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Historical public education information in Maryland, 2011-2015

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This page contains archived information on Maryland's public education system, primarily from 2011-2012, but also from other years due to the availability of data at the time it was written. For more recent information, viewMaryland's public education page.

TheMaryland public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. In 2012 Maryland had 854,086 students enrolled in a total of 1,451 schools in25 school districts. There were 57,589 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 15 students, compared to the national average of 1:16. There was roughly one administrator for every 239 students, compared to the national average of one administrator for every 295 students. On average Maryland spent $13,871 per pupil in 2011, which ranked it ninth highest in the nation. The state's graduation rate was 84 percent in 2012.[1][2]

State agencies

See also:Maryland State Department of Education

TheMaryland State Department of Education is helmed by theSuperintendent of Schools, who is appointed by theMaryland State Board of Education to four-year, renewable terms. The Superintendent of Schools wasLillian Lowery in 2014.[3][4]

The State Board of Education is composed of 12 members appointed by theGovernor. With the exception of the student member (who serves for one year), all members serve four-year terms. Board members may serve two full terms.[4]

Regional comparison

See also:General comparison table for education statistics in the 50 states andEducation spending per pupil in all 50 states

The following chart shows how Maryland compared to three neighboring states during school year 2011-2012 with respect to number of students, schools, the number of teachers per pupil, and the number of administrators per pupil. Further comparisons between these states with respect to performance and financial information are given in other sections of this page.

Regional comparison, 2011-2012
StateSchoolsDistrictsStudentsTeachersTeacher/pupil ratioAdministrator/pupil ratioPer pupil spending
Maryland1,45125854,08657,5891:14.81:238.8$13,871
Delaware22144128,9468,5871:151:289.8$12,685
New Jersey2,5967001,356,431109,7191:12.41:288$15,968
Virginia2,1702211,257,88390,8321:13.81:313.2$10,364
United States98,32817,99249,521,6693,103,2631:161:295.2$10,994
Sources:U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "State Nonfiscal Public Elementary/Secondary Education Survey", 2011-12 v.1a.

National Center for Education Statistics, "Table 2. Number of operating public schools and districts, state enrollment, teacher and pupil/teacher ratio by state: School year 2011–12"
U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2011,Governments Division Reports," issued May 2013

Demographics

See also:Demographic information for all students in all 50 states

The following table displays the ethnic distribution of students in Maryland as reported in the National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data for 2011-2012.[5]

Demographic information for Maine's K-12 public school system, 2011-2012
EthnicityStudentsState percentageUnited States percentage**
American Indian2,9890.35%1.10%
Asian50,0525.86%4.68%
African American302,03135.36%15.68%
Hawaiian Nat./Pacific Isl.1,1840.14%0.42%
Hispanic103,59412.13%24.37%
White362,85542.48%51.21%
Two or more31,3813.67%2.54%
**Note: This is the percentage of all students in the United States that are reported to be of this ethnicity.

Enrollments by region type

See also:Student distribution by region type in the U.S.

During the 2011-2012 school year a majority of students in Maryland attended suburban schools. Approximately 77 percent of the state's students attended city or suburban schools, compared to the approximately 23 percent who attended rural or town schools.

Student distribution by region type, 2011-2012 (as percents)
StateCity schoolsSuburban schoolsTown schoolsRural schools
Maryland16.9%59.9%5.3%18%
Delaware13.4%45.2%17.2%24.2%
New Jersey7.2%80.8%2%10%
Virginia23%38.8%6.9%31.3%
U.S. average28.9%34%11.6%25.4%
Source:U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD)

Academic performance

Education terms
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For more information on education policy terms, seethis article.

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NAEP scores

See also:NAEP scores by state

The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in theNational Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Compared to three neighboring states (Delaware, New Jersey, and Virginia), Maryland had the highest share of the fourth graders who scored at or above proficient in reading during the 2012-2013 school year.[6]

Percent of students scoring at or above proficient, 2012-2013
Math - Grade 4Math - Grade 8Reading - Grade 4Reading - Grade 8
Maryland47%37%45%42%
Delaware42%33%38%33%
New Jersey49%49%42%46%
Virginia47%38%43%36%
U.S. average41%34%34%34%
Source:United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables," accessed May 13, 2014

Graduation, ACT and SAT scores

See also:Graduation rates by groups in state
See also:ACT and SAT scores in the U.S.

The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for Maryland and surrounding states for 2012 and 2013.[6][7][8]

Comparison table for graduation rates and test scores*
StateGraduation rate, 2012Average ACT composite, 2012Average SAT composite, 2013
PercentQuintile ranking**ScoreParticipation rateScoreParticipation rate
Maryland84%Second22.121%1,48373%
Delaware80%Third22.614%1,351100%
New Jersey86%First23.420%1,52178%
Virginia83%Second22.425%1,52871%
U.S. average80%21.11,498
*Regulatory Adjusted Cohort Rate (except for Idaho, Kentucky, Oklahoma, which did not report “Regulatory Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate,” but instead used their own method of calculation).
**Graduation rates for states in the first quintile ranked in the top 20 percent nationally. Similarly, graduation rates for states in the fifth quintile ranked in the bottom 20 percent nationally.
Source:United States Department of Education, ED Data Express

Dropout rate

See also:Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states

The high school eventdropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades 9–12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for Maryland was on par with the national average at 3.3 percent in the 2010-2011 school year. The dropout rate was higher than the national average at 3.8 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.[9]

Educational choice options

See also:School choice in Maryland

As of June 2015, school choice options inMaryland included:charter schools and supplementalonline learning programs. In addition, about 14.17 percent of school-age children in the state attended private schools in the 2011-2012 academic year, and an estimated 2.67 percent were homeschooled in 2012-2013.

Education funding and expenditures

See also:Maryland state budget and finances
Breakdown of expenditures by function in fiscal year 2012
Source:National Association of State Budget Officers

According to theNational Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), Maryland spent approximately 19.5 percent of its fiscal year 2012 budget on elementary and secondary education. As a share of the budget, this was down 1.40 percentage points, or 6.70 percent, from fiscal year 2008, when the state spent 20.9 percent of its budget on elementary and secondary education.[10][11][12][13][14]

Comparison of financial figures for school systems
StatePercent of budget (2012)Per pupil spending (2011)Revenue sources (2011)
Percent federal fundsPercent state fundsPercent local funds
Maryland19.5%$13,8719.35%40.99%49.67%
Delaware24.6%$12,68511.24%59.59%29.17%
New Jersey23.5%$15,9685.14%37.06%57.8%
Virginia16%$10,3649.9%37.11%52.99%
Sources:NASBO, "State Expenditure Report," Table 8: Elementary and Secondary Education Expenditures As a Percent of Total Expenditures
U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2011,Governments Division Reports," issued May 2013

Revenue breakdowns

See also:Public school system revenues in the U.S.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system revenues in Maryland totaled approximately $13.4 billion in fiscal year 2011. The table below presents further detail, including revenue sources, for Maryland and surrounding states.[15]

Revenues by source, fiscal year 2011 (amounts in thousands)
Federal revenueState revenueLocal revenueTotal revenue
Maryland$1,255,964$5,508,339$6,674,775$13,439,078
Delaware$202,501$1,073,154$525,263$1,800,918
New Jersey$1,320,021$9,521,328$14,847,190$25,688,539
Virginia$1,427,301$5,351,177$7,639,550$14,418,028
U.S. total$74,943,767$267,762,416$264,550,594$607,256,777
Source:National Center for Education Statistics

Expenditure breakdowns

See also:Public school system expenditures in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system expenditures in Maryland totaled approximately $13 billion in fiscal year 2011. The table below presents further detail, including expenditure types, for Maryland and surrounding states.[15]

Expenditures by type, fiscal year 2011 (amounts in thousands)
General expenditures**Capital outlayOther***Total expenditures
Maryland$11,818,032$989,839$185,991$12,993,862
Delaware$1,615,778$184,094$54,090$1,853,962
New Jersey$22,686,943$930,701$1,393,507$25,011,151
Virginia$12,964,134$1,075,067$425,378$14,464,579
U.S. total$520,577,893$52,984,139$29,581,293$603,143,325
**Funds spent operating local public schools and local education agencies, including such expenses as salaries for school personnel, student transportation, school books and materials, and energy costs, but excluding capital outlay, interest on school debt, payments to private schools, and payments to public charter schools.
***Includes payments to state and local governments, payments to private schools, interest on school system indebtedness, and nonelementary-secondary expenditures, such as adult education and community services expenditures.
Source:National Center for Education Statistics

Personnel salaries

See also:Public school teacher salaries in the United States
Note: Salaries given are averages for the state. Salaries may vary between a state's urban, suburban, and rural districts and should be adjusted for cost of living. For example, aMacIver Institute study of average teacher salaries in 60 metropolitan areas found that salaries in New York City were the third-highest in absolute figures but 59th-highest when adjusted for the cost of living.[16]

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average national salary for classroom teachers in public elementary and secondary schools declined by 1.3 percent from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2012-2013 school year. During the same period in Maryland, the average salary increased by 8.4 percent.[17]

Estimated average salaries for teachers (in constant dollars**)
1999-20002009-20102011-20122012-2013Percent difference
Maryland$60,196$68,285$64,693$65,2658.4%
Delaware$60,724$60,930$59,779$59,679-1.7%
New Jersey$71,083$69,523$68,194$68,797-3.2%
Virginia$52,947$53,388$49,514$49,869-5.8%
U.S. average$57,133$58,925$56,340$56,383-1.3%
**"Constant dollars based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, adjusted to a school-year basis. The CPI does not account for differences in inflation rates from state to state."

Organizations

Unions

In 2012 the Fordham Institute and Education Reform Now assessed the power and influence of state teacher unions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Their rankings were based on 37 different variables in five broad areas, including: resources and membership, involvement in politics, scope of bargaining, state policies and perceived influence. Maryland ranked23rd overall, or "average," which was in the third of five tiers.[18]

The main unions related to the Maryland school system are the Maryland State Education Association (MSEA), an affiliate of theNational Education Association (NEA) and AFT Maryland. For the 2003 tax period MSEA had: $13.9 million in total revenue, $13.7 million in total expenses and $11.5 million in total assets.[19] For the same period, AFT Maryland had: $1.1 million in total revenue, $1.1 million in total expenses and $337,687 in total assets.[20]

List of local Maryland school unions:[21]

  • Maryland State Education Association
  • AFT Maryland
  • Baltimore Teachers Union
  • Montgomery County Education Association, Maryland
  • Teachers Association of Baltimore County
  • Frederick County Teachers Association Of Maryland
  • Teachers Association of Anne Arundel County
  • Washington County Teachers Association
  • Cecil County Classroom Teachers Association

Government sector lobbying

See also: Maryland government sector lobbying

The main education government sector lobbying organization is theMaryland Association of Boards of Education.

Studies and reports

State Budget Solutions education study

See also:State spending on education v. academic performance (2012)

State Budget Solutions examined national trends in education from 2009 to 2011, including state-by-state analysis of education spending, graduation rates and average ACT scores. The study showed that the states that spent the most did not have the highest average ACT test scores, nor did they have the highest average graduation rates. A summary of the study is availablehere. The full report can be accessedhere.

See also

Footnotes

  1. United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data (CCD); Table 2.—Number of operating public schools and districts, state enrollment, teacher and pupil/teacher ratio by state: School year 2011-12," accessed May 12, 2014
  2. United States Department of Education, "ED Data Express," accessed May 12, 2014
  3. Maryland State Department of Education, "Superintendent's Biography," accessed May 20, 2014
  4. 4.04.1Maryland State Department of Education, "Maryland State Board of Education," accessed May 20, 2014
  5. United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data (CCD), State Nonfiscal Public Elementary/Secondary Education Survey, 2011-2012," accessed May 7, 2014
  6. 6.06.1United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables," accessed May 13, 2014
  7. ACT, "2012 ACT National and State Scores," accessed May 13, 2014
  8. Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT Scores by State 2013," October 10, 2013
  9. United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data (CCD), State Dropout and Graduation Rate Data File, School Year 2010-11, Provision Version 1a and School Year 2011-12, Preliminary Version 1a," accessed May 13, 2014
  10. National Association of State Budget Officers, "State Expenditure Report, 2011-2013," accessed February 21, 2014
  11. National Association of State Budget Officers, "State Expenditure Report, 2009-2011," accessed February 24, 2014
  12. National Association of State Budget Officers, "State Expenditures Report, 2010-2012," accessed February 24, 2014
  13. National Association of State Budget Officers, "State Expenditure Report, 2009," accessed February 24, 2014
  14. National Association of State Budget Officers, "State Expenditure Report, 2008," accessed February 24, 2014
  15. 15.015.1United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary School Districts: School Year 2010–11," accessed May 13, 2014
  16. Maciver Institute, "REPORT: How much are teachers really paid?" accessed October 29, 2014
  17. United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Table 211.60. Estimated average annual salary of teachers in public elementary and secondary schools, by state: Selected years, 1969-70 through 2012-13," accessed May 13, 2014
  18. Thomas E Fordham Institute, " How Strong Are U.S. Teacher Unions? A State-By-State Comparison," October 29, 2012
  19. Center for Union Facts, "Maryland State Education Association," accessed September 22, 2009
  20. Center for Union Facts, "AFT Maryland," accessed September 22, 2009
  21. Center for Union Facts, "State of Maryland," accessed September 22, 2009(dead link)
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