Harpers Choice Middle

Summary:

Harpers Choice Middle is a public middle school serving grades 6-8 in Columbia, Maryland, which is part of the highly-ranked Howard County Public Schools district. The school has a diverse student population, with nearly half of the students identifying as African American.

Academically, Harpers Choice Middle lags behind the district and state averages, particularly in Mathematics. Only 23.1% of students were proficient or better in MCAP Mathematics, compared to 41.1% in the Howard County district and 24.1% statewide. The school's performance is especially low in 7th and 8th grade Math, with just 9% and 10.5% proficiency, respectively. However, the school performs better in English Language Arts, with 40.5% of students proficient or better, compared to 63% in the district and 48.4% statewide. Harpers Choice Middle's academic ranking has fluctuated over the years, ranging from 128th out of 303 Maryland middle schools in 2020-2021 to 185th out of 322 in 2022-2023.

Interestingly, Harpers Choice Middle's academic performance is generally lower than that of other nearby middle schools in the Howard County district, such as Lime Kiln Middle and Clarksville Middle, which consistently outperform Harpers Choice Middle on MCAP tests. These higher-performing schools also have lower percentages of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, suggesting a potential correlation between socioeconomic status and academic achievement. The school's relatively high per-student spending and similar student-teacher ratio to nearby schools indicate that factors other than staffing levels may be contributing to its academic challenges.


Detail:

Public 6-8

 5450 Beaverkill Rd
       Columbia, MD  21044-1945


(410) 313-6929

District: Howard County Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
173rd of 328 Maryland Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $20,571 Help


Students who attend Harpers Choice Middle usually attend:

High:    Wilde Lake High

Feeder schools for Harpers Choice Middle:

Elementary:    Longfellow Elementary

Student/teacher ratio:  11.3 Help
Number of students:  469

Racial breakdown:

African American:
46.1%
Hispanic:
22.4%
White:
16.0%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  53.3% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Harpers Choice Middle ranks worse than 52.7% of middle schools in Maryland. It also ranks 17th among 20 ranked middle schools in the Howard County Public Schools District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 38.58. (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 Harpers Choice Middle is diverse. Racial makeup is: African American (46.1%), Hispanic (22.4%), White (16%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 53.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Howard County Public Schools District. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Harpers Choice Middle is 11.3, which is the 2nd best among 20 middle schools in the Howard County Public Schools District. (See more...)
Help
Compare Harpers Choice Middle employs 41.3 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Harpers Choice Middle is $20,571, which is the 3rd highest among 20 middle schools in the Howard County Public Schools District.
Schooldigger Rankings:

Harpers Choice Middle was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.
SchoolDigger ranks Harpers Choice Middle 173rd of 328 Maryland public middle schools. (See Harpers Choice Middle in the ranking list.)

Howard County Public Schools:

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

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Harpers Choice Middle.

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Rank History for Harpers Choice Middle

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Rank History for all students at Harpers Choice Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 25.65 196th 252 22.2%
2005 27.99 184th 255 27.8%
2006 21.25 203rd 254 20.1%
2007 26.10 199th 264 24.6%
2008 67.68 106th 283 62.5%
2009 71.97 93rd 301 69.1%
2010 74.36 90th 324 72.2%
2011 58.09 143rd 309 53.7%
2012 55.81 157th 314 50.0%
2013 58.05 137th 316 56.6%
2014 64.64 135th 339 60.2%
2015 51.70 133rd 315 57.8%
2016 43.38 172nd 314 45.2%
2017 47.01 165th 317 47.9%
2018 44.22 174th 328 47.0%
2019 29.46 214th 316 32.3%
2021 51.31 128th 303 57.8%
2022 43.26 184th 333 44.7%
2023 34.75 185th 322 42.5%
2024 38.58 173rd 328 47.3%
See the entire list of Maryland Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Harpers Choice Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 52.56 57th 136 58.1%
See the entire list of Best Maryland Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Harpers Choice Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 37.29 79th 120 34.2%
See the entire list of Best Maryland Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Harpers Choice Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 46.78 139th 273 49.1%
See the entire list of Best Maryland Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Harpers Choice Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 44.33 154th 303 49.2%
See the entire list of Best Maryland Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Harpers Choice Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 55.34 109th 288 62.2%
See the entire list of Best Maryland Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Harpers Choice Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 36.89 81st 116 30.2%
See the entire list of Best Maryland Middle Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Harpers Choice Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 36.73 172nd 259 33.6%
See the entire list of Best Maryland Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Harpers Choice Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 35.22 133rd 207 35.7%
See the entire list of Best Maryland Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Harpers Choice Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 65.94 70th 210 66.7%
See the entire list of Best Maryland Middle 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.

Harpers Choice Middle Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
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Data source: Maryland State Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)
100%

0%

0%

0%

0%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Open Quote Excellent staff and supportive school environment. Love sending my child to this school. Close Quote


by a parent
Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Open Quote Harper's Choice has a fabulous staff and administration, a strong after school program, a robotics team, drama club, and diverse band and strings program. I'm not sure how this website does its "rankings" but it has really missed the mark on this one. Great school! Close Quote



Enrollment information for Harpers Choice Middle

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1989 405 123 34 7 5 n/a n/a 1 575
1990 406 140 37 10 0 n/a n/a 0 593
1991 431 139 43 11 0 n/a n/a 0 624
1992 327 132 46 12 0 n/a n/a 0 517
1993 366 127 43 13 0 n/a n/a 0 549
1994 369 134 47 12 1 n/a n/a 0 563
1995 358 164 42 9 3 n/a n/a 0 576
1996 358 164 42 9 3 n/a n/a 0 576
1997 334 194 43 11 2 n/a n/a 0 584
1998 325 201 46 12 2 n/a n/a 0 586
1999 330 209 45 14 2 n/a n/a 0 600
2000 311 225 43 16 2 n/a n/a 0 597
2001 326 221 46 14 1 n/a n/a 0 608
2002 302 224 65 29 2 n/a n/a 0 622
2003 302 224 65 29 2 n/a n/a 0 622
2004 298 242 58 31 3 n/a n/a 0 632
2005 256 248 54 45 2 n/a n/a 0 605
2006 242 227 40 48 3 n/a n/a 0 560
2007 223 237 49 38 3 n/a n/a 0 550
2008 230 234 52 37 2 n/a n/a 0 555
2009 210 227 46 39 1 n/a n/a 0 523
2010 185 219 55 49 3 n/a n/a 0 511
2011 160 200 36 59 0 0 37 0 492
2012 126 234 39 66 0 2 43 0 510
2013 129 218 34 64 0 3 49 0 497
2014 141 214 40 79 0 2 45 0 521
2015 135 211 43 86 0 1 45 0 521
2016 142 239 45 75 0 0 42 0 543
2017 143 252 48 81 1 0 39 0 564
2018 123 287 51 86 1 0 43 0 591
2019 91 252 42 80 2 0 36 0 503
2020 91 236 36 80 3 0 47 0 493
2021 92 241 38 74 1 1 43 0 490
2022 85 241 35 94 1 1 47 1 505
2023 77 234 44 98 0 1 43 0 497
2024 75 216 37 105 0 1 35 0 469

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 Harpers Choice Middle

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 575 33.0 17.4 n/a
1990 593 39.0 15.2 4.7
1991 624 42.0 14.8 3.7
1992 517 36.5 14.1 7.4
1993 549 40.0 13.7 6.9
1994 563 40.0 14.1 10.3
1995 576 39.6 14.5 14.4
1996 576 39.6 14.5 14.4
1997 584 41.6 14.0 18.8
1998 586 42.6 13.8 15.5
1999 600 42.6 14.1 20
2000 597 47.0 12.7 20.9
2001 608 43.0 14.1 21.4
2002 622 45.0 13.8 25.1
2003 622 45.0 13.8 25.1
2004 632 48.5 13.0 25.2
2005 605 48.0 12.6 26.1
2006 560 47.0 11.9 24.3
2007 550 47.6 11.6 22.5
2008 555 49.0 11.3 22.5
2009 523 48.0 10.9 26.8
2010 511 45.0 11.3 28.4
2011 492 42.5 11.5 31.1
2012 510 39.0 13.0 33.5
2013 497 41.0 12.1 36
2014 521 39.0 13.3 37.8
2015 521 42.0 12.4 40.3
2016 543 42.0 12.9 42.2
2017 564 46.0 12.2 39
2018 591 47.6 12.4 38.1
2019 503 49.5 10.1 39.4
2020 493 47.0 10.4 42
2021 490 43.0 11.3 40.4
2022 505 44.0 11.4 45
2023 497 44.5 11.1 50.3
2024 469 41.3 11.3 53.3

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 Harpers Choice Middle

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 575 33.0 17.4 n/a
1990 593 39.0 15.2 4.7
1991 624 42.0 14.8 3.7
1992 517 36.5 14.1 7.4
1993 549 40.0 13.7 6.9
1994 563 40.0 14.1 10.3
1995 576 39.6 14.5 14.4
1996 576 39.6 14.5 14.4
1997 584 41.6 14.0 18.8
1998 586 42.6 13.8 15.5
1999 600 42.6 14.1 20
2000 597 47.0 12.7 20.9
2001 608 43.0 14.1 21.4
2002 622 45.0 13.8 25.1
2003 622 45.0 13.8 25.1
2004 632 48.5 13.0 25.2
2005 605 48.0 12.6 26.1
2006 560 47.0 11.9 24.3
2007 550 47.6 11.6 22.5
2008 555 49.0 11.3 22.5
2009 523 48.0 10.9 26.8
2010 511 45.0 11.3 28.4
2011 492 42.5 11.5 31.1
2012 510 39.0 13.0 33.5
2013 497 41.0 12.1 36
2014 521 39.0 13.3 37.8
2015 521 42.0 12.4 40.3
2016 543 42.0 12.9 42.2
2017 564 46.0 12.2 39
2018 591 47.6 12.4 38.1
2019 503 49.5 10.1 39.4
2020 493 47.0 10.4 42
2021 490 43.0 11.3 40.4
2022 505 44.0 11.4 45
2023 497 44.5 11.1 50.3
2024 469 41.3 11.3 53.3

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 Harpers Choice Middle

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $525 (2.9%) $17,743 (97.1%) $18,269
2020 $567 (3.0%) $18,474 (97.0%) $19,041
2021 $786 (4.2%) $17,900 (95.8%) $18,686
2022 $1,022 (5.1%) $18,872 (94.9%) $19,894
2023 $771 (3.7%) $19,800 (96.3%) $20,571

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

Impact of COVID-19 on Harpers Choice Middle

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 214th of 316 Middle schoolsRanks 185th of 322 Middle schools
 10.3%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students503497
 1.2%
African American252234
 7.1%
American Indian20
 100%
Asian4244
 4.8%
Hispanic8098
 22.5%
Pacific Islander01
White9177
 15.4%
Two or More Races3643
 19.4%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients39.4%50.3%
 10.9%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Harpers Choice Middle

In the 2023-24 school year, 469 students attended Harpers Choice Middle.

Students who attend Harpers Choice Middle usually go on to attend Wilde Lake High

Students at Harpers Choice Middle are 46% African American, 22% Hispanic, 16% White, 8% Asian, 7% Two or more races.

Harpers Choice Middle ranks 173rd of 328 Maryland middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.


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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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