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What's something John T. Baker Middle School does better than most schools?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
841
Middle
DISTRICT 888 · STATE 764
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 240048001456
John T. Baker Middle School
25400 Oak Dr, Damascus, MD 20872 · (240) 207-2440 · Montgomery County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE41-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL841 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 65% of Maryland public middle schools
- B+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B-Beats 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 middle schools
Student : Teacher
14.7:1
57 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.5:1 · STATE 14.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
37%
312 students
DISTRICT 40% · STATE 54%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 272 | 32% |
| Grade 7 | 273 | 32% |
| Grade 8 | 296 | 35% |
Student demographics
71%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
60.7%
MD avg 50.6% . +5.5pp since 2023
Math
35.8%
MD avg 34.8% . +7.4pp since 2023
What this means: On the MCAP, Maryland's statewide test, about 61 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 36 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 7 points.
MCAP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 60.7% | 35.8% |
| 2023-24 | 55.2% | 28.4% |
% 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
45.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
52.3%
based on MD schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-7.2pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 45% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 52% 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 John T. Baker Middle School
John T. Baker Middle School's state test result (45.0% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| John T. Baker Middle School this school | 841 | 37.1% | 45.0% |
| Ballenger Creek Middle Frederick | 777 | 42.3% | 43.3% |
| Ridgeview Middle Gaithersburg | 722 | 41.7% | 41.0% |
| Cockeysville Middle Cockeysville | 928 | 42.3% | 40.8% |
| Silver Spring International Middle Silver Spring | 1,015 | 43.7% | 38.3% |
| Mayfield Woods Middle Elkridge | 731 | 40.1% | 38.7% |
Matched among Maryland middle 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 John T. Baker Middle School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Maryland | In Montgomery County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 45.0% | #72 of 223 | #17 of 40 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 35.8% | #62 of 223 ▲ 13 | #16 of 40 ▲ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 60.7% | #71 of 223 ▲ 10 | #16 of 40 ▲ 2 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 841 | #84 of 230 | #25 of 40 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.7:1 | #120 of 225 | #23 of 40 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 70.8% | #49 of 225 | #16 of 40 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 37.1% | #162 of 227 | #25 of 40 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -3.6% | #102 of 123 | #16 of 21 |
Ranked against other public middle 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
841
+44 (+6%) vs 2020
+45% since 1990-91, when it was 580
Student : Teacher
14.7:1
was 15.3:1
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 | 841 | 57.2 | 14.7:1 | 37% (312) |
| 2023-24 | 842 | 57.7 | 14.6:1 | 35% (291) |
| 2022-23 | 825 | 55.2 | 14.9:1 | 38% (310) |
| 2020-21 | 797 | 52 | 15.3:1 | 28% (227) |
| 2017-18 | 872 | 55.4 | 15.7:1 | 22% (194) |
| 2015-16 | 813 | 49 | 16.6:1 | 19% (155) |
| 2010-11 | 776 | 44 | 17.6:1 | 16% (126) |
| 2000-01 | 739 | 46 | 16.1:1 | 8% (56) |
| 1990-91 | 580 | 36 | 16.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for John T. Baker Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students down 4% (872 to 841); teachers up 3% (55.4 to 57.2).
About John T. Baker Middle School
John T. Baker Middle School is a mid-sized middle school in Damascus, Maryland, administered by Montgomery County Public Schools. The school serves grades 6 through 8. Enrollment is 841 students.
John T. Baker Middle School is one of 208 schools in Montgomery County Public Schools, which enrolls 159,181 students in total.
No group is above 50% at John T. Baker Middle School; the largest is White, at 38%. The rest of enrollment is 35% Hispanic, 13% Black, 7% Asian, and 6% multiracial. Measured by the diversity index, the student body scores 71%.
Its ratio of 14.7:1 is based on 57.2 full-time-equivalent teachers. The average ratio among middle schools in Maryland is similar, at 14.3:1. The share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is 37%.
John T. Baker Middle School earns a B+ on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 65% of Maryland public middle schools.
Schools in Maryland with a similar free or reduced-price lunch share are predicted to score about 52.3%. John T. Baker Middle School scores 45.0%.
The school is in Montgomery County, where median household income comes to about $132,450, roughly 61% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 5% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Montgomery County's 211 public schools enroll about 159,181 students and include John T. Baker Middle School.
Damascus High sits about 0.7 miles from John T. Baker Middle School. John T. Baker Middle School has at least 8 other public schools within five miles. Among 9 nearby schools that report test results, John T. Baker Middle School ranks 8th on proficiency.
The school's locale code, Rural: Fringe, means it is in rural territory close to an urban area.
Over the 4 years from 2020-21 to 2024-25, enrollment rose 6%.
Anyone can start a thread about fundraisers, report cards, and school supplies at John T. Baker Middle School. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
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 Damascus
- Damascus HighHigh · 1,390 students
- Clearspring ElementaryElementary · 541 students
- Lois P. Rockwell ElementaryElementary · 518 students
- Damascus ElementaryElementary · 331 students
Nearby schools
- Damascus High0.7 mi · 1,390
- Clearspring Elementary0.8 mi · 541
- Damascus Elementary0.9 mi · 331
- Lois P. Rockwell Elementary1.2 mi · 518
- Woodfield Elementary1.8 mi · 314
- Cedar Grove Elementary1.8 mi · 326
Frequently asked questions
About John T. Baker Middle SchoolHow large is John T. Baker Middle School?
John T. Baker Middle School enrolls approximately 841 students in grades 06-08.
What age range does John T. Baker Middle School serve?
John T. Baker Middle School serves students from grade 06 through grade 08.
How many students per teacher at John T. Baker Middle School?
Approximately 14.7:1 students per teacher at John T. Baker Middle School.
What is the racial breakdown of students at John T. Baker Middle School?
At John T. Baker Middle School, the student body is approximately 38% White, 35% Hispanic, 13% Black, 7% Asian, 6% Two or more.
Who oversees John T. Baker Middle School?
John T. Baker Middle School is overseen by Montgomery County Public Schools in Montgomery County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.