Clay Hill Public Charter School vs Charlesmont Elementary

Clay Hill Public Charter School holds a 9.2/10 overall rating against Charlesmont Elementary's 8.3/10 — a 0.9-point gap that translates into a significant difference in state standing: Clay Hill ranks #31 of 1,363 Maryland schools while Charlesmont ranks #208 of the same pool. Both schools sit in Baltimore just 3.1 miles apart, yet that ranking spread places them in materially different tiers of statewide performance.

The academic picture, however, flips the narrative. Charlesmont Elementary scores 8.7/10 on academics versus Clay Hill Public Charter School's 8.1/10 — a 0.6-point edge for the traditional public school. Growth scores are nearly even, with Clay Hill posting a perfect 10.0/10 and Charlesmont close behind at 9.8/10. Both schools demonstrate strong year-over-year student progress, but Clay Hill's growth ceiling suggests it may be extracting slightly more learning gains from its student body relative to starting points.

Clay Hill Public Charter School enrolls 293 students compared to Charlesmont Elementary's 353, and its student-teacher ratio of 12.7:1 is tighter than Charlesmont's 14.7:1 — two fewer students per teacher on average. Clay Hill's free and reduced lunch rate is 61% versus Charlesmont's 68%, indicating Charlesmont serves a modestly higher share of economically disadvantaged families while still achieving competitive outcomes.

One structural difference shapes access before academics: Charlesmont Elementary offers Pre-K through grade 5, giving families an entry point a year earlier than Clay Hill Public Charter School's kindergarten-through-grade-5 program. Clay Hill is a charter school and requires active enrollment; Charlesmont is a regular neighborhood public school with standard zone-based admission.