Nearly 40 Prince George’s County schools raise their ratings

Nearly 40 Prince George’s County public schools earned higher star ratings this year, according to newly released Maryland School Report Card data.

But Maryland’s second-largest school district, behind only Montgomery County, still trails much of the state in the share of schools earning the highest ratings.

The ratings, released Thursday, offer families and community members a snapshot of how their schools are doing. Schools receive one to five stars based on measures like academic achievement, student progress, attendance, graduation rates and school climate.

One school joins the five-star list, another drops off

Six Prince George’s County schools earned five stars this year, the same number as last year. But the list has a new addition.

César Chávez Elementary School rose from four to five stars, while Judith P. Hoyer Montessori School fell from five to four.

The district’s six five-star schools are:

• Academy of Health Sciences at Prince George’s Community College
• César Chávez Elementary School
• Dora Kennedy French Immersion School
• Glenarden Woods Elementary School
• Heather Hills Elementary School
• Robert Goddard Montessori School

The Academy of Health Sciences, a high school that offers students opportunities to earn college credits, received the district’s highest score and ranked among the top 1% of Maryland high schools.

Glenarden Woods and Heather Hills elementary schools also ranked among the state’s top-performing elementary schools. Both have previously earned national and statewide Blue Ribbon honors.

More schools gain stars than lose them

Thirty-nine Prince George’s schools gained a star since last year, while 14 lost one. Most schools — 141 — kept their previous ratings.

Several elementary schools moved from two to three stars, including Flintstone, Forest Heights and Marlton.

Beltsville Academy, Bond Mill Elementary, Hyattsville Elementary and Phyllis E. Williams Elementary also improved, moving from three to four stars. The number of four-star schools across the county rose by 10.

Still, some schools moved in the opposite direction. Eleanor Roosevelt High School dropped from four to three stars, while Friendly, Laurel and Surrattsville high schools fell from three to two.

How PGCPS stacks up statewide

Despite its gains, Prince George’s continues to lag behind neighboring districts in the share of schools earning five stars.

Only about 3% of the district’s 194 schools received the highest rating, compared with about 10% of schools statewide.

Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland’s largest school district, had 36 five-star schools, or about 17%. Howard County had 18, representing nearly 1 in 4 schools, while Baltimore County had 25 and Anne Arundel County had 12.

Prince George’s also had a larger share of two-star schools than Maryland overall, though the number fell from 45 to 30 this year.

About 85% of Prince George’s schools earned at least three stars, compared with 89% statewide — a sign of progress for the district.