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Welcome to the Waterloo Elementary community. What's one thing that would make Waterloo Elementary even better?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
666
Elementary
DISTRICT 614 · STATE 481
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·HOWARD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 240042000758
Waterloo Elementary
5940 Waterloo Rd, Columbia, MD 21045 · (410) 313-5014 · Howard County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY12-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL666 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
12.9:1
52 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.7:1 · STATE 13.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
32%
214 students
DISTRICT 29% · 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 | 49 | 7% |
| Kindergarten | 96 | 14% |
| Grade 1 | 104 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 113 | 17% |
| Grade 3 | 98 | 15% |
| Grade 4 | 101 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 105 | 16% |
Student demographics
76%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 77% · 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
69.6%
MD avg 50.6% . -9.4pp since 2023
Math
57.5%
MD avg 34.8% . -7.9pp since 2023
What this means: On the MCAP, Maryland's statewide test, about 70 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 58 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 9 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 8 points.
MCAP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 69.6% | 57.5% |
| 2023-24 | 79.0% | 65.4% |
% 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
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
67.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
55.2%
based on MD schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+12.7pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 68% 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 →
Where Waterloo Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Maryland | In Howard County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 67.9% | #125 of 853 | #16 of 42 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 57.5% | #213 of 853 | #22 of 42 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 69.6% | #149 of 853 | #14 of 42 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 666 | #128 of 898 | #17 of 42 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.9:1 | #283 of 857 | #23 of 42 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 75.7% | #20 of 857 | #2 of 42 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 32.1% | #695 of 885 | #19 of 42 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +4.9% | #206 of 294 | #12 of 15 |
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.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
666
+84 (+14%) vs 2020
+118% since 1990-91, when it was 305
Student : Teacher
12.9:1
was 11.9:1
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 | 666 | 51.7 | 12.9:1 | 32% (214) |
| 2023-24 | 626 | 51.2 | 12.2:1 | 30% (186) |
| 2022-23 | 612 | 48.4 | 12.6:1 | 32% (194) |
| 2020-21 | 582 | 49 | 11.9:1 | 21% (125) |
| 2017-18 | 635 | 51.9 | 12.2:1 | 24% (150) |
| 2015-16 | 628 | 52 | 12.1:1 | 23% (142) |
| 2010-11 | 761 | 55 | 13.8:1 | 20% (150) |
| 2000-01 | 618 | 44 | 14.1:1 | 10% (64) |
| 1990-91 | 305 | 23 | 13.3:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Waterloo Elementary.
About Waterloo Elementary
Waterloo Elementary is one of the public schools in Columbia, Maryland. It is a medium-sized elementary school. The student body numbers 666 students, from pre-K through 5. Average enrollment for elementary schools in Maryland is about 481, so this school runs 38% bigger than that.
Waterloo Elementary is one of 77 schools in Howard County Public Schools, which enrolls 57,565 students in total.
The most common group at Waterloo Elementary is White students, at 32%. The school is also 30% Black, 14% Asian, 14% Hispanic, and 8% multiracial. The White share of the county population is higher, at 47%. Waterloo Elementary's diversity index is 76%, against a US figure of 70%.
With 51.7 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25, the ratio at Waterloo Elementary was 12.9:1. On average, elementary schools in Maryland have 13.8:1, compared with 12.9:1 here. Waterloo Elementary's free or reduced-price lunch eligibility rate is 32%.
After adjusting for student poverty, Waterloo Elementary lands between the top and bottom 10% of Maryland schools. Its average proficiency rate on state tests is 67.9%; the prediction is 55.2%.
Howard County has these Census figures: the median household income is $149,763, about 65% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 4% of residents are in poverty. In all, Howard County has 78 public schools and roughly 57,565 students.
The closest public school, Bellows Spring Elementary, is about 0.6 miles from Waterloo Elementary. There are at least 8 other public schools within five miles. Of the 9 nearby schools with scores, including this one, Waterloo Elementary is 2nd on average proficiency.
The school's setting, by NCES definition, is City: Mid-size: inside a principal city with a population between 100,000 and 250,000.
Enrollment at Waterloo Elementary grew 14% between 2020-21 and 2024-25, from 582 to 666 students. In 2020-21, the student-to-teacher ratio was 11.9:1; by 2024-25 it was 12.9:1.
Discussions about Waterloo Elementary may include school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Howard County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
336,328
Census ACS
Median income
$149,763
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
65%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
4%
Below federal line
Schools in county
78
57,565 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Howard County Public Schools
- Marriotts Ridge HighHigh · 1,741 students
- Reservoir HighHigh · 1,597 students
- Atholton HighHigh · 1,540 students
- Howard HighHigh · 1,493 students
- Mount Hebron HighHigh · 1,455 students
- Oakland Mills HighHigh · 1,413 students
Other schools in Columbia
- Atholton HighHigh · 1,540 students
- Oakland Mills HighHigh · 1,413 students
- Long Reach HighHigh · 1,334 students
- Wilde Lake HighHigh · 1,197 students
- Hammond HighHigh · 1,159 students
- Phelps Luck ElementaryElementary · 681 students
Nearby schools
- Bellows Spring Elementary0.6 mi · 806
- Long Reach High0.7 mi · 1,334
- Mayfield Woods Middle0.9 mi · 731
- Phelps Luck Elementary1.5 mi · 681
- Jeffers Hill Elementary1.5 mi · 406
- Howard High1.6 mi · 1,493
Frequently asked questions
About Waterloo ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Waterloo Elementary?
Waterloo Elementary enrolls approximately 666 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does Waterloo Elementary serve?
Waterloo Elementary serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
How many teachers does Waterloo Elementary have?
Waterloo Elementary employs 52 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 12.9:1.
What is the student diversity at Waterloo Elementary?
Student demographics at Waterloo Elementary are roughly 32% White, 14% Hispanic, 30% Black, 14% Asian, 8% Two or more.
What district is Waterloo Elementary in?
Waterloo Elementary is part of Howard County Public Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.