C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School

C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School is an elementary-level community of average-sized scale in Waldorf, Maryland, overseen by Charles County Public Schools, hosting 598 students in grades pre-K through 5. Compared to the state average of about 481 students per school, that is 24% larger than typical.

Within Charles County Public Schools, which oversees 38 schools and 28,162 students, C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School is one campus in the system.

In terms of who attends, C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School records that Black students make up the majority at 68%; the rest breaks down as 17% Hispanic, 8% multiracial, 3% Asian, 2% White. That is meaningfully more Black than the county at large, where the share is closer to 49%.

Looking at school resources, Staff filings list 36 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 16.6:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 13.8:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. Around 61% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Charles County (around 50%), the school's rate is meaningfully above typical.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School ranks in the top 10% of Maryland public schools. The BeatsExpectations model, a per-state regression of composite proficiency on FRL share, predicts schools with this student profile to land around 38.4%; C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School posts 53.9%, +15.5 points above that line.

In the surrounding community, the surrounding county (Charles County) reports that the typical household earns roughly $122,816 per year, roughly 34% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 5% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Charles County runs 40 public schools (combined enrollment of about 28,162 students), of which C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School is one.

The closest other public school is William B. Wade Elementary School, roughly 0.7 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School at 1st of 9; the average score across the group is 31.4%.

Geographically, the school is in a bedroom-community area.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked down 14%: 698 students in 2018 compared to 598 in 2025.

Within the allk12 community for this school, members of the C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School community share and discuss enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Members of the school community can share what they know.