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Gaithersburg Elementary

Summary:

Gaithersburg Elementary is a public elementary school in Gaithersburg, Maryland, serving 717 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Montgomery County Public Schools district, which is ranked 7th out of 25 districts in Maryland and has a 4-star rating.

Gaithersburg Elementary faces significant challenges compared to nearby schools. The school has a much higher percentage of Hispanic students (72.11%) than surrounding schools, which range from 39.53% to 74.28% Hispanic. Academically, Gaithersburg Elementary consistently underperforms the state and district averages on the MCAP tests for both Mathematics and English Language Arts, with only 12.7% of students proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to 33.4% for the district and 24.1% for the state. The school has been ranked in the bottom quartile of Maryland elementary schools for several years, placing it in the bottom 25% statewide. Gaithersburg Elementary's performance is particularly low for female students, African American students, and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

While Gaithersburg Elementary struggles, some nearby schools, such as Strawberry Knoll Elementary and Mill Creek Towne Elementary, perform significantly better on the MCAP tests, with proficiency rates 2-3 times higher than Gaithersburg Elementary. The high percentage of Hispanic students and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds at Gaithersburg Elementary may be contributing factors to the school's lower academic performance, despite the school spending more per student than nearby schools.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

 35 N Summit Ave
       Gaithersburg, MD  20877-2921

(240) 740-4900

District: Montgomery County Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
791st of 859 Maryland Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $23,596 Help


Students who attend Gaithersburg Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Gaithersburg Middle
High:    Gaithersburg High

Student/teacher ratio:  10.4 Help
Number of students:  717

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
72.1%
African American:
19.2%
Asian:
4.2%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  85.8% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Gaithersburg Elementary ranks worse than 92.1% of elementary schools in Maryland. It also ranks 129th among 130 ranked elementary schools in the Montgomery County Public Schools District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 11.79. (See more...)
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a high 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 Racial makeup is: Hispanic (72.1%), African American (19.2%), Asian (4.2%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 85.8% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Gaithersburg Elementary is 10.4, which is the 11th best among 130 elementary schools in the Montgomery County Public Schools District. (See more...)
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Compare Gaithersburg Elementary employs 68.8 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Gaithersburg Elementary is $23,596, which is the 18th highest among 130 elementary schools in the Montgomery County Public Schools District.
Schooldigger Rankings:

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

Montgomery County Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Montgomery County Public Schools 7th of 25 Maryland school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Your rating for Gaithersburg Elementary?

Rank History for Gaithersburg Elementary

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Gaithersburg Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 56.34 417th 803 48.1%
2005 63.19 334th 805 58.5%
2006 62.40 334th 804 58.5%
2007 66.42 299th 818 63.4%
2008 36.29 609th 838 27.3%
2009 29.46 672nd 850 20.9%
2010 28.96 682nd 855 20.2%
2011 20.47 730th 853 14.4%
2012 16.92 758th 857 11.6%
2013 9.96 799th 847 5.7%
2014 14.89 768th 867 11.4%
2015 11.69 815th 859 5.1%
2016 18.89 684th 845 19.1%
2017 16.72 707th 847 16.5%
2018 15.72 726th 857 15.3%
2019 21.25 652nd 853 23.6%
2021 11.12 778th 802 3.0%
2022 19.43 708th 862 17.9%
2023 14.63 739th 855 13.6%
2024 11.79 791st 859 7.9%
See the entire list of Maryland Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Gaithersburg Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 20.72 518th 546 5.1%
See the entire list of Best Maryland Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Gaithersburg Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 13.12 750th 796 5.8%
See the entire list of Best Maryland Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for African American students at Gaithersburg Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 29.19 383rd 504 24.0%
See the entire list of Best Maryland Elementary Schools for African American 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.

Gaithersburg Elementary Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
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Data source: Maryland State Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 1)
0%

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100%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Open Quote If I could give 1/2 a star I would. My son currently attends this school and hopefully will not next year. The high enrollment of non-English speaking children is having an impact on my child's education and social development. It is difficult for children of a certain age to engage with other child that do not speak the same language. The administration does nothing to foster interaction between the students. They do have many events for parents/students but most are geared towards helping kids catch up in their learning. Close Quote


by a parent
Monday, September 9, 2013

Open Quote The homework at this school is "reading everyday for 20 minutes" . No wonder the test scores are falling down. I feel sorry for the kids who go there. Close Quote



Enrollment information for Gaithersburg Elementary

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1989 314 144 50 67 2 n/a n/a 0 577
1990 317 148 68 87 1 n/a n/a 4 625
1991 321 177 101 103 2 n/a n/a 0 704
1992 295 180 119 128 1 n/a n/a 0 723
1993 259 197 118 151 0 n/a n/a 0 725
1994 228 223 114 173 2 n/a n/a 0 740
1995 143 163 75 192 2 n/a n/a 0 575
1996 143 163 75 192 2 n/a n/a 0 575
1997 150 158 76 213 3 n/a n/a 0 600
1998 129 164 72 226 3 n/a n/a 0 594
1999 118 169 58 250 1 n/a n/a 0 596
2000 101 162 57 281 0 n/a n/a 0 601
2001 112 152 57 324 0 n/a n/a 0 645
2002 91 132 48 329 0 n/a n/a 0 600
2003 91 132 48 329 0 n/a n/a 0 600
2004 72 144 47 294 1 n/a n/a 0 558
2005 57 150 30 269 1 n/a n/a 0 507
2006 50 145 22 244 1 n/a n/a 0 462
2007 59 152 31 229 2 n/a n/a 0 473
2008 59 159 28 232 3 n/a n/a 0 481
2009 57 157 36 241 2 n/a n/a 0 493
2010 58 149 35 288 0 n/a n/a 0 530
2011 45 131 32 370 0 0 13 0 591
2012 45 130 37 425 0 0 17 0 654
2013 42 119 42 518 1 0 18 0 740
2014 46 103 32 559 1 0 15 0 756
2015 47 114 28 595 1 0 17 0 802
2016 44 136 31 638 2 0 13 0 864
2017 34 129 32 631 3 0 16 0 845
2018 28 131 25 653 2 0 18 0 857
2019 23 132 26 639 2 0 17 0 839
2020 25 127 16 684 1 0 12 0 865
2021 22 110 16 656 3 1 17 0 825
2022 21 107 18 604 3 0 21 0 774
2023 16 138 30 517 2 0 14 0 717

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 Gaithersburg Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 577 33.6 17.1 n/a
1990 625 36.6 17.0 21.9
1991 704 37.1 18.9 29
1992 723 39.1 18.4 38.5
1993 725 41.4 17.5 38.3
1994 740 39.1 18.9 43.2
1995 575 33.1 17.4 48.3
1996 575 33.1 17.4 48.3
1997 600 34.1 17.6 46.5
1998 594 35.6 16.7 48.3
1999 596 35.6 16.7 69.3
2000 601 39.2 15.3 72.4
2001 645 44.0 14.7 69.9
2002 600 51.2 11.7 66.7
2003 600 51.2 11.7 66.7
2004 558 48.9 11.4 65.6
2005 507 47.0 10.8 65.1
2006 462 45.0 10.3 59.7
2007 473 44.9 10.5 62.2
2008 481 43.5 11.1 60.9
2009 493 46.1 10.7 65.3
2010 530 46.5 11.4 68.1
2011 591 47.0 12.5 75.6
2012 654 54.6 11.9 78.3
2013 740 56.4 13.1 77.4
2014 756 62.5 12.0 83.1
2015 802 69.0 11.6 81.3
2016 864 74.0 11.6 84
2017 845 77.9 10.8 82.5
2018 857 71.7 11.9 85.2
2019 839 72.8 11.5 83.7
2020 865 77.9 11.1 84.7
2021 825 75.2 10.9 85.1
2022 774 74.7 10.3 83.9
2023 717 68.8 10.4 85.8

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 Gaithersburg Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 577 33.6 17.1 n/a
1990 625 36.6 17.0 21.9
1991 704 37.1 18.9 29
1992 723 39.1 18.4 38.5
1993 725 41.4 17.5 38.3
1994 740 39.1 18.9 43.2
1995 575 33.1 17.4 48.3
1996 575 33.1 17.4 48.3
1997 600 34.1 17.6 46.5
1998 594 35.6 16.7 48.3
1999 596 35.6 16.7 69.3
2000 601 39.2 15.3 72.4
2001 645 44.0 14.7 69.9
2002 600 51.2 11.7 66.7
2003 600 51.2 11.7 66.7
2004 558 48.9 11.4 65.6
2005 507 47.0 10.8 65.1
2006 462 45.0 10.3 59.7
2007 473 44.9 10.5 62.2
2008 481 43.5 11.1 60.9
2009 493 46.1 10.7 65.3
2010 530 46.5 11.4 68.1
2011 591 47.0 12.5 75.6
2012 654 54.6 11.9 78.3
2013 740 56.4 13.1 77.4
2014 756 62.5 12.0 83.1
2015 802 69.0 11.6 81.3
2016 864 74.0 11.6 84
2017 845 77.9 10.8 82.5
2018 857 71.7 11.9 85.2
2019 839 72.8 11.5 83.7
2020 865 77.9 11.1 84.7
2021 825 75.2 10.9 85.1
2022 774 74.7 10.3 83.9
2023 717 68.8 10.4 85.8

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 Gaithersburg Elementary

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $2,139 (11.6%) $16,225 (88.4%) $18,364
2020 $2,241 (11.8%) $16,729 (88.2%) $18,970
2021 $2,770 (13.7%) $17,445 (86.3%) $20,216
2022 $3,908 (18.1%) $17,683 (81.9%) $21,591
2023 $3,305 (14.0%) $20,291 (86.0%) $23,596

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

Impact of COVID-19 on Gaithersburg 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 652nd of 853 Elementary schoolsRanks 739th of 855 Elementary schools
 10%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)		 Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)		 Change (%)
Total Students839717
 14.5%
African American132138
 4.5%
American Indian22
Asian2630
 15.4%
Hispanic639517
 19.1%
Pacific Islander00
White2316
 30.4%
Two or More Races1714
 17.6%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients83.7%85.8%
 2.1%

Schools Near Gaithersburg Elementary








Frequently Asked Questions about Gaithersburg Elementary

In the 2022-23 school year, 717 students attended Gaithersburg Elementary.

Students at Gaithersburg Elementary are 72% Hispanic, 19% African American, 4% Asian, 2% White, 2% Two or more races.

Students who attend Gaithersburg Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Gaithersburg Middle
High : Gaithersburg High

Gaithersburg Elementary ranks in the bottom 7.9% of Maryland elementary schools.


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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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