Anne Arundel schools’ latest test scores are flat, like much of Maryland’s

Anne Arundel County students’ performance on state English and math tests this spring changed little compared to last year’s scores, reflecting stagnation statewide.

Results released Tuesday show Anne Arundel County is the only large school system whose performance on the state test — known as the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program — declined slightly in English language arts across all grades, though it was a 0.4-percentage-point drop.

Math scores rose by half a percentage point, about on par with the rest of the state.

The scores mostly sustain Anne Arundel schools’ progress since the pandemic, when test scores across the country took a nosedive, though other districts have seen faster recovery.

Here’s what to know about the district’s 2026 MCAP scores, including a few bright spots.

How are Anne Arundel schools performing in English?

The share of students passing their language arts exams stands at 55.9%, which exceeds the statewide rate of 51.7%.

Since 2022, Anne Arundel’s proficiency rate has grown by 6.1 percentage points, a more modest improvement than most other large school systems. Harford County and Baltimore City, for example, notched double-digit growth over that period.

Which schools improved the most in English since last year?

English language arts scores improved at Overlook Elementary in Linthicum and Oakwood Elementary in Glen Burnie by 11.7 and 10.6 percentage points, respectively.

Across the district, reading scores grew, even slightly, at 46 schools, and were flat or fell at 70 schools.

What about math?

Across all grades, 29.3% of Anne Arundel students tested proficient in math, above the statewide rate of 27.1%. Maryland students have long struggled to pass the state math test, especially in algebra.

Overlook Elementary’s math scores also improved dramatically in one year, growing 10.6 percentage points to 31.1%, while at Deale Elementary, more than half of students are now proficient in math thanks to a 14.4-point increase over last year.

There are few other bright spots in the math results. At around half the district’s schools, math proficiency declined. Passing rates fell the most at Riviera Beach Elementary in Pasadena and George T. Cromwell Elementary in Glen Burnie.

What’s going on at Central Elementary?

This sought-after South County school had a bad year.

Reading proficiency tumbled 10.1 percentage points to 65.7%, and math proficiency fell 8.3 points to 52.1% — drops larger than those at most other schools across the district.

The changes are notable in part because the school is popular among families and had improved steadily in both subjects since the pandemic.

How did the high schools do?

Severna Park, Crofton, Broadneck and South River high schools continue to perform at a high level, with English language arts proficiency rates that exceed 80%.

But, among those standouts, only South River High’s English scores improved slightly compared to last year. English scores for Severna Park, Crofton and Broadneck all dipped 1-2 percentage points.

Crofton and Arundel high schools have been at the center of a contentious school redistricting debate, with some Crofton families seeking to block implementation of a plan that would send their children to Arundel High.

Although Crofton’s performance continues to outpace Arundel’s in English and math, Arundel High’s math proficiency rate surged 8 percentage points to 11.7% while Crofton High’s fell 6 percentage points to 22.6%.

What about science?

Just under a third of fifth and eighth graders across the state passed the state test in science. These are the only two grades that take a standardized test in this subject.

Anne Arundel fifth graders beat the state average by 5.4 percentage points, and eighth graders exceeded it by 6.9 percentage points.