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Public middle school · St. Mary's County Public Schools · Lexington Park, Maryland

Esperanza Middle

Esperanza Middle rates 7.4, above the middle of St. Mary's County Public Schools's middle schools, whose rated median is 6.7.

Middle schools, 1 to 10This campus against public middle schools around it that are rated on verified state test data.
7.4this school

7.4 on a one-to-ten scale; the St. Mary's County Public Schools median is 6.7.

#404 of 1,363 schools in Maryland · St. Mary's County Public Schools: 4 middle schools rated, median 6.7

The brief

A St. Mary's County Public Schools middle school serving grades 6th – 8th.

Students at Esperanza Middle score 47% proficient, which is above what's typical for similar communities (expected: 46%).

It ranks 404 of 1,363 schools in Maryland and 7 of 26 in St. Mary's County Public Schools.

Math37%10 points above the Maryland average of 27%791 students tested · 2026 MCAP
Reading57%5 points above the Maryland average of 52%794 students tested · 2026 MCAP
Proficiency declined earlier in the 18-year record (2009–2026), then recovered 18 points since 2021, reaching 47% 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
9.2
40% of the rating
Academics
7.5
35% of the rating
Resources & Environment
4.5
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 51% (multi-year average, 2009-2026) · reading/ELA 59% (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 20653; 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.
Esperanza 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
$97,923
Median home value
$341,900
Median rent
$1,579/mo
College educated
33.8%
Homeownership
54.9%
Poverty rate
13.7%

U.S. Census ACS 5-year estimates · ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates for the ZCTA associated with school ZIP 20653; this is area context, not an attendance boundary.

Getting around

Walk Score
41
Car-Dependent
Bike Score
37
Somewhat Bikeable
County reported crime
1,309/100K
Reported Part-1 offenses (violent + property + arson) per 100,000 county residents, counting every city police department, sheriff's office and county police department that reported a full year to the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting program. Shown only where those agencies cover at least 80% of the county's residents. Not a school safety rating.

Walk, transit and bike scores byWalk Score

FBI Uniform Crime Reporting · 2025 · county context, not school-level safety or attendance eligibility. Source details

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
40.9%
Students qualifying for federal meal assistance. Shown separately, never in the score.

NCES Common Core of Data (CCD).

The record

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

Questions families ask

What grades does Esperanza Middle serve?

Esperanza Middle serves students in grades 6th through 8th.

How many students attend Esperanza Middle?

Esperanza Middle has an enrollment of approximately 842 students.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Esperanza Middle?

The student-teacher ratio at Esperanza Middle is 15.9:1. A lower ratio generally means more individual attention per student. The national average is approximately 16:1 for public schools.

How does Esperanza Middle rank in MD?

Esperanza Middle ranks #404 of 1,363 schools in MD.

What is Esperanza Middle's MySchoolScout rating?

Esperanza Middle has a current MySchoolScout rating of 7.4 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 Esperanza Middle?

Based on loaded state assessment records, Esperanza Middle has 51% math proficiency (multi-year average, 2009-2026) and 59% reading/ELA proficiency (multi-year average, 2009-2026).

Is Esperanza Middle a charter school?

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

Is Esperanza Middle a Title I school?

No, Esperanza Middle is not currently a Title I school.

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

40.9% of students at Esperanza 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
842
Student-teacher ratio
15.9:1
Teachers (FTE)
53
Type
Regular
Title I
No
Setting
Small Suburb
County
St. Mary's County
Rank in district
#7 of 26
Schools in district
27
District spending per student
$17,088
NCES F-33 · FY 2023 · This annual source is three years behind the current year.
District child poverty rate
9.3%
Census SAIPE · 2024
Area population (ZIP 20653)
26,799
Area average commute
22.6 min
Area median age
33.6

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.