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What's the biggest difference between Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School and what you expected?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
428
Elementary
DISTRICT 569 · STATE 481
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CHARLES COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 240027000610
Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School
12872 Rock Point Rd, Newburg, MD 20664 · (301) 934-4091 · Charles County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL428 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 49% of Maryland public elementary schools
- BTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- CBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Maryland public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
15.3:1
28 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.0:1 · STATE 13.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
40%
171 students
DISTRICT 51% · STATE 54%
Community
5
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 36 | 8% |
| Kindergarten | 61 | 14% |
| Grade 1 | 67 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 69 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 56 | 13% |
| Grade 4 | 67 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 72 | 17% |
This year's kindergarten class (61) is 15% smaller than its 5th grade class (72).
Student demographics
49%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 61% · 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
59.0%
MD avg 50.6% . +5.6pp since 2023
Math
46.8%
MD avg 34.8% . +6.3pp since 2023
What this means: On the MCAP, Maryland's statewide test, about 59 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 47 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 6 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 6 points.
MCAP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 59.0% | 46.8% |
| 2023-24 | 53.4% | 40.5% |
% 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
49.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
50.6%
based on MD schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-0.7pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 50% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 51% 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 Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School
Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School's state test result (49.9% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School this school | 428 | 40.0% | 49.9% |
| Dynard Elementary Chaptico | 422 | 39.6% | 50.3% |
| Piney Point Elementary Tall Timbers | 435 | 35.9% | 47.4% |
| Jacobsville Elementary Pasadena | 474 | 38.0% | 50.4% |
| Kennard Elementary School Centreville | 477 | 35.6% | 46.3% |
| Lettie Marshall Dent Elem Mechanicsville | 479 | 38.4% | 44.3% |
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 Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Maryland | In Charles County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 49.9% | #336 of 853 | #3 of 22 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 46.8% | #339 of 853 ▲ 62 | #5 of 22 ▲ 3 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 59.0% | #306 of 853 ▲ 13 | #4 of 22 ▼ 1 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 428 | #548 of 898 | #18 of 22 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.3:1 | #625 of 857 | #12 of 22 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 48.9% | #533 of 857 | #19 of 22 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 40.0% | #625 of 885 | #19 of 22 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -0.2% | #548 of 551 | #15 of 15 |
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
428
+66 (+18%) vs 2020
-22% since 1990-91, when it was 547
Student : Teacher
15.3:1
was 12.9:1
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 | 428 | 28 | 15.3:1 | 40% (171) |
| 2023-24 | 408 | 28.7 | 14.2:1 | 41% (167) |
| 2022-23 | 411 | 28.6 | 14.4:1 | 41% (169) |
| 2020-21 | 362 | 28 | 12.9:1 | 34% (124) |
| 2017-18 | 429 | 28.4 | 15.1:1 | 28% (118) |
| 2015-16 | 437 | 28 | 15.6:1 | 30% (133) |
| 2010-11 | 423 | 24 | 17.6:1 | 27% (115) |
| 2000-01 | 370 | 21 | 17.6:1 | 39% (143) |
| 1990-91 | 547 | 26 | 21.0:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students unchanged (429 to 428); teachers down 1% (28.4 to 28).
About Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School
At 12872 Rock Point Rd in Newburg, Maryland, Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School operates as a medium-sized elementary school. Enrolled students number 428 students, in pre-K through 5.
Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School is one of the 38 schools that make up Charles County Public Schools (28,162 students in total).
Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School's enrollment is 69% White. Other groups make up 16% Black, 8% multiracial, and 4% Hispanic. County-wide, 33% of Charles County residents are White. By the diversity index, Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School comes in at 49%.
Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School employs 28 full-time-equivalent teachers. That gives a ratio of about 15.3:1. The average ratio among elementary schools in Maryland is 13.8:1, lower than at this school. Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School's free or reduced-price lunch eligibility rate is 40%. The rate at public schools in Charles County averages 50%, higher than here.
The allk12 Grade for Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School is B-. Compared with Maryland public elementary schools, the school scored higher than 49% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
When test results are adjusted for free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School is within a point of its prediction. Actual: 49.9%. Predicted: 50.6%.
Census estimates describe Charles County this way: median household income is about $122,816, about 34% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 5% of residents are in poverty. Federal data list 40 public schools in Charles County, with a combined enrollment of about 28,162.
Piccowaxen Middle School is located about 0.2 miles from Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School. Other public schools within ten miles: 4. The nearest schools with test data average 51.2%, higher than Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School's 49.9%.
Its location is classified as Rural: Distant by the National Center for Education Statistics.
The 2024-25 enrollment of 428 was 18% higher than in 2020-21, when it was 362. Federal data show the ratio rising from 12.9:1 to 15.3:1.
To ask about school safety, transportation, and start times, start a discussion on this page. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Charles County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
170,527
Census ACS
Median income
$122,816
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
34%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
40
28,162 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Charles County Public Schools
- North Point High SchoolHigh · 1,960 students
- St. Charles High SchoolHigh · 1,617 students
- Thomas Stone High SchoolHigh · 1,230 students
- La Plata High SchoolHigh · 1,217 students
- Westlake High SchoolHigh · 1,216 students
- Maurice J. McDonough High SchoolHigh · 1,163 students
Nearby schools
- Piccowaxen Middle School0.2 mi · 578
- Potomac Elementary6.3 mi · 566
- Colonial Beach Elementary7.1 mi · 367
- Colonial Beach High7.2 mi · 226
- Dynard Elementary10.3 mi · 422
- Phoenix International School of the Arts11.0 mi · 243
Frequently asked questions
About Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School?
Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School enrolls approximately 428 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School serve?
Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School is approximately 15.3:1 (28 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School?
At Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School, the student body is approximately 69% White, 4% Hispanic, 16% Black, 1% Asian, 8% Two or more.
Is Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School public or private?
Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Charles County Public Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.