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Teachers: what resource would make the biggest difference at Smithsburg Middle this year?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
554
Middle
DISTRICT 700 · STATE 764
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WASHINGTON COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 240066001287
Smithsburg Middle
68 N Main St, Smithsburg, MD 21783 · (301) 766-8353 · Washington County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE22-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL554 STUDENTS
A
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 91% of Maryland public middle schools
- A-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- A+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
15.6:1
36 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.3:1 · STATE 14.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
46%
257 students
DISTRICT 56% · 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 | 190 | 34% |
| Grade 7 | 174 | 31% |
| Grade 8 | 190 | 34% |
Student demographics
42%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 64% · 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
71.7%
MD avg 50.6% . +3.3pp since 2023
Math
42.6%
MD avg 34.8% . +2.7pp since 2023
What this means: On the MCAP, Maryland's statewide test, about 72 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 43 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 3 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 3 points.
MCAP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 71.7% | 42.6% |
| 2023-24 | 68.4% | 39.9% |
% 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
55.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
46.8%
based on MD schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+8.9pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 56% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 47% 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 Smithsburg Middle
Smithsburg Middle's state test result (55.6% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smithsburg Middle this school | 554 | 46.4% | 55.6% |
| Sparrows Point Middle Baltimore | 555 | 48.8% | 29.0% |
| Berlin Intermediate Berlin | 613 | 46.8% | 57.0% |
| Thurmont Middle Thurmont | 507 | 48.3% | 31.1% |
| Perryville Middle Perryville | 512 | 46.5% | 35.4% |
| Northwest Middle Taneytown | 655 | 44.4% | 38.9% |
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 Smithsburg Middle ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Maryland | In Washington County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 55.6% | #40 of 223 | #1 of 7 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 42.6% | #40 of 223 ▲ 1 | #2 of 7 ▼ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 71.7% | #43 of 223 ▲ 1 | #1 of 7 ▲ 1 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 554 | #185 of 230 | #6 of 7 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.6:1 | #154 of 225 | #6 of 7 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 41.9% | #181 of 225 | #5 of 7 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 46.4% | #135 of 227 | #6 of 7 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -13.6% | #34 of 123 | 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
554
-11 (-2%) vs 2020
+7% since 1990-91, when it was 520
Student : Teacher
15.6:1
was 14.5:1
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 | 554 | 35.5 | 15.6:1 | 46% (257) |
| 2023-24 | 533 | 35.4 | 15.1:1 | 47% (251) |
| 2022-23 | 534 | 38.6 | 13.8:1 | 47% (249) |
| 2020-21 | 565 | 39 | 14.5:1 | 42% (240) |
| 2017-18 | 641 | 40.5 | 15.8:1 | 33% (209) |
| 2015-16 | 661 | 41 | 16.1:1 | 35% (234) |
| 2010-11 | 691 | 41 | 16.9:1 | 30% (204) |
| 2000-01 | 631 | 39 | 16.2:1 | 16% (104) |
| 1990-91 | 520 | 31 | 16.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Smithsburg Middle.
Since 2017-18: students down 14% (641 to 554); teachers down 12% (40.5 to 35.5).
About Smithsburg Middle
In Smithsburg, Maryland, Smithsburg Middle is a low-enrollment middle school. Its 554 students are spread across grades 6 through 8. The school's enrollment is 27% smaller than the 764 average for middle schools in Maryland.
The district, Washington County Public Schools, has 23,320 students enrolled across 43 schools.
White students make up a majority at Smithsburg Middle, at 75%. Next come 11% Hispanic, 7% Black, and 5% multiracial. The White share in Washington County as a whole is similar, at about 75%. The school's diversity index is 42%, meaning two students picked at random have a 42% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
Teacher staffing is 35.5 full-time equivalents, or about 15.6 students per teacher. On average, middle schools in Maryland have 14.3:1, compared with 15.6:1 here. About 46% of students, or 257, qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. For comparison, public schools in Washington County average 58%.
allk12 grades Smithsburg Middle an A. The grade compares the school only with Maryland public middle schools, because each state gives its own test.
Smithsburg Middle posts an average proficiency rate on state tests of 55.6%, compared with a predicted 46.8%. It is not in the top or bottom 10% of Maryland schools on BeatsExpectations.
Across Washington County, the median household income is $77,747, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 24% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 9%. Washington County is home to 44 public schools and about 23,320 public school students.
The next-closest public school is Smithsburg High, about 0.2 miles away. Smithsburg Middle is one of several public schools in the area, with 3 others within five miles. Ranking the closest schools with test data puts Smithsburg Middle at 3rd of 9.
The school's federal locale classification is Suburb: Mid-size.
Between 2020-21 and 2024-25, enrollment moved from 565 to 554, a small change. Over the same period, the student-to-teacher ratio rose to 15.6:1, from 14.5:1.
To ask about school events, clubs, and volunteer needs, start a discussion on this page. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Washington County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
155,709
Census ACS
Median income
$77,747
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
24%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
44
23,320 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Washington County Public Schools
- South Hagerstown HighHigh · 1,690 students
- North Hagerstown HighHigh · 1,583 students
- Williamsport HighHigh · 1,061 students
- Western Heights MiddleMiddle · 883 students
- E. Russell Hicks MiddleMiddle · 841 students
- Northern MiddleMiddle · 841 students
Other schools in Smithsburg
- Smithsburg HighHigh · 733 students
- Smithsburg ElementaryElementary · 362 students
Nearby schools
- Smithsburg High0.2 mi · 733
- Smithsburg Elementary0.4 mi · 362
- Old Forge Elementary2.3 mi · 354
- Cascade Elementary5.7 mi · 137
- Hooverville Elementary School5.8 mi · 317
- Summitview Elementary School5.9 mi · 363
Frequently asked questions
About Smithsburg MiddleHow many students attend Smithsburg Middle?
Smithsburg Middle enrolls approximately 554 students in grades 06-08.
What grades does Smithsburg Middle serve?
Smithsburg Middle serves grades 06-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Smithsburg Middle?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Smithsburg Middle is approximately 15.6:1 (36 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Smithsburg Middle?
At Smithsburg Middle, the student body is approximately 75% White, 11% Hispanic, 7% Black, 2% Asian, 5% Two or more.
Is Smithsburg Middle public or private?
Smithsburg Middle is a public K-12 school, overseen by Washington County Public Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.