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How has Piccowaxen Middle School changed in the last five years, for better or worse?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
578
Middle
DISTRICT 689 · STATE 764
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CHARLES COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 240027000604
Piccowaxen Middle School
12834 Rock Point Rd, Newburg, MD 20664 · (301) 934-1977 · Charles County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE42-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL578 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 45% of Maryland public middle schools
- BTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C-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
13.4:1
43 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.3:1 · STATE 14.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
33%
192 students
DISTRICT 51% · 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 | 172 | 30% |
| Grade 7 | 217 | 38% |
| Grade 8 | 189 | 33% |
Student demographics
59%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
55.5%
MD avg 50.6% . -0.5pp since 2023
Math
28.1%
MD avg 34.8% . -4.0pp since 2023
What this means: On the MCAP, Maryland's statewide test, about 56 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 28 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Maryland schools, those numbers are about 51 and 35. Reading and writing scores have held steady since 2023, while math scores are down about 4 points.
MCAP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 55.5% | 28.1% |
| 2023-24 | 56.0% | 32.1% |
% 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
42.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
54.6%
based on MD schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-11.6pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 43% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 55% 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 Piccowaxen Middle School
Piccowaxen Middle School's state test result (42.9% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piccowaxen Middle School this school | 578 | 33.2% | 42.9% |
| Calvert Middle Prince Frederick | 607 | 39.5% | 39.2% |
| Windy Hill Middle Owings | 669 | 29.1% | 51.0% |
| Brunswick Middle Brunswick | 638 | 29.9% | 47.3% |
| Centreville Middle School Centreville | 501 | 35.9% | 48.7% |
| Shiloh Middle Hampstead | 631 | 27.3% | 52.7% |
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 Piccowaxen Middle School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Maryland | In Charles County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 42.9% | #79 of 223 | #1 of 9 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 28.1% | #88 of 223 ▼ 25 | #1 of 9 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 55.5% | #90 of 223 ▼ 14 | #2 of 9 ▼ 1 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 578 | #179 of 230 | #7 of 9 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.4:1 | #68 of 225 | #2 of 9 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 58.8% | #123 of 225 | #4 of 9 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 33.2% | #171 of 227 | #9 of 9 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +38.3% | #6 of 95 | N/A |
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
578
+135 (+30%) vs 2020
+55% since 1990-91, when it was 374
Student : Teacher
13.4:1
was 14.3:1
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 | 578 | 43 | 13.4:1 | 33% (192) |
| 2023-24 | 615 | 43.5 | 14.1:1 | 30% (187) |
| 2022-23 | 616 | 39.3 | 15.7:1 | 27% (166) |
| 2020-21 | 443 | 31 | 14.3:1 | 22% (97) |
| 2017-18 | 418 | 30.2 | 13.9:1 | 17% (71) |
| 2015-16 | 439 | 30 | 14.6:1 | 21% (94) |
| 2010-11 | 484 | 33 | 14.7:1 | 22% (106) |
| 2000-01 | 450 | 24 | 18.8:1 | 22% (100) |
| 1990-91 | 374 | 22 | 17.0:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Piccowaxen Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students up 38% (418 to 578); teachers up 43% (30.2 to 43).
About Piccowaxen Middle School
Piccowaxen Middle School is a low-enrollment middle-grades school in Newburg, Maryland, administered by Charles County Public Schools. Students in grades 6 through 8 attend the school, which enrolls 578 students. For comparison, middle schools in Maryland average about 764 students.
The district for Piccowaxen Middle School is Charles County Public Schools, with 38 schools and 28,162 students.
By race and ethnicity, Piccowaxen Middle School is 60% White. The rest of enrollment is 20% Black, 10% multiracial, 8% Hispanic, and 2% Asian. Census estimates put the White share of Charles County's population at about 33%. The chance that two students picked at random at Piccowaxen Middle School belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 59%.
Teacher staffing is 43 full-time equivalents, or about 13.4 students per teacher. Among middle schools in Maryland, the typical ratio is 14.3:1. About 33% of students, or 192, qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Compared with the 50% average for public schools in Charles County, the school's rate is lower.
Measured against Maryland public middle schools, Piccowaxen Middle School receives a B-. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
Given its share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, Piccowaxen Middle School would be expected to post about 54.6%. Its actual average proficiency rate on state tests is 42.9%.
Federal survey data for Charles County show that median household income is about $122,816, about 34% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 5%. A total of 40 public schools operate in Charles County, serving about 28,162 students.
Of nearby public schools, Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School is the closest, at about 0.2 miles. The count of other public schools within ten miles is 4. Its average proficiency rate of 42.9% is below the 52.1% average for nearby schools.
Piccowaxen Middle School is in rural territory some distance from an urban area, a location NCES labels Rural: Distant.
A comparison of 2020-21 and 2024-25 shows enrollment up 30%, from 443 to 578.
Conversations here can range across sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
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
Other schools in Newburg
- Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary SchoolElementary · 428 students
Nearby schools
- Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School0.2 mi · 428
- Potomac Elementary6.3 mi · 566
- Colonial Beach Elementary7.3 mi · 367
- Colonial Beach High7.3 mi · 226
- Dynard Elementary10.5 mi · 422
- Phoenix International School of the Arts10.9 mi · 243
Frequently asked questions
About Piccowaxen Middle SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Piccowaxen Middle School?
Piccowaxen Middle School enrolls approximately 578 students in grades 06-08.
Is Piccowaxen Middle School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Piccowaxen Middle School is a middle school covering grades 06-08.
How many teachers does Piccowaxen Middle School have?
Piccowaxen Middle School employs 43 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 13.4:1.
How diverse is Piccowaxen Middle School?
Piccowaxen Middle School reports a student body of 60% White, 8% Hispanic, 20% Black, 2% Asian, 10% Two or more.
Is Piccowaxen Middle School public or private?
Piccowaxen Middle 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.