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What advice would you give to incoming students at Potomac Elementary?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
475
Elementary
DISTRICT 514 · STATE 481
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 240048000898
Potomac Elementary
10311 River Rd, Potomac, MD 20854 · (240) 740-4360 · Montgomery County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL475 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
17.0:1
28 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.9:1 · STATE 13.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
8%
36 students
DISTRICT 40% · 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 68 | 14% |
| Grade 1 | 72 | 15% |
| Grade 2 | 84 | 18% |
| Grade 3 | 75 | 16% |
| Grade 4 | 87 | 18% |
| Grade 5 | 89 | 19% |
This year's kindergarten class (68) is 24% smaller than its 5th grade class (89).
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
83.1%
MD avg 50.6% . -9.6pp since 2023
Math
83.1%
MD avg 34.8% . +6.7pp since 2023
What this means: On the MCAP, Maryland's statewide test, about 83 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 83 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Maryland schools, those numbers are about 51 and 35. Reading and writing scores are down about 10 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 7 points.
MCAP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 83.1% | 83.1% |
| 2023-24 | 92.7% | 76.4% |
% 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
OUTPERFORMING
Top 10% of MD schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
83.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
69.7%
based on MD schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+14.1pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 84% of students here test proficient in math and reading, well above the roughly 70% typical for Maryland schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations ranks schools against others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school can post high scores and still fall short of its prediction, or post lower scores and still beat it. This school clears its prediction by about 14 points, placing it in Maryland's top 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 Potomac Elementary
Potomac Elementary's state test result (83.8% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Potomac Elementary this school | 475 | 7.6% | 83.8% |
| Beverly Farms Elementary Potomac | 526 | 8.6% | 82.7% |
| Worthington Elementary Ellicott City | 403 | 11.7% | 81.8% |
| Cold Spring Elementary Potomac | 362 | 7.7% | 84.0% |
| Wayside Elementary Potomac | 465 | 9.9% | 85.3% |
| Ilchester Elementary Ellicott City | 482 | 13.7% | 72.4% |
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 Potomac Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Maryland | In Montgomery County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 83.8% | #14 of 853 | #8 of 131 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 83.1% | #13 of 853 ▲ 32 | #7 of 131 ▲ 15 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 83.1% | #35 of 853 ▼ 31 | #14 of 131 ▼ 13 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 475 | #438 of 898 | #84 of 139 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.0:1 | #799 of 857 | #131 of 136 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 70.9% | #148 of 857 | #48 of 136 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 7.6% | #875 of 885 | #131 of 137 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +7.0% | #177 of 294 | #17 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
475
+82 (+21%) vs 2020
+34% since 1990-91, when it was 354
Student : Teacher
17.0:1
was 17.9:1
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 | 475 | 27.9 | 17.0:1 | 8% (36) |
| 2023-24 | 435 | 25.1 | 17.3:1 | 9% (37) |
| 2022-23 | 443 | 27.3 | 16.2:1 | 7% (33) |
| 2020-21 | 393 | 22 | 17.9:1 | 5% (20) |
| 2017-18 | 444 | 24 | 18.5:1 | 2% (9) |
| 2015-16 | 474 | 25 | 19.0:1 | 2% (11) |
| 2010-11 | 550 | 28 | 19.6:1 | 3% (16) |
| 2000-01 | 648 | 32 | 20.3:1 | 2% (10) |
| 1990-91 | 354 | 17 | 20.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Potomac Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students up 7% (444 to 475); teachers up 16% (24 to 27.9).
About Potomac Elementary
At 10311 River Rd in Potomac, Maryland, Potomac Elementary operates as a mid-sized elementary school. The school offers kindergarten through 5 and enrolls 475 students.
Potomac Elementary reports to Montgomery County Public Schools, which has 208 schools and 159,181 students.
White students make up 39% of enrollment at Potomac Elementary, the largest share of any group. The next largest groups are 33% Asian, 10% multiracial, 9% Black, and 8% Hispanic. That is in line with Montgomery County, where about 42% of residents are White. A diversity index of 71% means there is a 71% chance two randomly chosen students at Potomac Elementary are from different groups.
Teacher count: 27.9 full-time equivalents. Student-to-teacher ratio: 17.0:1. Across elementary schools in Maryland, the average ratio is 13.8:1. Roughly 8% of students come from households that qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Among public schools in Montgomery County, the average eligibility rate is 40%.
The BeatsExpectations model predicts 69.7% for Potomac Elementary, given its share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The actual figure is 83.8%. The 14.1-point gap ranks in the top 10% of Maryland schools.
In Montgomery County, home to about 1,065,949 people, median household income comes to about $132,450, 61% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 5% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Montgomery County's 211 public schools enroll about 159,181 students and include Potomac Elementary.
Wayside Elementary, about 1.8 miles away, is the closest public school. Other public schools within five miles number at least 8. Ranked by average proficiency, Potomac Elementary places 3rd out of 9 schools in its immediate area.
The school's federal locale classification is Suburb: Large.
Enrollment increased 21% over 4 years, reaching 475 in 2024-25.
This page collects posts and questions about Potomac Elementary, such as open houses, carpools, and field trips. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
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 Potomac
- Winston Churchill HighHigh · 2,185 students
- Cabin John MiddleMiddle · 983 students
- Herbert Hoover MiddleMiddle · 930 students
- Bells Mill ElementaryElementary · 570 students
- Beverly Farms ElementaryElementary · 526 students
- Wayside ElementaryElementary · 465 students
Other Potomac Elementary schools
2 other US public schools in 3 states are named Potomac Elementary. Potomac Elementary is the 2nd largest of the 3.
- Potomac ElementaryDahlgren, VA · 566 students
- Potomac Elementary SchoolPotomac, IL · 137 students
Nearby schools
- Wayside Elementary1.8 mi · 465
- Cabin John Middle2.3 mi · 983
- Herbert Hoover Middle2.4 mi · 930
- Bells Mill Elementary2.5 mi · 570
- Winston Churchill High2.7 mi · 2,185
- Seven Locks Elementary2.8 mi · 376
Frequently asked questions
About Potomac ElementaryHow many students attend Potomac Elementary?
Potomac Elementary enrolls approximately 475 students in grades KG-05.
Is Potomac Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Potomac Elementary is an elementary school covering grades KG-05.
How many students per teacher at Potomac Elementary?
Approximately 17.0:1 students per teacher at Potomac Elementary.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Potomac Elementary?
At Potomac Elementary, the student body is approximately 39% White, 8% Hispanic, 9% Black, 33% Asian, 10% Two or more.
What district is Potomac Elementary in?
Potomac Elementary is part of Montgomery County Public Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.