Baltimore County schools improve test scores for a third year but still trail the state

Former Superintendent Myriam Rogers left Baltimore County Public Schools a parting gift: another year of rising test scores.

This marks the third consecutive year that the county increased its scores in both English language arts and math on the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program, known as MCAP. It tests students across the state in grades three through eight and some high schoolers in English, math and science. Rogers was in charge during each increase.

But her successor, Superintendent Bill Heiser, will have to improve scores even more to match statewide proficiency rates. The county continues to linger toward the bottom of Maryland’s 24 school districts.

Heiser focused on the positives in a Tuesday email to the school district community.

“103 BCPS schools saw increases in the percentage of students scoring proficient in both ELA and math,” he wrote. “BCPS students made gains on 13 of 16 English and math assessment data points.”

Here are four things to know about Baltimore County’s state test scores.

English and math scores continue to climb

Baltimore County improved by 1.1 percentage points in English over last year and 1.2 percentage points in math. The increases are small but consistent; the district has gained 6 percentage points in English since 2022, bringing Baltimore County to a 46.1% proficiency rate.

Math scores have increased in each of the last three years, and 21.9% of Baltimore County students are proficient.

Baltimore County trails the state

The district’s math and English scores are below proficiency rates statewide. It’s 16th out of 24 districts for math and 17th for English.

On the science test, taken by fifth and eighth graders, it’s 15th. Thirty-one percent of Baltimore County fifth graders and 30.9% of eighth graders were proficient in the subject.

One bright spot, however, is happening among the 1,587 Algebra II test-takers, who are 27.4% proficient in the subject. That’s better than the state’s 27.1% proficiency.

Elementary math scored some standouts

Some elementary schools showed that most kids in the building understand math. The top-scoring school in the county is Rodgers Forge, with 81.9% showing proficiency in the subject. Riderwood is second with 78.2% proficiency, and Fifth District comes in third with 76.2% of students demonstrating that they understand the subject.

Some elementary schools also showed big improvements.

Norwood increased its math scores by 13.7 percentage points; now 26.2% of the students at the Dundalk school are considered proficient. Perry Hall jumped by 9.1 percentage points, resulting in 54.1% of students being proficient. And Winfield improved by 8.9 percentage points, bringing its students’ proficiency to 27%.

Some schools were standouts in English

Western School of Technology and Environmental Science and Eastern Technical High School, two of the highest-rated schools in Maryland, tied for the highest English scores. Both of the magnet schools had a 95% proficiency rate on the tenth-grade English test.

A few schools improved English scores by double digits.

Winfield Elementary School had a 13.9-percentage-point jump to 43.8% proficiency.

McCormick Elementary, which improved its attendance nearly two years ago, had the second-best improvement in English scores in the county: a 13.4-percentage-point jump, leading to a third of students showing proficiency.

Only a quarter of Dundalk Middle School students are proficient in English, but the school had the third-largest increase, with a 12.7-percentage-point improvement.

About the Education Hub

This reporting is part of The Banner’s Education Hub, community-funded journalism that provides parents with resources they need to make decisions about how their children learn. Read more.