Longfellow Elementary

Longfellow Elementary is a reasonably sized primary school in Columbia, Maryland, run under Howard County Public Schools. The school instructs 446 students in grades pre-K through 5.

Howard County Public Schools comprises 77 schools with combined enrollment of 57,565 students; Longfellow Elementary is among them.

On demographics, Longfellow Elementary shows that the most-represented group is Black (36%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. Beyond that, the school lists 25% Hispanic, 22% White, 11% multiracial, 6% Asian. By comparison, Howard County as a whole is about 20% Black, so the school skews considerably more Black than its surroundings.

On the resource side, Staff filings list 39 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 11.4:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.8:1, putting Longfellow Elementary tighter than the state norm the norm. About 43% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. That share is above Howard County's rate of about 27%.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Longfellow Elementary tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 48.6% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 44.3%.

In the surrounding community, ACS estimates for Howard County put the typical household earns roughly $149,763 per year, about 65% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 4%. In all, Howard County runs 78 public schools (combined enrollment of about 57,565 students), of which Longfellow Elementary is one.

Nearest neighbor: Harpers Choice Middle, around 0.3 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Longfellow Elementary. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Longfellow Elementary at 4th of 8; the average score across the group is 43.1%.

Geographically, the school is in a city-core area.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count showed little movement: 441 students in 2018 compared to 446 in 2025.

Within the allk12 community for this school, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.