Whetstone Elementary

Summary:

Whetstone Elementary is a public elementary school in Gaithersburg, Maryland, serving 715 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.

Whetstone Elementary stands out for its high percentage of Hispanic students (54.83%) and students receiving free or reduced-price lunch (74.97%), which is significantly higher than nearby schools like Goshen Elementary and Strawberry Knoll Elementary. Despite having a relatively low student-teacher ratio of 12:1 and the highest per-student spending among nearby schools, Whetstone consistently underperforms in both mathematics and English language arts proficiency compared to the district and state averages.

The school's performance is particularly concerning for certain student subgroups, with Whetstone ranking in the bottom 20% of Maryland elementary schools for English Language Learners and students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds. This low academic performance has resulted in Whetstone Elementary being consistently ranked in the bottom half of Maryland elementary schools, with a 1- or 2-star rating from SchoolDigger over the past several years. Addressing these challenges will require a comprehensive approach, including targeted interventions and additional resources, to improve educational outcomes for all students at Whetstone Elementary.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

 19201 Thomas Farm Rd
       Gaithersburg, MD  20879-2018


(240) 740-1060

District: Montgomery County Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
548th of 859 Maryland Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $20,682 Help


Students who attend Whetstone Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Montgomery Village Middle
High:    Watkins Mill High

Student/teacher ratio:  12.0 Help
Number of students:  715

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
54.8%
African American:
26.4%
Asian:
8.1%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  75% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Whetstone Elementary ranks worse than 63.8% of elementary schools in Maryland. It also ranks 106th 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 28.78. (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 Racial makeup is: Hispanic (54.8%), African American (26.4%), Asian (8.1%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 75% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Whetstone Elementary is 12, which is the 47th best among 130 elementary schools in the Montgomery County Public Schools District. (See more...)
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Compare Whetstone Elementary employs 59.3 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Whetstone Elementary is $20,682, which is the 56th highest among 130 elementary schools in the Montgomery County Public Schools District.
Schooldigger Rankings:

Whetstone 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.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Whetstone Elementary.

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Rank History for Whetstone Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Whetstone Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 58.80 396th 803 50.7%
2005 52.02 427th 805 47.0%
2006 53.13 417th 804 48.1%
2007 60.61 356th 818 56.5%
2008 53.66 439th 838 47.6%
2009 48.14 509th 850 40.1%
2010 50.91 488th 855 42.9%
2011 29.65 661st 853 22.5%
2012 44.33 546th 857 36.3%
2013 27.20 675th 847 20.3%
2014 30.64 670th 867 22.7%
2015 27.62 600th 859 30.2%
2016 41.82 460th 845 45.6%
2017 35.44 513th 847 39.4%
2018 24.08 623rd 857 27.3%
2019 30.88 540th 853 36.7%
2021 20.14 625th 802 22.1%
2022 32.93 544th 862 36.9%
2023 20.49 651st 855 23.9%
2024 28.78 548th 859 36.2%
See the entire list of Maryland Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Whetstone Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 19.98 112th 115 2.6%
See the entire list of Best Maryland Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Whetstone Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 23.95 493rd 546 9.7%
See the entire list of Best Maryland Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Whetstone Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 16.59 694th 796 12.8%
See the entire list of Best Maryland Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Whetstone Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 23.21 571st 788 27.5%
See the entire list of Best Maryland Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Whetstone Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 43.23 237th 504 53.0%
See the entire list of Best Maryland Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Whetstone Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 26.08 282nd 347 18.7%
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.

Whetstone Elementary Test Scores
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Data source: Maryland State Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 3.8)
50%

25%

0%

0%

25%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Open Quote When a child (A KINDERGARTNER) gets kicked in the face and loses two front teeth and they can't get their story together. THERE IS A PROBLEM. Where is the supervision??? Whether it was an accident or not. Apparently they were ruff housing around??(when is ruff housing permitted at school?) Then they say the aid that was suppose to be there when the incident occurred is gone for the day. If they had adequate adult supervision,LIKE ALL ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS USUALLY HAVE, then it might not have occurred. So now my son is going to be facing issues with his self esteem and who knows what else because this school can't control their students behavior during "lunch/recess.". My son also has speech problems and now no front teeth to practice saying hard syllables. In which the vice principle responded "I didn't talk until I was 7." No offense but do I really care what you did as a child. My son isn't you. I can't wait to move and take my son out of this school.NO SUPERVISION IS REQUIRED AT THIS SCHOOL APPARENTLY, and I truly feel like they blew off taking responsibility for THEIR negligence. Close Quote


Facebook Profile Picture by a parent on FaceBook
Saturday, May 10, 2014

Open Quote Whetstone Elementary is a great school. This year 2014 third grade has excellent teachers. Close Quote



Enrollment information for Whetstone Elementary

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1989 479 87 34 38 1 n/a n/a 0 639
1990 476 116 29 46 3 n/a n/a -4 666
1991 447 123 35 47 1 n/a n/a 0 653
1992 449 138 37 62 2 n/a n/a 0 688
1993 448 154 35 47 2 n/a n/a 0 686
1994 453 168 33 49 4 n/a n/a 0 707
1995 394 158 58 74 6 n/a n/a 0 690
1996 394 158 58 74 6 n/a n/a 0 690
1997 281 154 47 74 2 n/a n/a 0 558
1998 241 169 44 103 3 n/a n/a 0 560
1999 231 214 48 114 3 n/a n/a 0 610
2000 200 202 56 132 3 n/a n/a 0 593
2001 209 196 54 130 1 n/a n/a 0 590
2002 168 201 61 188 0 n/a n/a 0 618
2003 168 201 61 188 0 n/a n/a 0 618
2004 166 221 61 202 2 n/a n/a 0 652
2005 131 198 62 205 1 n/a n/a 0 597
2006 117 188 62 209 2 n/a n/a 0 578
2007 114 209 65 243 6 n/a n/a 0 637
2008 110 174 73 223 6 n/a n/a 0 586
2009 113 201 73 208 6 n/a n/a 0 601
2010 105 194 65 251 3 n/a n/a 0 618
2011 108 175 53 275 1 1 26 0 639
2012 95 182 65 316 0 1 24 0 683
2013 100 193 59 334 1 0 21 0 708
2014 90 187 60 349 1 0 25 0 712
2015 86 200 60 380 1 0 29 0 756
2016 74 205 65 414 1 0 29 0 788
2017 60 212 67 413 1 0 27 0 780
2018 61 227 68 409 1 0 24 0 790
2019 47 186 63 435 2 0 18 0 751
2020 48 191 62 416 3 0 22 0 742
2021 46 173 62 387 4 0 21 0 693
2022 50 179 55 369 2 1 25 0 681
2023 45 189 58 392 4 0 27 0 715

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 Whetstone Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 639 30.0 21.3 n/a
1990 666 32.7 20.3 14.9
1991 653 31.7 20.5 15.5
1992 688 31.6 21.7 18
1993 686 33.5 20.5 18.1
1994 707 35.2 20.1 23.5
1995 690 32.1 21.5 23.9
1996 690 32.1 21.5 23.9
1997 558 28.6 19.5 25.6
1998 560 31.9 17.6 26.6
1999 610 31.9 19.1 39.5
2000 593 36.0 16.5 41.1
2001 590 35.4 16.7 39
2002 618 41.9 14.7 44.2
2003 618 41.9 14.7 44.2
2004 652 44.9 14.5 45.7
2005 597 45.0 13.3 45.9
2006 578 48.0 12.0 39.8
2007 637 48.7 13.1 49.6
2008 586 47.2 12.4 47.6
2009 601 47.5 12.7 51.4
2010 618 47.7 12.9 55.8
2011 639 49.2 12.9 55.9
2012 683 51.1 13.3 58.6
2013 708 53.3 13.2 62.6
2014 712 55.9 12.7 61.9
2015 756 56.0 13.5 65.5
2016 788 57.0 13.8 60.9
2017 780 59.9 13.0 63.3
2018 790 59.6 13.2 61.6
2019 751 56.2 13.3 62.7
2020 742 62.1 11.9 70.2
2021 693 61.7 11.2 70.7
2022 681 62.1 10.9 67.4
2023 715 59.3 12.0 75

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 Whetstone Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 639 30.0 21.3 n/a
1990 666 32.7 20.3 14.9
1991 653 31.7 20.5 15.5
1992 688 31.6 21.7 18
1993 686 33.5 20.5 18.1
1994 707 35.2 20.1 23.5
1995 690 32.1 21.5 23.9
1996 690 32.1 21.5 23.9
1997 558 28.6 19.5 25.6
1998 560 31.9 17.6 26.6
1999 610 31.9 19.1 39.5
2000 593 36.0 16.5 41.1
2001 590 35.4 16.7 39
2002 618 41.9 14.7 44.2
2003 618 41.9 14.7 44.2
2004 652 44.9 14.5 45.7
2005 597 45.0 13.3 45.9
2006 578 48.0 12.0 39.8
2007 637 48.7 13.1 49.6
2008 586 47.2 12.4 47.6
2009 601 47.5 12.7 51.4
2010 618 47.7 12.9 55.8
2011 639 49.2 12.9 55.9
2012 683 51.1 13.3 58.6
2013 708 53.3 13.2 62.6
2014 712 55.9 12.7 61.9
2015 756 56.0 13.5 65.5
2016 788 57.0 13.8 60.9
2017 780 59.9 13.0 63.3
2018 790 59.6 13.2 61.6
2019 751 56.2 13.3 62.7
2020 742 62.1 11.9 70.2
2021 693 61.7 11.2 70.7
2022 681 62.1 10.9 67.4
2023 715 59.3 12.0 75

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 Whetstone Elementary

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $601 (3.5%) $16,721 (96.5%) $17,322
2020 $1,798 (9.8%) $16,603 (90.2%) $18,401
2021 $2,632 (12.7%) $18,068 (87.3%) $20,700
2022 $3,906 (18.8%) $16,911 (81.2%) $20,818
2023 $3,045 (14.7%) $17,638 (85.3%) $20,682

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

Impact of COVID-19 on Whetstone 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 540th of 853 Elementary schoolsRanks 651st of 855 Elementary schools
 12.8%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students751715
 4.8%
African American186189
 1.6%
American Indian24
 100%
Asian6358
 7.9%
Hispanic435392
 9.9%
Pacific Islander00
White4745
 4.3%
Two or More Races1827
 50%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients62.7%75%
 12.2%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Whetstone Elementary

Students at Whetstone Elementary are 55% Hispanic, 26% African American, 8% Asian, 6% White, 4% Two or more races.

Whetstone Elementary ranks 548th of 859 Maryland elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Students who attend Whetstone Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Montgomery Village Middle
High : Watkins Mill High

In the 2022-23 school year, 715 students attended Whetstone Elementary.


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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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