Data & Resources

In this county, a few short miles can lead to completely different learning experiences and wide disparities. Here’s how it plays out in our kids’ daily lives, with a tale of two schools: 

• Harmony Hills Elementary School in Aspen Hill is one of the most diverse elementary schools in Maryland, a place where 18 different languages can be heard during the school day. But in this high-needs school, more than 8 in 10 third graders can’t read in English above grade level.

• Just 10 miles away at Seven Locks Elementary in Bethesda, where nearly half the student population is white, 91.2% of students are proficient in reading.

Here’s one example of the effect on college readiness among students at two Montgomery County high schools that are a 24-minute drive from one another but seem worlds apart. 

• Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda is ranked third in Maryland for college readiness and has a 98% graduation rate. Their student body is 13% Black and Brown, and 2% identify as living at or near poverty. (Source)                      

• In contrast, Wheaton High School, about seven miles away from Walt Whitman High School, ranks 41st in Maryland for college readiness and has a 77% graduation rate (well below the state median). Wheaton has a 78% Black and Brown population, and nearly half its students identify as at or near federal poverty. (Source)

  • In Maryland, both Black and Latino students are underrepresented in Advanced Placement (AP) courses for different reasons. Black and Latino students are nearly as likely as their peers to attend a school that offers AP courses. However, both Black and Latino students are unfairly denied access to AP courses offered within their school. (Source)

  • In Montgomery County, schools that serve mostly Black and Latino children are not enrolling as many students in advanced classes as schools that serve fewer of these students, And schools that do offer the courses—especially racially diverse schools—deny Black and Latino students access. (Source)