Newark, MD, October 29, 2026–The Maryland State Department of Education released its annual update to the Maryland Report Card website today, containing school performance data for Maryland public schools, including eleven schools in Worcester County. Ten Worcester County Public Schools (WCPS) earned four- or five-star ratings, with several schools posting gains and earning places among the state’s highest-performing schools.
Pocomoke Elementary School (PES) increased its rating from four to five stars, joining Pocomoke and Snow Hill high schools as the school system’s five-star schools for 2025–2026. PES earned 75.8 percent of possible points, an increase of 9.1 percentage points over the previous year.
Pocomoke Elementary School and Pocomoke High School are among just nine community schools statewide to earn five-star ratings, demonstrating that schools serving communities with high poverty rates can achieve at the highest levels. Their success reflects students’ abilities and hard work, dedicated educators, and a shared commitment to pairing high expectations with support responsive to each student’s needs.
The results also highlight strong achievement at schools serving substantially greater percentages of students eligible for free and reduced-price meals (FARMS) than the schools ranked ahead of them:
Pocomoke High School ranked sixth among Maryland high schools by percentage of points earned. PHS has a FARMS rate of 68.9 percent, compared with an average of 27.3 percent among schools ranked ahead of it.
Pocomoke Elementary School ranked 97th among Maryland elementary schools by percentage of points earned. PES has a FARMS rate of 68.9 percent, compared with an average of 20.3 percent among schools ranked ahead of it.
Stephen Decatur Middle School ranked 12th among Maryland middle schools. SDMS has a FARMS rate of 48.4 percent, compared with an average of 28.4 percent among schools ranked ahead of it.
Several secondary schools also increased the percentage of points they earned, although their star ratings remained unchanged. Pocomoke High School gained 5.3 percentage points, Stephen Decatur Middle School gained 4.5 percentage points, and Stephen Decatur High School gained 3.6 percentage points over the previous year.
The full breakdown of the eleven Worcester County schools eligible to receive star ratings follows.
SCHOOL | Points Earned | Total Possible Points | Total Earned Percent | Star Rating |
Berlin Intermediate School | 59.5 | 90 | 66.1% | |
Buckingham Elementary School | 51.7 | 73 | 70.8% | |
Ocean City Elementary School | 53.0 | 73 | 72.5% | |
Pocomoke Elementary School | 36.4 | 48 | 75.8% | |
Pocomoke High School | 68.8 | 83 | 82.8% | |
Pocomoke Middle School | 94.8 | 180 | 52.6% | |
Showell Elementary School | 42.7 | 63 | 67.7% | |
Snow Hill High School | 69.7 | 90 | 77.4% | |
Snow Hill Middle School | 114.1 | 180 | 63.4% | |
Stephen Decatur High School | 74.2 | 100 | 74.2% | |
Stephen Decatur Middle School | 73.6 | 100 | 73.6% | |
To receive a star rating, a school must have 45 or more possible points. Some schools may not have possible points for every measure or indicator. In Worcester County, Snow Hill Elementary School did not reach this possible point threshold, which is why the school was not issued a star rating. Additionally, Worcester Technical High School and Cedar Chapel Special School do not meet the qualifications for a star rating.
These scores reflect school performance on multiple components. For elementary and middle schools, the system includes academic achievement, academic progress, progress in achieving English language proficiency, and measures of school quality and student success. For high schools, the system includes academic achievement, graduation rate, progress in English language proficiency, readiness for postsecondary success, and measures of school quality and student success. All schools’ calculations incorporate school composite scores on a statewide School Survey, which is based on input related to safety, community, environment, and relationships.
“These results give us much to celebrate across Worcester County, from five-star ratings to meaningful gains in school performance,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Annette E. Wallace. “Behind that progress are students working hard, educators responding to individual needs, and families partnering with our schools. Our commitment is to hold high expectations for every student and provide the support needed to reach them. Knowing every child by name, strength, and need means celebrating these achievements while continuing to strengthen opportunities for students in every school.”
Maryland introduced School Report Cards in 2018 for students, parents, educators and community members to better understand how their schools are performing, just as report cards help parents understand how their kids are doing. The goal of the School Report Card is to bring together school data in an easy-to-understand and usable format to help us ask questions, find answers, make decisions, and act.
School Report Cards and additional information about schools and districts are available at MdReportCard.org. An update on the latest release of the Maryland School Report Card was made to the State Board of Education on October 29, 2026. The presentation materials for the meeting, which provide statewide context to Worcester County’s performance, can be found at https://msde.maryland.gov/state-board/2026-board-meetings/state-board-meeting-october-29-2026.