Enrollment
490
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Cambridge, MD
Mace's Lane Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Mace's Lane Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 240030001423
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 67
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mace's Lane Middle School earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% of Maryland schools.
- #1 of 5
- public schools in Cambridge · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.6:1
- small classes for Maryland
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Mace's Lane Middle School has class sizes smaller than 75% of Maryland schools. Computed live against every Maryland school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mace's Lane Middle School ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Cambridge, MD.
School address
District: Dorchester County Public Schools · Maryland
NCES ID 240030001423 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 14.5:1 Maryland avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
+104% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mace's Lane Middle School compares with Maryland and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mace's Lane Middle School
Mace's Lane Middle School is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Cambridge, Maryland, enrolling 490 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Maryland schools by student-teacher ratio.
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.
With 490 students, its enrollment sits close to the Maryland median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,382 scored Maryland schools.
Among 44 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Maryland schools statewide, it ranks #4, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (59%) and Hispanic or Latino (18%) (diversity index 60/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 163 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 83.5% 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.
Discipline events run high: 196 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 490 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Dorchester County Public Schools also operates Cambridge-South Dorchester High School (811 students) and North Dorchester High School (526 students) alongside Mace's Lane Middle 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 Mace's Lane Middle School compares
Mace's Lane Middle 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 | 12.6:1 | ▼ 13% | 14.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 104% | 49.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 490 | top 56% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.6:1
Leaner classes than 70% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
490
Bigger than 60% 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
12.6:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 25% in Maryland - lower ratio than 75% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
83.5%
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 163 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 195 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 40.0 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 58.6%
Hispanic or Latino 18.2%
White 12.7%
Two or More 10.0%
Asian 0.6%
Largest group: African American at 58.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.7, Mace's Lane Middle School is more 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 Mace's Lane Middle 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 Mace's Lane Middle 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 | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Maple Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Dorchester Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sandy Hill Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mace's Lane Middle 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
- 483
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 414
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 393
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar middle 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 (~490 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mace's Lane Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Mace's Lane Middle 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 Mace's Lane Middle School
How many students attend Mace's Lane Middle School?
Mace's Lane Middle School has 490 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Cambridge, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mace's Lane Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mace's Lane Middle School is 12.6:1, which is 13% lower than the Maryland average of 14.5:1 and 20% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mace's Lane Middle School?
100.0% of students at Mace's Lane Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mace's Lane Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Mace's Lane Middle School is African American at 58.6% of enrollment, in Cambridge, MD. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mace's Lane Middle School?
Mace's Lane Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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 Mace's Lane Middle School rank among public schools in Cambridge?
By Resource Investment Index, Mace's Lane Middle School ranks #1 of 5 public 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 public schools in Cambridge on the city page.
Is Mace's Lane Middle School a good school?
Mace's Lane Middle School earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% of Maryland schools. 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 Mace's Lane Middle School, Dorchester County Public Schools also operates Cambridge-South Dorchester High School (811 students), North Dorchester High School (526 students), and Maple Elementary School (483 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.