Since taking office in 2023, Superintendent Myriam Rogers has said it’s her mission to put Baltimore County Public Schools at the top of Maryland’s best-performing school systems. With the latest standardized state test scores, she’s slowly moving in that direction.

The Maryland State Department of Education on Tuesday released the results of the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program — the annual exam known as MCAP that tests grades three to eight and some high schoolers. State leaders were happy to see almost every single grade level making gains in English language arts and math.

Baltimore County applauded similar accomplishments, saying in a news release that it’s the second year in a row that students improved in those subjects. The percentage of those considered proficient in both English and math lagged behind averages for Maryland, but the county had a slightly better improvement in English than students statewide.

Twenty schools improved by double-digits on either English or math scores in the county. And results for two nationally recognized schools show they are living up to the hype.

Here are four takeaways from Baltimore County’s state test results:

Small gains overall

According to a Banner analysis, fewer than half of Baltimore County’s test-takers were proficient in English – — 45%, to be exact. The state average stands at 50.8%, a 2.4 percentage point improvement in Maryland since last year.

But Baltimore County saw a greater change, with students improving by 3.1 percentage points.

It’s a different story for math. The state average, 26.5%, was also a 2.4 percentage point jump compared to 2024. However, only 20.7% of Baltimore County students are proficient. It’s still an improvement from last year, by 1.4 percentage points.

Double-digits in English

There were eight schools in the county that improved in English by double-digits. Parkville High School was a standout, increasing its score by 13.5 percentage points. Now, 40.5% of those students are proficient in the subject. The other schools are: Rossville Elementary, Watershed Public Charter, Fullerton Elementary, Dogwood Elementary, Sparrows Point High, Bedford Elementary and Hawthorne Elementary schools.

Baltimore County schools reported that 70 elementary schools, 25 middle schools and 17 high schools all improved in English.

Moving in the opposite direction was Hebbville Elementary. Records show it had the biggest drop of all county schools for English, with a 11.5 percentage point loss. It’s still higher than the school’s 2023 score.

Double-digits in math

The county’s elementary schools saw a strong showing in math, the hardest subject for Maryland students. Eleven of them rose by double-digits. Oliver Beach Elementary, with 63.1% of kids considered proficient, had the biggest math score jump in the county, at 17.1 percentage points.

The other double-digit elementary climbers are Wellwood International, Chesapeake Terrace, Charlesmont, Logan, Lutherville Laboratory, Kingsville, Padonia International, Franklin, Martin Boulevard and Orems elementary schools. Joining the math double-digit club is Western School of Technology, with a 11.7 percentage point hike, the school system reported.

However, Norwood and Summit Park elementary schools both dropped by double-digits: 10.8 and 12.6 percentage points, respectively.

Records show more than a dozen middle schools improved in math, with Catonsville Middle School jumping the highest.

Living up to the hype

Eastern Technical High School and Western School of Technology were recently recognized by Rogers for making the U.S. News and World Report top schools rankings. Eastern Tech, for the second year in a row, was named Maryland’s best high school. Western Tech jumped from eighth place to fifth on the same list.

With the state test results, the high schools could make the rankings again next year. Both schools were at the top of Baltimore County’s score sheet for high school English. Most of Eastern’s students scored a level 4 on the exam — the highest level possible And Western increased its score by more than three percentage points.

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.

Banner data journalist Allan James Vestal contributed to this report.