Enrollment
319
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cambridge, MD
Choptank Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Choptank Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 240030000841
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 36
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Choptank Elementary School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Maryland median.
- #1 of 3
- schools in Cambridge · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.5:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Choptank Elementary School has class sizes near the Maryland median. Computed live against every Maryland school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Choptank Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 schools in Cambridge, MD.
School address
District: Dorchester County Public Schools · Maryland
NCES ID 240030000841 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.5:1
vs 14.5:1 Maryland avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
+104% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Choptank Elementary School compares with Maryland and U.S. medians
What stands out at Choptank Elementary School
Choptank Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Cambridge, Maryland, enrolling 319 students.
At 14.5:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Maryland median, within a few percentage points of the 14.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need is high: 100.0% of students qualify for free meals, 104% above the Maryland average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 319 puts it in the smaller third of Maryland schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,382 scored Maryland schools.
Against 41 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #21.
Its student body is led by African American (72%) and Hispanic or Latino (14%) (diversity index 45/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 319 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 78.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Cambridge's public schools, it stands alongside Maple Elementary School (483 students): Choptank Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.5:1 vs 14.6:1).
Dorchester County Public Schools also operates Cambridge-South Dorchester High School (811 students) and North Dorchester High School (526 students) alongside Choptank Elementary School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Choptank Elementary School compares
Choptank Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Maryland and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Maryland | Maryland avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.5:1 | ▼ 0% | 14.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 104% | 49.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 319 | top 83% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.5:1
Leaner classes than 52% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
319
Bigger than 35% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 104% above the Maryland average of 49.0%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.5:1
students per teacher
- 0% above state mean
Top 50% in Maryland - lower ratio than 50% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
78.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$24,096
per pupil, district-wide
- above Maryland avg of $20,446
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 319 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 62 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 19.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
African American 72.1%
Hispanic or Latino 14.4%
Two or More 7.8%
White 5.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: African American at 72.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 45.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 45.1, Choptank Elementary School is less mixed than the Maryland school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dorchester County Public Schools, which includes Choptank Elementary School.
$24,096
Per student
+18%
vs Maryland
Avg $20,446
+45%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 19.8%
State 65.2%
Federal 15.0%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Choptank Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge-South Dorchester High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Dorchester High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mace's Lane Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Maple Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| North Dorchester Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Choptank Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 811
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 526
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 490
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 483
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 414
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
Similar other schools in Cambridge
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Maryland, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~319 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Choptank Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Choptank Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Dorchester County Public Schools's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Choptank Elementary School
How many students attend Choptank Elementary School?
Choptank Elementary School has 319 students enrolled. It is a public school in Cambridge, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Choptank Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Choptank Elementary School is 14.5:1, which is 0% higher than the Maryland average of 14.5:1 and 8% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Choptank Elementary School?
100.0% of students at Choptank Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Choptank Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Choptank Elementary School is African American at 72.1% of enrollment, in Cambridge, MD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Choptank Elementary School?
Choptank Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Choptank Elementary School rank among schools in Cambridge?
By Resource Investment Index, Choptank Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 schools in Cambridge, MD. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Cambridge on the city page.
Is Choptank Elementary School a good school?
Choptank Elementary School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Maryland median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Dorchester County Public Schools?
Besides Choptank Elementary School, Dorchester County Public Schools also operates Cambridge-South Dorchester High School (811 students), North Dorchester High School (526 students), and Mace's Lane Middle School (490 students). See the Dorchester County Public Schools district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.