Phelps Luck Elementary vs Swansfield Elementary

Swansfield Elementary ranks #28 of 1,363 Maryland elementary schools, placing it in the top 2% statewide. Phelps Luck Elementary earns a strong #119 of 1,363 — top 9% — but that 91-position gap between two schools 3.8 miles apart in the same Columbia community is meaningful. Swansfield's overall rating of 9.3/10 edges Phelps Luck's 8.7/10 by 0.6 points, a difference driven not just by raw achievement but by how students are progressing over time.

On academics, Swansfield Elementary scores 8.7/10 versus Phelps Luck Elementary's 8.1/10 — a 0.6-point gap that reflects measurable differences in proficiency outcomes. Where the two schools diverge most sharply is growth: Swansfield posts a 9.9/10 growth score against Phelps Luck's 8.8/10, a 1.1-point gap. That spread means Swansfield students are advancing at an accelerated rate relative to their starting points, which matters especially for families whose children enter behind grade level and need to close gaps quickly.

Phelps Luck Elementary enrolls 704 students compared to Swansfield Elementary's 602, making Phelps Luck the larger campus by 102 students. The student-teacher ratio is nearly identical — 11.5:1 at Phelps Luck versus 11.6:1 at Swansfield — so classroom density is not a differentiator. Phelps Luck serves a higher share of economically disadvantaged students at 47% free or reduced lunch versus Swansfield's 40%, a 7-point gap that reflects modestly different socioeconomic profiles within the same city.

Both schools serve the same grade span, PK through 5th grade, so neither offers an earlier start or extended elementary experience. Families will not find a program-level distinction in grade coverage. The decision instead comes down to the academic and growth score deltas: Swansfield outperforms on both dimensions, and its near-perfect 9.9/10 growth score is the single most distinctive data point separating the two schools.