Pocomoke Middle, Pocomoke City MD

Original Research by School Decision on Pocomoke Middle

Pocomoke Middle serves grades four through eight in the small Eastern Shore city of Pocomoke City, part of the Worcester County public school system. The town itself is a regional commercial center with a mix of historic downtown buildings, a riverfront nature trail, and an industrial park hosting defense and aerospace employers. Homes in the area are priced well below the typical Maryland home, and the local housing market has seen a modest decline recently, making it one of the more affordable parts of the county.

The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. Its student body is substantial in size for a middle school covering five grade levels. The racial and ethnic composition is roughly evenly split between Black and White students, with smaller shares of Hispanic and multiracial students. The entire student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, reflecting a high-poverty community.

State assessment results from the 2024-25 school year show a mixed picture. In English language arts, fourth graders performed at a level that is solid, while sixth graders posted a notably higher proficiency rate, making that grade a clear bright spot. Fifth grade and seventh grade ELA results were more moderate, and eighth grade ELA came in at just under half proficient. Across all tested grades, overall ELA proficiency landed in the middle range.

Math results are weaker. Fourth grade math showed a majority of students meeting proficiency, but from fifth grade onward the share of students scoring proficient dropped and stayed below a third. Math proficiency in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades was consistently low. Science results for fifth and eighth graders were also low, with a small share of students reaching proficiency. On the eighth-grade social studies assessment, half of students met the bar.

The school has only one year of assessment data available in this reporting, so no trend can be drawn.

Because this is a middle school, there is no graduation rate to report. Data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, and staffing was not available in this profile.

For a family considering Pocomoke Middle, the school offers a standard academic pathway in a small-town setting with strong community anchors nearby. The high level of economic need means that federal support programs are likely a significant part of the school's operations. The academic profile is uneven: ELA performance has some strong grades, while math and science are areas where many students are not yet at grade level. A parent may want to look into what interventions and supports are in place for math and science, especially as students move into the upper middle-school grades.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 457%

School 57% · district not reported

▲ 29 pts above state median

Grade 534%

School 34% · district not reported

▲ 13 pts above state median

Grade 628%

School 28% · district not reported

▲ 14 pts above state median

Grade 732%

School 32% · district not reported

▲ 19 pts above state median

Grade 826%

School 26% · district not reported

▲ 20 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 459%

School 59% · district not reported

▲ 14 pts above state median

Grade 539%

School 39% · district not reported

▼ 1 pts below state median

Grade 670%

School 70% · district not reported

▲ 25 pts above state median

Grade 849%

School 49% · district not reported

▲ 5 pts above state median

Science

Grade 515%

School 15% · district not reported

▼ 4 pts below state median

Grade 827%

School 27% · district not reported

even with state median

Social studies

Grade 850%

School 50% · District 57% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▲ 19 pts above state median

This schoolWorcester 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 4Lower-income10%Higher-income25%15 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income10%Higher-income32%23 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income37%Higher-income60%23 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income23%Higher-income54%31 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income10%Higher-income26%15 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income12%Higher-income38%25 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income23%Higher-income38%15 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income11%Higher-income33%22 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income12%Higher-income22%10 pp gap