Newark, MD, December 3, 2024– The Maryland State Department of Education released its annual update to the Maryland Report Card website today, containing performance data for every school in the State, including eleven schools in Worcester County.
In Worcester County, nearly 91 percent of all eligible schools earned a four- or five-star rating, a concentration well above any other school system in the State. In this year’s release, 41 percent of all schools in the State earned a four- or five-star rating. Mirroring trends locally, the State acknowledged this year’s data represents positive progress as the number of schools increasing their star ratings was twice the number of schools who experienced a decrease in star rating. In Worcester County, four of the school system’s eleven eligible schools increased their star ratings by one star while only one experienced a decrease.
Highlights of these increases include Stephen Decatur High School, which increased its star rating from three to four over last year by increasing its total earned percent by seven percentage points. Both Pocomoke and Snow Hill High Schools also saw significant gains over 2023 and landed just on the cusp of five-star status.
Both Pocomoke and Ocean City Elementary Schools, which also increased its star ratings in this year to four- and five-star status respectively, saw significant progress in reducing their chronic absenteeism rates, which contributed to their increases.
The full breakdown of the eleven schools eligible to receive star ratings in Worcester County ratings is below.
SCHOOL | Points Earned | Total | Total Earned Percent | Star Rating |
Berlin Intermediate School | 63.29 | 100 | 63.29% | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
Buckingham Elementary School | 50.36 | 73.0 | 68.98% | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
Ocean City Elementary School | 56.20 | 73.0 | 76.99% | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
Pocomoke Elementary School | 29.99 | 48.0 | 62.49% | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
Pocomoke High School | 66.36 | 90 | 73.74% | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
Pocomoke Middle School | 99.14 | 180 | 55.08% | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
Showell Elementary School | 40.77 | 63.0 | 64.71% | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
Snow Hill High School | 67.11 | 90 | 74.56% | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
Snow Hill Middle School | 119.31 | 180 | 66.28% | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
Stephen Decatur High School | 64.99 | 100 | 64.99% | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
Stephen Decatur Middle School | 58.93 | 86.5 | 68.12% | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
To receive a star rating, a school must have 45 or more possible points. Some schools may not have possible points for every measure or indicator. In Worcester County, Snow Hill Elementary School did not reach this possible point threshold, which is why the school was not issued a star rating. Additionally, Worcester Technical High School and Cedar Chapel Special Schools do not meet the qualifications for a star rating.
These scores reflect school performance on multiple components. For elementary and middle schools, the system includes academic achievement, academic progress, progress in achieving English language proficiency, and measures of school quality and student success. For high schools, the system includes academic achievement, graduation rate, progress in English language proficiency, readiness for postsecondary success, and measures of school quality and student success. All schools’ calculations incorporate school composite scores on a statewide School Survey, which is based on input related to safety, community, environment, and relationships.
“I continue to be in awe of our schools’ positive trajectory in Maryland’s accountability system,” said Superintendent of Schools Louis H. Taylor. “Worcester continues to outperform our counterparts across the State, and today’s release is just another example of how we are delivering dividends on the investment our community has made in our educational system.”
The school system is also defying expectations, according to Taylor. “Research shows the number one indicator of a school’s performance is its level of poverty, but here in Worcester County, our schools continue to help students rise above their circumstances to reach success.”
Maryland introduced School Report Cards in 2018 for students, parents, educators and community members to better understand how their schools are performing, just as report cards help parents understand how their kids are doing. The goal of the School Report Card is to bring together school data in an easy-to-understand and usable format to help us ask questions, find answers, make decisions, and act.
The School Report Cards can be found on the Maryland Report Card website, as well as more information and data about schools and districts. This information can be found at: MdReportCard.org. An update on the latest release of the Maryland School Report Card was made to the State Board of Education on December 3, 2024. The presentation materials for the meeting, which provide statewide context to Worcester County’s performance, can be found at https://marylandpublicschools.org/stateboard/Pages/meeting-agendas/2024/1203/2024-12-03.aspx.