Pittsville Elementary & Middle, Pittsville MD

Original Research by School Decision on Pittsville Elementary & Middle

Pittsville Elementary & Middle is a regular public school serving grades four through eight in the small, rural town of Pittsville, Maryland, part of the Wicomico County Public Schools district. The school's enrollment is of a moderate size for a school spanning the upper elementary and middle school grades. The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial Hispanic presence and a small number of Asian, Black, and two-or-more-races students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, indicating that many families have lower household incomes. The school is not a charter or magnet school. Data on the proportion of students with Individualized Education Programs and English learners was not available.

On the 2024-25 Maryland state assessments, Pittsville Elementary & Middle’s academic results varied noticeably by grade and subject. In English language arts, proficiency rates across grades four through eight clustered near the middle of the range, with the strongest performance in seventh and eighth grades, where results fell within a range that suggests a solid share of students met the state’s proficiency standard. The school’s overall ELA proficiency was near the halfway mark. In mathematics, the results were more uneven. Fourth grade showed a group of students reaching proficiency, but the rate dropped in fifth and sixth grades, where fewer students scored at the proficient level. Performance rose again in seventh grade and was strongest in eighth grade, where roughly half of students were proficient. Overall math proficiency was below the ELA rate. In science, tested in grades five and eight, proficiency was low in both grades, with only a modest share of students meeting the standard. In eighth-grade social studies, proficiency was also low. The school’s single-year data for Algebra I, based on a small group of test-takers, showed a high proficiency rate. Because this is the only year of state testing data available, no trend is visible yet.

Pittsville itself is a low-density rural town with a residential texture. The historic downtown, once centered on a railroad depot and strawberry auction, no longer functions as a commercial core. Civic landmarks are spread along roadways: the Town Hall, the volunteer fire department, the public library, and the school are on separate sites rather than in a walkable center. There is no traditional Main Street active with street life. The town has a small number of local businesses, but most employment is likely in nearby Salisbury. Growth has been slow and modest over the past decade.

The district has a recent facility investment to note: a new elementary school opened in Salisbury in 2022, and Wicomico County Public Schools published a long-term facilities master plan for the 2025 fiscal year that guides future school construction and renovation.

A parent considering Pittsville Elementary & Middle will see a school where ELA results are in the middle range across the upper grades, math performance is inconsistent with a stronger showing in eighth grade, and science and social studies results are areas of softness worth a conversation with the school. The rural setting means a car-dependent community with little street life, and the school serves a population where many families face economic strain.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 440%

School 40% · district not reported

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 520%

School 20% · district not reported

▼ 1 pts below state median

Grade 610%

School 10% · district not reported

▼ 3 pts below state median

Grade 733%

School 33% · district not reported

▲ 21 pts above state median

Grade 851%

School 51% · district not reported

▲ 46 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 451%

School 51% · district not reported

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

Grade 545%

School 45% · district not reported

▲ 5 pts above state median

Grade 644%

School 44% · district not reported

▼ 1 pts below state median

Science

Grade 519%

School 19% · district not reported

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 826%

School 26% · district not reported

▼ 1 pts below state median

Social studies

Grade 825%

School 25% · District 25%

▼ 6 pts below state median

This schoolWicomico 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 5Lower-income12%Higher-income19%7 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income55%Higher-income50%5 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income26%Higher-income28%2 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income10%Higher-income26%16 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income17%Higher-income19%2 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income16%Higher-income26%10 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income10%Higher-income17%7 pp gap