Enrollment
356
Elementary
DISTRICT 514 · STATE 481
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 240048000817
Darnestown Elementary
15030 Turkey Foot Rd, Gaithersburg, MD 20878 · (301) 284-4260 · Montgomery County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL356 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
11.1:1
32 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.9:1 · STATE 13.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
18%
63 students
DISTRICT 40% · STATE 54%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 55 | 15% |
| Grade 1 | 61 | 17% |
| Grade 2 | 62 | 17% |
| Grade 3 | 59 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 59 | 17% |
| Grade 5 | 60 | 17% |
This year's kindergarten class (55) is 8% smaller than its 5th grade class (60).
Student demographics
68%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 75% · STATE 73% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
MCAP 2024-25 . % Proficient (Levels 3-4)English Language Arts
66.0%
MD avg 50.6% . +12.8pp since 2023
Math
58.9%
MD avg 34.8% . -0.9pp since 2023
What this means: On the MCAP, Maryland's statewide test, about 66 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 59 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Maryland schools, those numbers are about 51 and 35. Reading and writing scores are up about 13 points since 2023, while math scores have held steady.
MCAP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 66.0% | 58.9% |
| 2023-24 | 53.2% | 59.8% |
% Proficient (Levels 3-4), all students and all tested grades.
Source: MCAP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
59.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
63.7%
based on MD schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-4.3pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 59% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 64% typical for Maryland schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Maryland's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Darnestown Elementary
Darnestown Elementary's state test result (59.5% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darnestown Elementary this school | 356 | 17.7% | 59.5% |
| Somerset Elementary Chevy Chase | 314 | 20.1% | 79.9% |
| Timonium Elementary Timonium | 445 | 20.0% | 77.8% |
| Ritchie Park Elementary Rockville | 342 | 12.6% | 80.3% |
| Westbrook Elementary Bethesda | 468 | 13.0% | 78.9% |
| Carderock Springs Elementary Bethesda | 363 | 5.5% | 85.3% |
Matched among Maryland elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Darnestown Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Maryland | In Montgomery County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 59.5% | #224 of 853 | #60 of 131 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 58.9% | #198 of 853 ▼ 17 | #50 of 131 ▲ 6 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 66.0% | #200 of 853 ▲ 122 | #44 of 131 ▲ 31 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 356 | #675 of 898 | #122 of 139 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 11.1:1 | #81 of 857 | #26 of 136 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 67.6% | #248 of 857 | #76 of 136 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 17.7% | #810 of 885 | #116 of 137 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +25.4% | #57 of 294 | #6 of 34 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
356
+55 (+18%) vs 2020
-6% since 1990-91, when it was 380
Student : Teacher
11.1:1
was 12.5:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 356 | 32.2 | 11.1:1 | 18% (63) |
| 2023-24 | 354 | 29 | 12.2:1 | 18% (62) |
| 2022-23 | 340 | 28.5 | 11.9:1 | 14% (48) |
| 2020-21 | 301 | 24 | 12.5:1 | 6% (17) |
| 2017-18 | 284 | 17.5 | 16.2:1 | 4% (10) |
| 2015-16 | 290 | 17 | 17.1:1 | 7% (21) |
| 2010-11 | 373 | 21 | 17.8:1 | 5% (17) |
| 2000-01 | 370 | 22 | 16.8:1 | 1% (3) |
| 1990-91 | 380 | 19 | 20.0:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Darnestown Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students up 25% (284 to 356); teachers up 84% (17.5 to 32.2).
About Darnestown Elementary
Darnestown Elementary is a small elementary school in Gaithersburg, Maryland, administered by Montgomery County Public Schools. It reports enrollment of 356 students in kindergarten through 5. The school is 26% below the average for elementary schools in Maryland.
The district for Darnestown Elementary is Montgomery County Public Schools, with 208 schools and 159,181 students.
Of every 100 students at Darnestown Elementary, about 51 are White. Beyond that, enrollment is 15% Asian, 15% Hispanic, 10% Black, and 9% multiracial. The White share of the county population is lower, at 42%. On the diversity index, which measures the chance that two random students are from different groups, Darnestown Elementary scores 68%.
Darnestown Elementary reports a ratio of 11.1 students per teacher, from 32.2 full-time-equivalent teachers. Across elementary schools in Maryland, the average ratio is 13.8:1. Lunch program data show 18% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals. The 40% average for public schools in Montgomery County is 22 points higher.
Darnestown Elementary sits between the top and bottom 10% of Maryland schools on BeatsExpectations, with an actual average proficiency rate across its state test results of 59.5% and a predicted 63.7%.
For Montgomery County, Census Bureau data show median household income comes to about $132,450, about 61% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 5%. The county has 211 public schools and about 159,181 students.
Darnestown Elementary is about 1.0 miles from Jones Lane Elementary, its nearest public school. Around the school, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. Of 9 schools in the immediate area with test results, Darnestown Elementary ranks 5th on average proficiency.
By NCES locale, the school is Suburb: Large, or in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
Enrollment figures show a increase of 55 students from 2020-21 to 2024-25. The ratio of students to teachers went from 12.5:1 to 11.1:1 over the same years.
Anyone can start a thread about fundraisers, report cards, and school supplies at Darnestown Elementary. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
Montgomery County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
1,065,949
Census ACS
Median income
$132,450
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
61%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
211
159,181 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Montgomery County Public Schools
- Montgomery Blair HighHigh · 3,266 students
- Walter Johnson HighHigh · 3,016 students
- Wheaton HighHigh · 2,794 students
- Gaithersburg HighHigh · 2,441 students
- Seneca Valley HighHigh · 2,409 students
- Bethesda-Chevy Chase HighHigh · 2,377 students
Other schools in Gaithersburg
- Gaithersburg HighHigh · 2,441 students
- Quince Orchard HighHigh · 2,100 students
- Watkins Mill HighHigh · 1,577 students
- Lakelands Park MiddleMiddle · 993 students
- Gaithersburg MiddleMiddle · 869 students
- Forest Oak MiddleMiddle · 828 students
Nearby schools
- Jones Lane Elementary1.0 mi · 428
- Quince Orchard High1.9 mi · 2,100
- Thurgood Marshall Elementary2.1 mi · 553
- Rachel Carson Elementary2.3 mi · 671
- Travilah Elementary2.4 mi · 372
- DuFief Elementary2.5 mi · 276
Frequently asked questions
About Darnestown ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Darnestown Elementary?
Darnestown Elementary enrolls approximately 356 students in grades KG-05.
What age range does Darnestown Elementary serve?
Darnestown Elementary serves students from grade KG through grade 05.
How many students per teacher at Darnestown Elementary?
Approximately 11.1:1 students per teacher at Darnestown Elementary.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Darnestown Elementary?
At Darnestown Elementary, the student body is approximately 51% White, 15% Hispanic, 10% Black, 15% Asian, 9% Two or more.
Is Darnestown Elementary public or private?
Darnestown Elementary is a public K-12 school, overseen by Montgomery County Public Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.