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Public elementary school · Baltimore County Public Schools · Baltimore, Maryland

Essex Elementary

Essex Elementary rates 6.4, right at the middle of Baltimore County Public Schools's elementary schools, whose rated median is 6.5.

Elementary schools, 1 to 10This campus against public elementary schools around it that are rated on verified state test data.
6.4this school

6.4 on a one-to-ten scale; the Baltimore County Public Schools median is 6.5.

#695 of 1,363 schools in Maryland · Baltimore County Public Schools: 110 elementary schools rated, median 6.5

The brief

A Baltimore County Public Schools elementary school serving grades Pre-K – 5th.

It ranks 695 of 1,363 schools in Maryland and 66 of 169 in Baltimore County Public Schools.

Essex Elementary is listed in Baltimore 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.

Math22%5 points below the Maryland average of 27%213 students tested · 2026 MCAP
Reading36%16 points below the Maryland average of 52%211 students tested · 2026 MCAP
Proficiency declined earlier in the 18-year record (2009–2026), then recovered 18 points since 2021, reaching 29% 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
7.8
50% of the rating
Academics
5.8
30% of the rating
Resources & Environment
4.0
20% 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 43% (multi-year average, 2009-2026) · reading/ELA 47% (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 21221; 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.
Essex Elementary and the 20 nearest elementary schools, each pin colored by its score.Pins are locations, not attendance boundaries. Verify the enrollment path with the district.

The area

Median income
$67,368
Median home value
$266,800
Median rent
$1,305/mo
College educated
19.8%
Homeownership
59.3%
Poverty rate
12.8%

U.S. Census ACS 5-year estimates · ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates for the ZCTA associated with school ZIP 21221; this is area context, not an attendance boundary.

Getting around

Walk Score
70
Very Walkable
Transit Score
48
Some Transit
Bike Score
47
Somewhat Bikeable
City reported crime
5,343/100K
Reported Part-1 offenses (violent + property + arson) per 100,000 residents, from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting program for Baltimore. 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 (Baltimore), 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
67.5%
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. 7.5Compare →
  2. 6.7Compare →
  3. Essex Elementarythis school
    6.4
  4. 6.4Compare →
  5. 5.4Compare →
  6. 5.2Compare →
  7. 4.8Compare →
  8. 4.1Compare →
  9. 3.4Compare →
Eight grade-compatible schools using the same rating model sit within 5 miles, and two rate higher than Essex Elementary.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.

The record

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

Questions families ask

What grades does Essex Elementary serve?

Essex Elementary serves students in grades Pre-K through 5th.

How many students attend Essex Elementary?

Essex Elementary has an enrollment of approximately 446 students.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Essex Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Essex Elementary 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 Essex Elementary rank in MD?

Essex Elementary ranks #695 of 1,363 schools in MD.

What is Essex Elementary's MySchoolScout rating?

Essex Elementary has a current MySchoolScout rating of 6.4 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 Essex Elementary?

Based on loaded state assessment records, Essex Elementary has 43% math proficiency (multi-year average, 2009-2026) and 47% reading/ELA proficiency (multi-year average, 2009-2026).

Is Essex Elementary a charter school?

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

Is Essex Elementary a Title I school?

No, Essex Elementary is not currently a Title I school.

What does the Free & Reduced Lunch percentage mean for Essex Elementary?

67.5% of students at Essex Elementary 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
Pre-K – 5th
Enrollment
446
Student-teacher ratio
16.5:1
Teachers (FTE)
27
Type
Regular
Title I
No
Setting
Large Suburb
County
Baltimore County
Rank in district
#66 of 169
Schools in district
179
District spending per student
$18,666
NCES F-33 · FY 2023 · This annual source is three years behind the current year.
District child poverty rate
10.3%
Census SAIPE · 2024
Area population (ZIP 21221)
43,536
Area average commute
30.3 min
Area median age
41.7

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.