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Public middle school · Frederick County Public Schools · Frederick, Maryland

Ballenger Creek Middle

Ballenger Creek Middle rates 5.3, below most Frederick County Public Schools middle schools, whose rated median is 6.1.

Middle schools, 1 to 10This campus against public middle schools around it that are rated on verified state test data.
5.3this school

5.3 on a one-to-ten scale; the Frederick County Public Schools median is 6.1.

#1,026 of 1,363 schools in Maryland · Frederick County Public Schools: 13 middle schools rated, median 6.1

The brief

A Frederick County Public Schools middle school where students score 11 points below what's typical for similar communities.

It ranks 1,026 of 1,363 schools in Maryland and 57 of 67 in Frederick County Public Schools.

Ballenger Creek Middle is listed in Frederick County Public Schools, and a district label does not verify attendance for an address: confirm the zoned campus with the district before you commit to a street.

Math24%3 points below the Maryland average of 27%748 students tested · 2026 MCAP
Reading54%2 points above the Maryland average of 52%735 students tested · 2026 MCAP
Proficiency declined earlier in the 18-year record (2009–2026), then recovered 12 points since 2021, reaching 39% in 2026.2026 MCAP; 30 test records from MD state assessments and EdFacts (NCES).

What the rating is made of, each out of 10

Student Progress
5.7
40% of the rating
Academics
5.6
35% of the rating
Resources & Environment
4.3
25% of the rating
About this school's data1 correction under review · rating: low confidence · 7 sources, 2019–2026

Every number on this page comes from a published source with a stated period. Where a source is partial, aging, an estimate, or describes a surrounding area rather than the school, that limitation is named here.

Attendance data is under correction. This existing Resources & Environment score and overall rating may still reflect an unverified attendance input.

Full Profile · 3/3 metrics

Multi-year averages used by the rating model: math 47% (multi-year average, 2009-2026) · reading/ELA 62% (multi-year average, 2009-2026).

School directory (enrollment, grades, staff, contact)
NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) · SY 2023–24 · Medium confidence
  • Source period: SY 2023–24. A newer release may be available.
MySchoolScout rating and rank
MySchoolScout ranking model · Low confidence
  • Vintage not available. Do not use this measure alone.
  • Derived as a weighted blend of the component scores shown in Academics from state assessment, EdFacts growth, and NCES resource records.
Math proficiency
State department of education · 2026 MCAP · Medium confidence
  • Available for part of the eligible units; results may not represent the full area.
  • Derived from source records rather than read directly from one field.
Reading/ELA proficiency
State department of education · 2026 MCAP · Medium confidence
  • Available for part of the eligible units; results may not represent the full area.
  • Derived from source records rather than read directly from one field.
Student progress (growth)
State assessments · Mixed source periods · Low confidence
  • Vintage not available. Do not use this measure alone.
  • Available for part of the eligible units; results may not represent the full area.
  • Derived as the fitted year-over-year slope of proficiency from multi-year assessment records.
Neighborhood (income, housing, education)
U.S. Census ACS 5-year estimates · ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates · Low confidence
  • Older source: ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates. Use as historical context.
  • Reported for the ZCTA for ZIP 21703; this does not measure the attendance area.
Programs (AP/IB, athletics, gifted)
CRDC via Urban Institute · SY 2021–22 · Medium confidence
  • Available for part of the eligible units; results may not represent the full area.
  • Source period: SY 2021–22. A newer release may be available.

Evidence periods: Rating mixed/unknown input periods; assessments multi-year average, 2009-2026; directory SY 2023–24

The neighborhood

Where it sits, and what the area looks like.
Ballenger Creek Middle and the 20 nearest middle schools, each pin colored by its score.Pins are locations, not attendance boundaries. Verify the enrollment path with the district.

The area

Median income
$105,293
Median home value
$364,300
Median rent
$1,887/mo
College educated
42.9%
Homeownership
68.5%
Poverty rate
9.9%

U.S. Census ACS 5-year estimates · ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates for the ZCTA associated with school ZIP 21703; this is area context, not an attendance boundary.

Getting around

Walk Score
25
Car-Dependent
Bike Score
33
Somewhat Bikeable
City reported crime
1,959/100K
Reported Part-1 offenses (violent + property + arson) per 100,000 residents, from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting program for Frederick. This is a city-level reported-crime measure, not a school safety rating.

Walk, transit and bike scores byWalk Score

FBI Uniform Crime Reporting · 2025 · city context (Frederick), not school-level safety or attendance eligibility. Source details

Source period: 2025. Freshness not available.

Programs and who goes here

What the campus offers, and who it enrolls.

Programs

Gifted and talented
Available
A program for qualifying students · CRDC via Urban Institute · SY 2021–22

Who goes here

Free or reduced lunch
35%
Students qualifying for federal meal assistance. Shown separately, never in the score.

NCES Common Core of Data (CCD).

Compare nearby

Grade-compatible schools using the same rating model.
Public-school ratings. Grade-compatible schools within 5 miles, best rated first.
  1. 8.3Compare →
  2. 7.1Compare →
  3. 6.4Compare →
  4. 6.2Compare →
  5. 5.4Compare →
  6. Ballenger Creek Middlethis school
    5.3
Five grade-compatible schools using the same rating model sit within 5 miles, and five rate higher than Ballenger Creek Middle.Public-school ratings. Straight-line distance from this campus. Pins are locations, not attendance boundaries; verify the enrollment path with the district.

Distance is proximity only; it is not attendance eligibility.

Enrollment path unverified: Potential public school; its attendance or application path has not been classified.

Charter · enrollment unverified: Potential charter option; enrollment requirements have not been verified.

The record

What is on file, and where each number came from.

Questions families ask

What grades does Ballenger Creek Middle serve?

Ballenger Creek Middle serves students in grades 6th through 8th.

How many students attend Ballenger Creek Middle?

Ballenger Creek Middle has an enrollment of approximately 792 students.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Ballenger Creek Middle?

The student-teacher ratio at Ballenger Creek Middle is 16.5:1. A lower ratio generally means more individual attention per student. The national average is approximately 16:1 for public schools.

How does Ballenger Creek Middle rank in MD?

Ballenger Creek Middle ranks #1,026 of 1,363 schools in MD.

What is Ballenger Creek Middle's MySchoolScout rating?

Ballenger Creek Middle has a current MySchoolScout rating of 5.3 out of 10. This score combines the level-appropriate components shown in the rating breakdown; equity data is shown separately for context.

What are the test scores at Ballenger Creek Middle?

Based on loaded state assessment records, Ballenger Creek Middle has 47% math proficiency (multi-year average, 2009-2026) and 62% reading/ELA proficiency (multi-year average, 2009-2026).

Is Ballenger Creek Middle a charter school?

No, Ballenger Creek Middle is not a charter school. It is a traditional public school operated by the local school district.

Is Ballenger Creek Middle a Title I school?

No, Ballenger Creek Middle is not currently a Title I school.

What does the Free & Reduced Lunch percentage mean for Ballenger Creek Middle?

35.0% of students at Ballenger Creek Middle qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. This is a commonly used indicator of economic need and provides important context when interpreting test scores.

School facts

Grades
6th – 8th
Enrollment
792
Student-teacher ratio
16.5:1
Teachers (FTE)
48
Type
Regular
Title I
No
Setting
Midsize Suburb
County
Frederick County
Rank in district
#57 of 67
Schools in district
69
District spending per student
$16,233
NCES F-33 · FY 2023 · This annual source is three years behind the current year.
District child poverty rate
4.7%
Census SAIPE · 2024
Area population (ZIP 21703)
41,766
Area average commute
33.5 min
Area median age
34.8

NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) (SY 2023–24).

Related reading

Data from NCES Common Core of Data, Maryland Dept. of Education, and U.S. Census ACS for the 2023–24 school year. Rankings computed by MySchoolScout. See all data sources.