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Pleasant Plains Elementary

Summary:

Pleasant Plains Elementary is a public elementary school located in Towson, Maryland, serving grades PK-5 with a student population of 527. The school is part of the Baltimore County Public Schools district, which is ranked 17th out of 25 districts in Maryland and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Pleasant Plains Elementary faces significant challenges in terms of student demographics and academic performance. The school has a significantly higher percentage of African American (53.7%) and Hispanic (26.19%) students compared to nearby schools like Villa Cresta Elementary, Stoneleigh Elementary, and Cromwell Valley Elementary Regional Magnet, which tend to have a higher percentage of White students. Academically, Pleasant Plains Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom half of Maryland elementary schools, with performance on MCAP assessments significantly lower than the Baltimore County and Maryland state averages across all grades and subjects.

Despite having a higher per-student spending level ($16,096 in 2020-2021) compared to the nearby schools, Pleasant Plains Elementary's academic performance remains significantly lower, indicating that factors beyond just funding, such as student demographics, teacher quality, and school leadership, may be contributing to the school's challenges. The school's struggles are particularly pronounced for specific student subgroups, such as English Language Learners and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, who rank in the bottom 1-2% of Maryland elementary schools. Over the past 5 years, Pleasant Plains Elementary's statewide ranking has steadily declined, suggesting the need for a comprehensive review of the school's instructional practices, leadership, and support systems to address the root causes of its underperformance.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

 8300 Pleasant Plains Rd
       Towson, MD  21286-8239

(443) 809-3549

District: Baltimore County Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
733rd of 859 Maryland Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $19,426 Help


Students who attend Pleasant Plains Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Loch Raven Technical Academy

Student/teacher ratio:  15.4 Help
Number of students:  521

Racial breakdown:

African American:
52.4%
Hispanic:
27.4%
White:
12.5%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  67% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Pleasant Plains Elementary ranks worse than 85.3% of elementary schools in Maryland. It also ranks 94th among 108 ranked elementary schools in the Baltimore County Public Schools District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 14.59. (See more...)
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Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
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Compare Details Student population at Pleasant Plains Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: African American (52.4%), Hispanic (27.4%), White (12.5%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 67% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Pleasant Plains Elementary is 15.4. 58 elementary schools in the Baltimore County Public Schools District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
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Compare Pleasant Plains Elementary employs 33.7 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Pleasant Plains Elementary is $19,426, which is the 33rd highest among 108 elementary schools in the Baltimore County Public Schools District.
Schooldigger Rankings:

Pleasant Plains Elementary was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

Baltimore County Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Baltimore County Public Schools 17th of 25 Maryland school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Pleasant Plains Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Pleasant Plains Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 57.55 408th 803 49.2%
2005 69.11 259th 805 67.8%
2006 65.05 310th 804 61.4%
2007 68.24 272nd 818 66.7%
2008 27.51 689th 838 17.8%
2009 34.59 629th 850 26.0%
2010 32.75 653rd 855 23.6%
2011 37.28 591st 853 30.7%
2012 45.70 526th 857 38.6%
2013 48.08 485th 847 42.7%
2014 56.23 449th 867 48.2%
2015 30.50 574th 859 33.2%
2016 33.01 544th 845 35.6%
2017 30.72 553rd 847 34.7%
2018 21.14 663rd 857 22.6%
2019 13.54 753rd 853 11.7%
2021 19.15 639th 802 20.3%
2022 20.40 689th 862 20.1%
2023 10.59 802nd 855 6.2%
2024 14.59 733rd 859 14.7%
See the entire list of Maryland Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Pleasant Plains Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 19.29 114th 115 0.9%
See the entire list of Best Maryland Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Pleasant Plains Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 16.03 542nd 546 0.7%
See the entire list of Best Maryland Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Pleasant Plains Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 26.00 545th 796 31.5%
See the entire list of Best Maryland Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Pleasant Plains Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 12.91 747th 788 5.2%
See the entire list of Best Maryland Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Pleasant Plains Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 26.38 280th 347 19.3%
See the entire list of Best Maryland Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: Maryland State Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Pleasant Plains Elementary Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
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District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 
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Data source: Maryland State Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Pleasant Plains Elementary

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1989 522 31 24 2 0 n/a n/a -2 577
1990 522 54 27 6 0 n/a n/a 0 609
1991 565 51 32 6 3 n/a n/a 0 657
1992 587 76 42 6 2 n/a n/a 0 713
1993 567 92 40 5 2 n/a n/a 0 706
1994 541 109 46 9 4 n/a n/a 0 709
1995 447 152 53 11 4 n/a n/a 0 667
1996 447 152 53 11 4 n/a n/a 0 667
1997 419 195 52 10 2 n/a n/a 0 678
1998 374 186 53 9 3 n/a n/a 0 625
1999 314 169 45 8 9 n/a n/a 0 545
2000 282 177 33 10 9 n/a n/a 0 511
2001 270 180 43 8 1 n/a n/a 0 502
2002 228 216 42 17 1 n/a n/a 0 504
2003 228 216 42 17 1 n/a n/a 0 504
2004 195 273 39 14 2 n/a n/a 0 523
2005 143 317 23 33 33 n/a n/a 0 549
2006 157 320 30 31 24 n/a n/a 0 562
2007 141 333 30 26 12 n/a n/a 0 542
2008 122 311 36 34 8 n/a n/a 0 511
2009 109 322 23 30 8 n/a n/a 0 492
2010 115 294 31 31 10 n/a n/a 0 481
2011 111 285 36 39 1 2 19 0 493
2012 112 294 43 26 1 1 21 0 498
2013 132 286 51 26 2 2 20 0 519
2014 119 289 63 55 4 1 48 0 579
2015 140 299 66 71 5 1 37 0 619
2016 139 300 56 79 3 0 39 0 616
2017 141 310 58 89 3 0 35 0 636
2018 133 346 40 101 5 1 29 0 655
2019 132 360 37 110 6 1 40 0 686
2020 129 354 38 137 4 1 35 0 698
2021 88 283 11 115 2 1 25 0 525
2022 74 299 13 130 5 0 23 0 544
2023 65 283 7 138 6 0 28 0 527
2024 65 273 5 143 6 0 29 0 521

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Pleasant Plains Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 577 30.0 19.2 n/a
1990 609 28.5 21.3 4.9
1991 657 31.3 20.9 3.5
1992 713 34.2 20.8 6.2
1993 706 34.8 20.3 6.2
1994 709 36.6 19.4 14.1
1995 667 33.2 20.1 17.8
1996 667 33.2 20.1 17.8
1997 678 34.6 19.6 19.5
1998 625 31.7 19.7 21.1
1999 545 31.8 17.1 28.8
2000 511 27.9 18.3 23.3
2001 502 27.9 18.0 24.3
2002 504 29.3 17.2 32.5
2003 504 29.3 17.2 32.5
2004 523 30.4 17.2 37.7
2005 549 35.0 15.7 54.1
2006 562 40.0 14.1 53.7
2007 542 38.8 14.0 50
2008 511 36.1 14.2 54.6
2009 492 36.5 13.5 60
2010 481 36.7 13.1 62.8
2011 493 36.8 13.3 65.5
2012 498 33.7 14.7 65.1
2013 519 33.9 15.3 64.2
2014 579 33.6 17.1 65.3
2015 619 39.0 15.8 65.6
2016 616 41.0 15.0 63.3
2017 636 39.4 16.1 57.7
2018 655 37.9 17.2 62.9
2019 686 38.9 17.6 64
2020 698 46.1 15.1 64
2021 525 39.6 13.2 69.3
2022 544 37.6 14.4 49.3
2023 527 36.6 14.3 68.3
2024 521 33.7 15.4 67

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Pleasant Plains Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 577 30.0 19.2 n/a
1990 609 28.5 21.3 4.9
1991 657 31.3 20.9 3.5
1992 713 34.2 20.8 6.2
1993 706 34.8 20.3 6.2
1994 709 36.6 19.4 14.1
1995 667 33.2 20.1 17.8
1996 667 33.2 20.1 17.8
1997 678 34.6 19.6 19.5
1998 625 31.7 19.7 21.1
1999 545 31.8 17.1 28.8
2000 511 27.9 18.3 23.3
2001 502 27.9 18.0 24.3
2002 504 29.3 17.2 32.5
2003 504 29.3 17.2 32.5
2004 523 30.4 17.2 37.7
2005 549 35.0 15.7 54.1
2006 562 40.0 14.1 53.7
2007 542 38.8 14.0 50
2008 511 36.1 14.2 54.6
2009 492 36.5 13.5 60
2010 481 36.7 13.1 62.8
2011 493 36.8 13.3 65.5
2012 498 33.7 14.7 65.1
2013 519 33.9 15.3 64.2
2014 579 33.6 17.1 65.3
2015 619 39.0 15.8 65.6
2016 616 41.0 15.0 63.3
2017 636 39.4 16.1 57.7
2018 655 37.9 17.2 62.9
2019 686 38.9 17.6 64
2020 698 46.1 15.1 64
2021 525 39.6 13.2 69.3
2022 544 37.6 14.4 49.3
2023 527 36.6 14.3 68.3
2024 521 33.7 15.4 67

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Pleasant Plains Elementary

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $1,029 (7.5%) $12,738 (92.5%) $13,767
2020 $891 (6.5%) $12,783 (93.5%) $13,674
2021 $1,290 (8.0%) $14,805 (92.0%) $16,096
2022 $1,760 (11.0%) $14,292 (89.0%) $16,052
2023 $2,560 (13.2%) $16,867 (86.8%) $19,426

Data source: Maryland Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Pleasant Plains Elementary

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)		 Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)		 Change (%)
Ranks 753rd of 853 Elementary schoolsRanks 802nd of 855 Elementary schools
 5.5%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)		 Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)		 Change (%)
Total Students686527
 23.2%
African American360283
 21.4%
American Indian66
Asian377
 81.1%
Hispanic110138
 25.5%
Pacific Islander10
 100%
White13265
 50.8%
Two or More Races4028
 30%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients64%68.3%
 4.3%

Schools Near Pleasant Plains Elementary








Frequently Asked Questions about Pleasant Plains Elementary

Students who attend Pleasant Plains Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Loch Raven Technical Academy

Pleasant Plains Elementary ranks in the bottom 14.7% of Maryland elementary schools.

In the 2023-24 school year, 521 students attended Pleasant Plains Elementary.

Students at Pleasant Plains Elementary are 52% African American, 27% Hispanic, 12% White, 6% Two or more races, 1% American Indian.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Maryland State Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.




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