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Honest take: what's the hardest part about being a student at Valley Elementary?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
525
Elementary
DISTRICT 545 · STATE 481
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·FREDERICK COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 240033000653
Valley Elementary
3519 Jefferson Pike, Jefferson, MD 21755 · (227) 203-1200 · Frederick County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY41-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL525 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
16.5:1
32 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.1:1 · STATE 13.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
31%
162 students
DISTRICT 39% · 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 19 | 4% |
| Kindergarten | 87 | 17% |
| Grade 1 | 83 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 78 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 86 | 16% |
| Grade 4 | 92 | 18% |
| Grade 5 | 80 | 15% |
This year's kindergarten class (87) is 9% larger than its 5th grade class (80).
Student demographics
50%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 69% · 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
59.3%
MD avg 50.6% . -0.4pp since 2023
Math
47.4%
MD avg 34.8% . -4.2pp since 2023
What this means: On the MCAP, Maryland's statewide test, about 59 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 47 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 | 59.3% | 47.4% |
| 2023-24 | 59.7% | 51.6% |
% 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
54.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
56.0%
based on MD schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-1.5pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 55% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 56% 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 Valley Elementary
Valley Elementary's state test result (54.5% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley Elementary this school | 525 | 30.9% | 54.5% |
| Glade Elementary Walkersville | 561 | 29.2% | 62.8% |
| Friendship Valley Elementary Westminster | 518 | 30.3% | 61.2% |
| Bel Air Elementary Bel Air | 521 | 31.3% | 72.7% |
| Windsor Farm Elementary Annapolis | 451 | 29.3% | 64.8% |
| Windy Hill Elementary Owings | 598 | 30.6% | 66.0% |
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 Valley Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Maryland | In Frederick County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 54.5% | #279 of 853 | #27 of 39 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 47.4% | #327 of 853 ▼ 59 | #28 of 39 ▼ 3 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 59.3% | #301 of 853 ▼ 50 | #27 of 39 ▼ 3 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 525 | #328 of 898 | #24 of 41 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.5:1 | #752 of 857 | #27 of 38 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 49.8% | #517 of 857 | #24 of 38 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 30.9% | #706 of 885 | #25 of 41 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +31.3% | #38 of 294 | #6 of 18 |
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
525
+66 (+14%) vs 2020
-9% since 1990-91, when it was 576
Student : Teacher
16.5:1
was 15.3:1
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 | 525 | 31.8 | 16.5:1 | 31% (162) |
| 2023-24 | 506 | 30.7 | 16.5:1 | 28% (142) |
| 2022-23 | 491 | 31.2 | 15.8:1 | 26% (130) |
| 2020-21 | 459 | 30 | 15.3:1 | 20% (93) |
| 2017-18 | 400 | 25.4 | 15.8:1 | 26% (104) |
| 2015-16 | 400 | 25 | 16.0:1 | 27% (107) |
| 2010-11 | 449 | 27 | 16.6:1 | 19% (85) |
| 2000-01 | 631 | 37 | 17.1:1 | 8% (50) |
| 1990-91 | 576 | 32 | 18.0:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Valley Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students up 31% (400 to 525); teachers up 25% (25.4 to 31.8).
About Valley Elementary
Valley Elementary is a medium-sized elementary school in Jefferson, Maryland, (ZIP code 21755). It serves 525 students in pre-K through 5.
Frederick County Public Schools enrolls 48,054 students in 67 schools, including Valley Elementary.
Roughly 68% of students at Valley Elementary are White. The rest of enrollment is 18% Hispanic, 6% multiracial, 5% Black, and 3% Asian. That is close to the 68% White share among all Frederick County residents. Valley Elementary's diversity index is 50%, against a US figure of 70%.
The teaching staff at Valley Elementary is 31.8 full-time-equivalent teachers, and the ratio is 16.5:1. This ratio sits 2.7 above the 13.8:1 average for elementary schools in Maryland. The percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is 31%.
BeatsExpectations compares each school's average proficiency rate on state tests with a prediction based on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility. For Valley Elementary, the prediction is 56.0% and the result is 54.5%.
Federal survey data for Frederick County show that the median household income is $122,002, about 46% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 4% of residents are in poverty. Frederick County is home to 69 public schools and about 48,054 public school students.
Brunswick Middle is the nearest neighboring public school, about 4.3 miles away. The five-mile area around Valley Elementary holds 2 other public schools. Valley Elementary's average proficiency of 54.5% compares with 51.8% for its nearest scored neighbors.
The school's locale code, Rural: Fringe, means it is in rural territory close to an urban area.
Enrollment grew 14% from its 2020-21 level of 459. The ratio was 15.3:1 in 2020-21 and 16.5:1 in 2024-25.
Discussion on this page can cover school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Frederick County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
287,048
Census ACS
Median income
$122,002
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
46%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
4%
Below federal line
Schools in county
69
48,054 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Frederick County Public Schools
- Gov. Thomas Johnson HighHigh · 2,066 students
- Urbana HighHigh · 1,989 students
- Frederick HighHigh · 1,821 students
- Tuscarora HighHigh · 1,735 students
- Oakdale HighHigh · 1,702 students
- Linganore HighHigh · 1,647 students
Other Valley Elementary schools
11 other US public schools in 9 states are named Valley Elementary. Valley Elementary is the 4th largest of the 12.
- Valley Elementary SchoolPikeville, KY · 844 students
- Valley ElementaryPoway, CA · 663 students
- Valley Elementary SchoolBensalem, PA · 588 students
- Valley ElementaryYucaipa, CA · 518 students
- Valley Elementary SchoolBeavercreek, OH · 487 students
Nearby schools
- Brunswick Middle4.3 mi · 638
- Brunswick High4.4 mi · 910
- Carroll Manor Elementary5.2 mi · 530
- Brunswick Elementary5.4 mi · 804
- Middletown Primary5.4 mi · 463
- Tuscarora Elementary5.6 mi · 793
Frequently asked questions
About Valley ElementaryHow many students attend Valley Elementary?
Valley Elementary enrolls approximately 525 students in grades PK-05.
Is Valley Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Valley Elementary is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Valley Elementary?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Valley Elementary is approximately 16.5:1 (32 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Valley Elementary?
At Valley Elementary, the student body is approximately 68% White, 18% Hispanic, 5% Black, 3% Asian, 6% Two or more.
Is Valley Elementary public or private?
Valley Elementary is a public K-12 school, overseen by Frederick County Public Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.