Baltimore City Public Schools continued to improve last school year, according to star ratings the state released Tuesday.

It’s the fifth year the Maryland State Department of Education rates schools annually on a 5-star scale for what’s known as the Maryland School Report Card. Schools are awarded ratings based on their students’ academic achievement, progress toward English language proficiency, graduation rates and more.

Based on data from the 2023-2024 school year, about 44% of city schools earned at least a 3-star rating, up from 35% last year. That’s a stronger jump than the state saw overall, with 83% of schools earning at least 3 stars compared to 80% in the previous school year, said Geoff Sanderson, deputy state superintendent of accountability. It’s a continuing trend for the school district, which outpaced the state’s average growth in the last round of ratings.

Here’s where city schools stand today, by the numbers.

1

The number of city schools that earned 5 stars in this round of ratings. Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, a high school, was the only school to snag the state’s highest rating. It ranked 11th overall in the state.

The district had two 5-star schools last time, but Baltimore School for the Arts fell to four stars this time.

2

The number of schools that jumped from a 1-star to a 3-star rating: Furley Elementary and Yorkwood Elementary. Only three other schools in the state made the same leap, according to school officials Tuesday.

4

The number of city schools that received 1-star ratings, down from 15 schools last time. In a news release, Baltimore City Public Schools said that continues a three-year decline.

The largest proportion of the city’s schools — 77 — received 2-star ratings, down four schools from the previous year.

26

The number of schools that added at least one star, making up about 18% of the 144 schools in the district.

The majority of city schools retained the same star rating, while eight, or about 5.5%, lost a star.

Balitmore City Public Schools CEO Sonja Santelises said the improvements in star ratings reflect hard work across the district.

“We still have work ahead, but this news is encouraging,” Santelises said. “Our students and staff are putting in the work needed to grow, and it shows.”

8.3%

The portion of Baltimore schools that achieved a 4- or 5-star rating, the lowest in the region by over 30 percentage points. Comparatively, 41% of schools statewide earned the top two ratings. Last time, 11 city schools received those top ratings compared to 12 this time.

Baltimore Banner reporters Greg Morton and Kristen Griffith contributed to this report.

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