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Cambridge, Maryland - 11 schools
An equity score of 78/100 ranks Dorchester County Public Schools #3 of 24 districts in Maryland (state average 52). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $24,096 per pupil, Dorchester County Public Schools ranks #5 of 24 Maryland districts by per-pupil spending (Maryland districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
4,523
Total Enrollment
11
Schools
$24,096
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Dorchester County Public Schools operates 11 public schools serving 4,523 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Maryland. The school portfolio breaks down into 7 combined, 2 high, 2 middle schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Dorchester County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $24,096 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 24 Maryland districts by per-pupil spending. See how Maryland compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 19.8% local, 65.2% state, and 15.0% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 78/100, ranked #3 of 24 in Maryland against a state average of 52, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 2 of 11 schools offering Advanced Placement (10 AP courses district-wide), a 282.9:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 55.6% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 43.1% White, 35.0% African American, 13.0% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Maple Elementary School, with a diversity index of 70.0/100.
Cambridge-South Dorchester High School accounts for 17.7% of all Dorchester County Public Schools student enrollment
That concentration means Dorchester County Public Schools-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Dorchester County Public Schools school enrollment varies 4.4× across entities
Dorchester County Public Schools school enrollment ranges from 183 students (lowest) to 811 students (highest), a spread of 628 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Dorchester County Public Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 100.0% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Eligibility here is a supermajority of the population — well past the 75% concentration-grant threshold that unlocks extra funding on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Dorchester County Public Schools student-counselor ratio is 283:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Variation between sub-units within Dorchester County Public Schools is typically wider than the Dorchester County Public Schools-aggregate figure suggests.
Dorchester County Public Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 55.6% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.
Comparisons are relative to Dorchester County Public Schools's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Nearby Districts in Maryland
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
How many schools are in Dorchester County Public Schools?
Dorchester County Public Schools has 11 schools, including 2 high, 2 middle, 7 combined. Total enrollment is 4,523 students.
How much does Dorchester County Public Schools spend per student?
Dorchester County Public Schools spends $24,096 per student. The district has an equity score of 78/100, ranking #3 in Maryland.
What is the demographic composition of Dorchester County Public Schools?
Dorchester County Public Schools students are 43.1% White, 35.0% African American, 13.0% Hispanic or Latino, 0.7% Asian, averaged across 11 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Dorchester County Public Schools?
Dorchester County Public Schools has an equity score of 78/100, ranking #3 out of 24 districts in Maryland.