According to a U.S. News and World Report ranking, Ocean City Elementary has emerged as the second-best elementary school in Maryland. Out of 854 schools considered, this facility was the first runner-up based on specific criteria.
U.S. News and World Report ranks schools based on their performance in state-required tests. The report also considers how well they prepare their students for high school and graduation. Besides elementary schools, it covers middle schools, high schools, and universities.
According to this report, Ocean City Elementary School is located directly under Westbrook Elementary in Bethesda and above Baltimore County Pinewood Elementary. It is part of the Worcester County public school system and serves Pre-K through fourth grade.
The report explains how the schools were ranked. It shows that schools were assessed by their shares of students above proficient or proficient in some subjects. For instance, they were assessed in Mathematics, reading, and arts state assessments.
Half of the overall assessment covered the scores themselves, while the rest incorporated the test results regarding socioeconomic demographics. In essence, the top-ranked schools were high-achieving institutions that successfully educated their students.
The ranking scored schools from 0 to 100, representing how well they ranked on a percentile scale. For example, an institution with a 55% score shows that they fell below 45% of schools in the state.
On this scale, Ocean City Elementary scored 99.88%. This figure is not surprising, given that Maryland ranks among the most educated states in the U.S.
The news report further stated that Ocean City Elementary School has 512 sixth-grade students. It mentioned that 77% of the students met the proficiency level for math while 92% met the proficiency level for reading.
Since Ocean City has several educational opportunities, these figures were significantly better than the average in the entire state. This is because 42% of students met the proficiency requirements for reading, while 25% met the state standard for math at that level.
U.S. News and World Report evaluated the school’s demographics, determining that it comprises 51% females and 49% males. It was determined that the institution enrolls 23% of minorities and 44% of economically disadvantaged children. With 48 full-time teachers, it has an 11:1 student-to-teacher ratio.
This honor follows the state assessments released last summer, which show how well Worcester public schools performed. The county had the highest English language arts school score in the state, with 69.4% of students attaining proficiency level.
On the other hand, 39.3% of Worcester students performed proficiently in math. This county came second in this category, just behind Howard County, with a 41.1% pass rate.
Ocean City Elementary School’s recognition has also created attention around how it celebrates milestones and achievements. The school hosts graduation ceremonies that often require awards and graduation accessories like medals, stoles, sashes, and caps.
The school instills confidence and motivation in its young students while emphasizing academic excellence. This shows the school’s holistic approach to education, which makes it one of the best elementary schools in Ocean City.