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Forest Ridge Elementary

Summary:

Forest Ridge Elementary is a public elementary school in Laurel, Maryland, serving 648 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Howard County Public Schools district, which is ranked 2nd out of 25 districts in Maryland and has a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Forest Ridge Elementary has a diverse student population, with a racial makeup of 16.2% White, 37.5% African American, 20.68% Hispanic, 18.52% Asian, and 6.48% two or more races. This diversity is higher compared to some nearby schools like Hammond Elementary and Gorman Crossing Elementary. However, the school's academic performance, as measured by MCAP test scores, is generally lower than the district and state averages. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, the school's proficiency rates in Mathematics (30.3%) and English Language Arts (46.5%) were below the Howard County Public Schools (41.1% and 63%, respectively) and Maryland (24.1% and 48.4%, respectively) averages.

Forest Ridge Elementary has a relatively high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 26.52% to 36.73% over the past three school years. This is higher than some nearby schools like Hammond Elementary (18.28%) and Gorman Crossing Elementary (20.46%). While the school's performance is generally lower than the district and state averages, it has maintained a consistent 3-star rating from SchoolDigger and shows some variations in performance across different student subgroups. When compared to other nearby schools, Forest Ridge Elementary appears to be performing below some schools in the same district but outperforming some schools in other districts, such as Scotchtown Hills Elementary and Maryland City Elementary.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

 9550 Gorman Rd
       Laurel, MD  20723

(410) 880-5950

District: Howard County Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
409th of 859 Maryland Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $16,206 Help


Students who attend Forest Ridge Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Patuxent Valley Middle
High:    Hammond High

Student/teacher ratio:  14.2 Help
Number of students:  648

Racial breakdown:

African American:
37.5%
Hispanic:
20.7%
Asian:
18.5%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  36.7% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Forest Ridge Elementary ranks better than 52.4% of elementary schools in Maryland. It also ranks 33rd among 42 ranked elementary schools in the Howard County Public Schools District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 46.23. (See more...)
Help
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 Forest Ridge Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: African American (37.5%), Hispanic (20.7%), Asian (18.5%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 36.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Forest Ridge Elementary is 14.2. 34 elementary schools in the Howard County Public Schools District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
Help
Compare Forest Ridge Elementary employs 45.5 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Forest Ridge Elementary is $16,206. 35 elementary schools in the Howard County Public Schools District spend more per student.
Schooldigger Rankings:

Forest Ridge Elementary was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

Howard County Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Howard County Public Schools 2nd of 25 Maryland school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Forest Ridge Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Forest Ridge Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 25.21 646th 803 19.6%
2005 31.40 599th 805 25.6%
2006 31.58 600th 804 25.4%
2007 31.80 606th 818 25.9%
2008 69.28 270th 838 67.8%
2009 69.40 285th 850 66.5%
2010 69.37 281st 855 67.1%
2011 63.18 340th 853 60.1%
2012 60.47 397th 857 53.7%
2013 63.67 326th 847 61.5%
2014 66.76 320th 867 63.1%
2015 53.41 367th 859 57.3%
2016 52.89 364th 845 56.9%
2017 58.36 319th 847 62.3%
2018 66.37 278th 857 67.6%
2019 60.11 315th 853 63.1%
2021 53.49 267th 802 66.7%
2022 60.25 320th 862 62.9%
2023 51.09 363rd 855 57.5%
2024 46.23 409th 859 52.4%
See the entire list of Maryland Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Forest Ridge Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 63.56 91st 546 83.3%
See the entire list of Best Maryland Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Forest Ridge Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 54.93 244th 796 69.3%
See the entire list of Best Maryland Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Forest Ridge Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 47.77 296th 788 62.4%
See the entire list of Best Maryland Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Forest Ridge Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 16.26 113th 128 11.7%
See the entire list of Best Maryland Elementary Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Forest Ridge Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 48.59 185th 504 63.3%
See the entire list of Best Maryland Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Forest Ridge Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 42.08 144th 347 58.5%
See the entire list of Best Maryland Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Forest Ridge Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 68.39 149th 528 71.8%
See the entire list of Best Maryland Elementary Schools for White 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.

Forest Ridge Elementary Test Scores
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Grades: 
  
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Data source: Maryland State Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)
100%

0%

0%

0%

0%

  

Reviews:
No reviews have been submitted!

Enrollment information for Forest Ridge Elementary

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1993 457 48 38 11 1 n/a n/a 0 555
1994 496 61 46 9 2 n/a n/a 0 614
1995 521 93 48 9 1 n/a n/a 0 672
1996 521 93 48 9 1 n/a n/a 0 672
1997 543 89 53 13 0 n/a n/a 0 698
1998 569 121 57 15 0 n/a n/a 0 762
1999 425 140 67 17 0 n/a n/a 0 649
2000 420 161 67 25 1 n/a n/a 0 674
2001 395 183 77 36 1 n/a n/a 0 692
2002 341 180 86 54 3 n/a n/a 0 664
2003 341 180 86 54 3 n/a n/a 0 664
2004 302 189 93 50 3 n/a n/a 0 637
2005 254 207 91 45 3 n/a n/a 0 600
2006 225 228 110 43 3 n/a n/a 0 609
2007 212 227 117 45 2 n/a n/a 0 603
2008 216 246 110 51 4 n/a n/a 0 627
2009 215 253 109 52 4 n/a n/a 0 633
2010 218 267 118 51 3 n/a n/a 0 657
2011 176 268 121 84 3 0 47 0 699
2012 187 301 130 87 2 0 57 0 764
2013 201 250 138 80 1 1 47 0 718
2014 199 270 149 78 2 1 49 0 748
2015 183 232 167 87 2 4 46 0 721
2016 173 252 179 92 2 1 42 0 741
2017 156 242 170 81 2 2 50 0 703
2018 151 216 175 95 2 2 52 0 693
2019 142 234 158 92 1 1 51 0 679
2020 134 241 149 113 1 2 49 0 689
2021 111 243 142 112 0 4 51 0 663
2022 111 261 130 110 0 4 40 0 656
2023 105 243 120 134 0 4 42 0 648

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 Forest Ridge Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1993 555 30.0 18.5 3.6
1994 614 32.5 18.9 5.4
1995 672 38.0 17.7 5.4
1996 672 38.0 17.7 5.4
1997 698 37.5 18.6 4.6
1998 762 40.5 18.8 4.1
1999 649 40.5 16.0 8.2
2000 674 34.0 19.8 9.1
2001 692 39.5 17.5 8.8
2002 664 39.7 16.7 11.1
2003 664 39.7 16.7 11.1
2004 637 38.0 16.8 12.1
2005 600 38.0 15.8 10.7
2006 609 40.0 15.2 9.5
2007 603 39.0 15.5 10.8
2008 627 41.5 15.1 14.5
2009 633 43.5 14.6 14.5
2010 657 46.7 14.0 16.7
2011 699 45.2 15.4 21.2
2012 764 48.2 15.8 23.8
2013 718 44.3 16.2 21.9
2014 748 48.2 15.5 23.9
2015 721 49.0 14.7 26.9
2016 741 51.0 14.5 27.3
2017 703 49.2 14.2 25.7
2018 693 51.6 13.4 25.5
2019 679 49.0 13.8 24.7
2020 689 46.0 14.9 24.1
2021 663 46.3 14.3 27.1
2022 656 46.3 14.1 26.5
2023 648 45.5 14.2 36.7

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 Forest Ridge Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1993 555 30.0 18.5 3.6
1994 614 32.5 18.9 5.4
1995 672 38.0 17.7 5.4
1996 672 38.0 17.7 5.4
1997 698 37.5 18.6 4.6
1998 762 40.5 18.8 4.1
1999 649 40.5 16.0 8.2
2000 674 34.0 19.8 9.1
2001 692 39.5 17.5 8.8
2002 664 39.7 16.7 11.1
2003 664 39.7 16.7 11.1
2004 637 38.0 16.8 12.1
2005 600 38.0 15.8 10.7
2006 609 40.0 15.2 9.5
2007 603 39.0 15.5 10.8
2008 627 41.5 15.1 14.5
2009 633 43.5 14.6 14.5
2010 657 46.7 14.0 16.7
2011 699 45.2 15.4 21.2
2012 764 48.2 15.8 23.8
2013 718 44.3 16.2 21.9
2014 748 48.2 15.5 23.9
2015 721 49.0 14.7 26.9
2016 741 51.0 14.5 27.3
2017 703 49.2 14.2 25.7
2018 693 51.6 13.4 25.5
2019 679 49.0 13.8 24.7
2020 689 46.0 14.9 24.1
2021 663 46.3 14.3 27.1
2022 656 46.3 14.1 26.5
2023 648 45.5 14.2 36.7

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 Forest Ridge Elementary

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $426 (3.4%) $12,226 (96.6%) $12,652
2020 $472 (3.5%) $13,048 (96.5%) $13,520
2021 $666 (4.5%) $14,042 (95.5%) $14,709
2022 $947 (5.8%) $15,263 (94.2%) $16,210
2023 $824 (5.1%) $15,382 (94.9%) $16,206

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

Impact of COVID-19 on Forest Ridge 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 315th of 853 Elementary schoolsRanks 363rd of 855 Elementary schools
 5.5%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)		 Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)		 Change (%)
Total Students679648
 4.6%
African American234243
 3.8%
American Indian10
 100%
Asian158120
 24.1%
Hispanic92134
 45.7%
Pacific Islander14
 300%
White142105
 26.1%
Two or More Races5142
 17.6%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients24.7%36.7%
 12%

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Frequently Asked Questions about Forest Ridge Elementary

Forest Ridge Elementary ranks 409th of 859 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

In the 2022-23 school year, 648 students attended Forest Ridge Elementary.

Students who attend Forest Ridge Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Patuxent Valley Middle
High : Hammond High

Students at Forest Ridge Elementary are 38% African American, 21% Hispanic, 19% Asian, 16% White, 6% Two or more races.


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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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