1
What do students at Sparks Elementary actually talk about outside of class?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
509
Elementary
DISTRICT 463 · STATE 481
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 240012000476
Sparks Elementary
601 Belfast Rd, Sparks, MD 21152 · (410) 887-7900 · Baltimore County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY41-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL509 STUDENTS
A+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 96% of Maryland public elementary schools
- A+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ABeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
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 elementary schools
Student : Teacher
15.6:1
33 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.0:1 · STATE 13.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
10%
53 students
DISTRICT 55% · STATE 54%
Community
6
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 2 | 0% |
| Kindergarten | 87 | 17% |
| Grade 1 | 71 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 84 | 17% |
| Grade 3 | 84 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 85 | 17% |
| Grade 5 | 96 | 19% |
This year's kindergarten class (87) is 9% smaller than its 5th grade class (96).
Student demographics
37%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 72% · 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
84.5%
MD avg 50.6% . +3.4pp since 2023
Math
85.7%
MD avg 34.8% . +9.7pp since 2023
What this means: On the MCAP, Maryland's statewide test, about 85 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 86 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 10 points.
MCAP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 84.5% | 85.7% |
| 2023-24 | 81.1% | 76.0% |
% 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
81.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
68.0%
based on MD schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+13.8pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 82% of students here test proficient in math and reading, well above the roughly 68% 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 Sparks Elementary
Sparks Elementary's state test result (81.8% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sparks Elementary this school | 509 | 10.4% | 81.8% |
| Lisbon Elementary Woodbine | 480 | 14.4% | 62.6% |
| Carrolltowne Elementary Sykesville | 593 | 14.5% | 73.3% |
| Jacksonville Elementary Phoenix | 533 | 7.7% | 79.4% |
| Riderwood Elementary Towson | 423 | 9.5% | 86.0% |
| Rodgers Forge Elementary Baltimore | 412 | 9.5% | 86.8% |
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 Sparks Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Maryland | In Baltimore County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 81.8% | #22 of 853 | #4 of 109 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 85.7% | #7 of 853 ▲ 43 | #1 of 109 ▲ 7 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 84.5% | #29 of 853 ▲ 14 | #6 of 109 ▲ 5 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 509 | #363 of 898 | #41 of 112 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.6:1 | #655 of 857 | #59 of 108 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 36.8% | #663 of 857 | #94 of 108 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 10.4% | #854 of 885 | #105 of 110 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -1.4% | #519 of 551 | #79 of 84 |
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
509
+24 (+5%) vs 2020
+10% since 1990-91, when it was 463
Student : Teacher
15.6:1
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 | 509 | 32.7 | 15.6:1 | 10% (53) |
| 2023-24 | 497 | 29.7 | 16.7:1 | 13% (66) |
| 2022-23 | 472 | 32.3 | 14.6:1 | 13% (59) |
| 2020-21 | 485 | 34 | 14.3:1 | 8% (40) |
| 2017-18 | 516 | 30.6 | 16.9:1 | 5% (28) |
| 2015-16 | 518 | 28 | 18.5:1 | 4% (20) |
| 2010-11 | 556 | 33 | 16.9:1 | 6% (32) |
| 2000-01 | 453 | 23 | 19.7:1 | 2% (10) |
| 1990-91 | 463 | 21 | 22.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Sparks Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 1% (516 to 509); teachers up 7% (30.6 to 32.7).
About Sparks Elementary
Sparks Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Baltimore County Public Schools, located in Sparks, Maryland. It reported 509 students in kindergarten through 5 in 2024-25.
Baltimore County Public Schools has 177 schools; together they serve 110,872 students.
At Sparks Elementary, 79% of students are White. Smaller groups are 9% Asian, 7% Hispanic, 3% Black, and 3% multiracial. For comparison, the population of Baltimore County is roughly 53% White. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 37, compared with 70 nationally.
The school's 32.7 full-time-equivalent teachers translate to a student-to-teacher ratio of 15.6:1. The average for elementary schools in Maryland is 13.8:1, so this school has more students per teacher. At Sparks Elementary, 10% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024-25. Across public schools in Baltimore County, the average is 53%.
Sparks Elementary holds an A+ allk12 Grade, placing it above 96% of Maryland public elementary schools.
Schools in Maryland with a similar free or reduced-price lunch share are predicted to post an average proficiency rate across its state test results near 68.0%. Sparks Elementary posts 81.8%, 13.8 points above that, which places it in the top 10% statewide on BeatsExpectations.
American Community Survey estimates for Baltimore County show that the median household earns about $91,768 a year, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 42%, and roughly 7% of residents are in poverty. Across Baltimore County, 180 public schools serve about 110,872 students.
Sparks Elementary is about 2.2 miles from Hereford Middle, its nearest public school. Within five miles are 2 other public schools. On proficiency, Sparks Elementary is ahead of the 49.8% nearby average, ranking 1st of 9.
By NCES locale, the school is Rural: Fringe, or in rural territory close to an urban area.
In 2024-25, the school enrolled 509, up from 485 in 2020-21. Students per teacher increased from 14.3 in 2020-21 to 15.6 in 2024-25.
This community page is for conversations about open houses, carpools, and field trips. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
Baltimore County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
850,796
Census ACS
Median income
$91,768
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
42%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
180
110,872 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Baltimore County Public Schools
- Dundalk HighHigh · 2,087 students
- Perry Hall HighHigh · 2,012 students
- Woodlawn HighHigh · 1,922 students
- Kenwood HighHigh · 1,900 students
- Dulaney HighHigh · 1,889 students
- Parkville HighHigh · 1,877 students
Other Sparks Elementary schools
3 other US public schools in 3 states are named Sparks Elementary. Sparks Elementary is the 2nd largest of the 4.
- Sparks Elementary SchoolFRISCO, TX · 531 students
- Sparks Elementary SchoolPASADENA, TX · 370 students
- Sparks ElementaryLa Puente, CA · 361 students
Nearby schools
- Hereford Middle2.2 mi · 861
- Hereford High4.0 mi · 1,175
- Cockeysville Middle5.1 mi · 928
- Warren Elementary5.5 mi · 381
- Padonia International Elementary5.8 mi · 505
- Mays Chapel Elementary5.8 mi · 657
Frequently asked questions
About Sparks ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Sparks Elementary?
Sparks Elementary enrolls approximately 509 students in grades KG-05.
What age range does Sparks Elementary serve?
Sparks Elementary serves students from grade KG through grade 05.
How many teachers does Sparks Elementary have?
Sparks Elementary employs 33 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 15.6:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Sparks Elementary?
At Sparks Elementary, the student body is approximately 79% White, 7% Hispanic, 3% Black, 9% Asian, 3% Two or more.
Is Sparks Elementary public or private?
Sparks Elementary is a public K-12 school, overseen by Baltimore County Public Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.