Western Maryland, south-central Pennsylvania, and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.
On state assessments administered through Maryland’s MCAP and MISA testing programs, Paramount Elementary shows a noticeable gap between math and English language arts performance. In math, across grades three, four, and five, roughly two out of every five students scored at the proficient or advanced level. In English language arts, the share was higher, with about three out of five students meeting the state standard. Science, tested only in grade five, followed a pattern similar to math. The math results are a soft spot; a parent may want to ask the school how it supports students who are not yet on grade level in that subject and whether there are targeted intervention programs. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to consider.
Enrollment is moderate for an elementary school, with students spread across grades pre-K through five. A little more than half of the student body is white, with substantial representation of Black and Hispanic students and a notable share identifying as two or more races. Asian students make up a smaller presence. Roughly half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, an indicator of economic need at the school level. Information on the proportion of students with individualized education programs or those classified as English learners was not available in the data we reviewed; families with children in special education or who are learning English may want to follow up directly with the school for details on services and staffing.
The school sits within a district that is in the early stages of implementing the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, a multiyear state education reform law. This has brought expanded pre-K classrooms, teacher salary increases, and new career and technology programs at the district’s technical high school. Closer to home for families of elementary-aged children, the school board approved a redistricting plan that redraws attendance boundaries for several elementary schools in the Hagerstown area, effective with the 2025-2026 school year. The plan is meant to balance enrollment between over-capacity and under-capacity buildings. Voters also approved a construction bond that funds a new elementary school and major renovations to existing buildings across the district. These decisions could affect which school a child attends and what facility conditions they experience, so families paying attention to boundary maps and construction timelines will want to keep up with district announcements.
Hagerstown itself is often called the Hub City because of its dense network of interstates, freight rail lines, and a regional airport. The metro area has been growing fast. The downtown core is walkable, with an Arts and Entertainment District, a cultural trail, a museum of fine arts, and a historic theater. Outside of downtown, the city is largely auto-oriented. Housing in the area is priced below the Maryland median, which can make it a more attainable market for families compared to the Baltimore-Washington corridor, though rents have been rising.
Program offerings at the school were not reported in the data we examined. No information on discipline incidents or staffing ratios was available either. What is clear is that Paramount Elementary is a neighborhood school serving a mixed-income, diverse student body, with academic performance that is stronger in reading than in math. The district changes under way and the broader growth in the Hagerstown area suggest a school and community in transition, one that families may want to investigate in person to get a feel for the current climate and trajectory.
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