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What advice would you give to incoming students at William S. James Elementary?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
463
Elementary
DISTRICT 537 · STATE 481
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 240039000715
William S. James Elementary
1 Laurentum Pkw, Abingdon, MD 21009 · (410) 638-3900 · Harford County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY22-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL463 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
15.1:1
31 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.3:1 · STATE 13.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
29%
135 students
DISTRICT 41% · 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 | 73 | 16% |
| Grade 1 | 66 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 90 | 19% |
| Grade 3 | 64 | 14% |
| Grade 4 | 86 | 19% |
| Grade 5 | 84 | 18% |
This year's kindergarten class (73) is 13% smaller than its 5th grade class (84).
Student demographics
53%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 61% · 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
54.7%
MD avg 50.6% . -6.8pp since 2023
Math
51.6%
MD avg 34.8% . -9.1pp since 2023
What this means: On the MCAP, Maryland's statewide test, about 55 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 52 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 7 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 9 points.
MCAP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 54.7% | 51.6% |
| 2023-24 | 61.5% | 60.7% |
% 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
57.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
57.0%
based on MD schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+0.2pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 57% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 57% 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 William S. James Elementary
William S. James Elementary's state test result (57.1% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| William S. James Elementary this school | 463 | 29.2% | 57.1% |
| Leonardtown Elementary Leonardtown | 509 | 32.4% | 50.0% |
| Hollywood Elementary Hollywood | 414 | 32.1% | 64.8% |
| Windsor Farm Elementary Annapolis | 451 | 29.3% | 64.8% |
| Bel Air Elementary Bel Air | 521 | 31.3% | 72.7% |
| Chesapeake Charter School Lexington Park | 539 | 26.9% | 55.0% |
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 William S. James Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Maryland | In Harford County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 57.1% | #250 of 853 | #18 of 32 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 51.6% | #280 of 853 ▼ 107 | #17 of 32 ▼ 6 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 54.7% | #359 of 853 ▼ 132 | #21 of 32 ▼ 6 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 463 | #464 of 898 | #21 of 33 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.1:1 | #604 of 857 | #20 of 32 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 52.8% | #481 of 857 | #17 of 32 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 29.2% | #721 of 885 | #19 of 32 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +13.8% | #110 of 294 | #7 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
463
-17 (-4%) vs 2020
-24% since 1990-91, when it was 608
Student : Teacher
15.1:1
was 16.6:1
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 | 463 | 30.6 | 15.1:1 | 29% (135) |
| 2023-24 | 475 | 31.2 | 15.3:1 | 28% (132) |
| 2022-23 | 497 | 31.2 | 16.0:1 | 30% (151) |
| 2020-21 | 480 | 29 | 16.6:1 | 25% (120) |
| 2017-18 | 407 | 27.1 | 15.0:1 | 16% (64) |
| 2015-16 | 423 | 26 | 16.3:1 | 17% (71) |
| 2010-11 | 521 | 34 | 15.3:1 | 22% (117) |
| 2000-01 | 600 | 34 | 17.6:1 | 4% (23) |
| 1990-91 | 608 | 28 | 21.7:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for William S. James Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students up 14% (407 to 463); teachers up 13% (27.1 to 30.6).
About William S. James Elementary
William S. James Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school located in Abingdon, Maryland. It reports enrollment of 463 students in kindergarten through 5.
William S. James Elementary is part of a district of 55 schools: Harford County Public Schools, with 37,771 students.
At William S. James Elementary, 67% of students are White. Smaller groups are 11% Black, 9% multiracial, 8% Hispanic, and 5% Asian. The diversity index for William S. James Elementary is 53%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.
There are 30.6 full-time-equivalent teachers at William S. James Elementary, giving a ratio of 15.1:1. By comparison, the average for elementary schools in Maryland is 13.8:1. A total of 135 students, or 29%, are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The rate at public schools in Harford County averages 39%, higher than here.
After adjusting for student poverty, William S. James Elementary lands between the top and bottom 10% of Maryland schools. Its average proficiency rate across its state test results is 57.1%; the prediction is 57.0%.
The school is in Harford County, where median household income comes to about $112,265, roughly 40% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 5%. Harford County counts 55 public schools with about 37,771 students.
A public school about 1.0 miles away, Abingdon Elementary, is the closest to William S. James Elementary. William S. James Elementary has at least 8 other public schools within five miles. Nearby schools with test data average 55.5% proficiency; William S. James Elementary posts 57.1%.
Its NCES locale code is Suburb: Mid-size: the school is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population between 100,000 and 250,000.
Enrollment decreased 4% over 4 years, reaching 463 in 2024-25. The student-to-teacher ratio dropped from 16.6:1 in 2020-21 to 15.1:1 in 2024-25.
On allk12, people connected to William S. James Elementary can post about athletics, class schedules, and weather closures. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
Harford County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
263,757
Census ACS
Median income
$112,265
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
40%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
55
37,771 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Harford County Public Schools
- Edgewood HighHigh · 1,440 students
- Aberdeen HighHigh · 1,396 students
- Bel Air HighHigh · 1,341 students
- C. Milton Wright HighHigh · 1,291 students
- North Harford HighHigh · 1,204 students
- Southampton MiddleMiddle · 1,192 students
Other schools in Abingdon
- Old Post Road ElementaryElementary · 850 students
- Abingdon ElementaryElementary · 641 students
Nearby schools
- Abingdon Elementary1.0 mi · 641
- Emmorton Elementary1.2 mi · 584
- Patterson Mill High School2.0 mi · 839
- Patterson Mill Middle School2.0 mi · 716
- Old Post Road Elementary2.2 mi · 850
- Ring Factory Elementary2.6 mi · 541
Frequently asked questions
About William S. James ElementaryHow large is William S. James Elementary?
William S. James Elementary enrolls approximately 463 students in grades KG-05.
What age range does William S. James Elementary serve?
William S. James Elementary serves students from grade KG through grade 05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at William S. James Elementary?
The student-to-teacher ratio at William S. James Elementary is approximately 15.1:1 (31 FTE teachers).
How diverse is William S. James Elementary?
William S. James Elementary reports a student body of 67% White, 8% Hispanic, 11% Black, 5% Asian, 9% Two or more.
Is William S. James Elementary public or private?
William S. James Elementary is a public K-12 school, overseen by Harford County Public Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.