BALTIMORE – Baltimore City Public Schools’ (City Schools) overall kindergarten readiness rate is its highest in nine years, according to the latest results from the school system. This result means more kindergarten students in the school system are more likely to be at grade level at the beginning of their kindergarten year.
Approximately 53.4 percent of City Schools students who attended City Schools' pre-kindergarten programs** demonstrated readiness on the state’s Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) in 2024-25. Several student groups also posted large increases in kindergarten readiness, including Economically Disadvantaged, Multilingual learners, and Black or African American students.
Between the 2021-22 and 2023-24 school years, City Schools kindergarten readiness improved by 16 percent, four times greater than the state. City Schools’ readiness rate this year again outpaced the most recent performance of Maryland kindergartners***, which was 44 percent in the 2023-24 school year.
District leaders attribute that success to the system’s investments in early learning.
“As a community, we have invested a variety of resources to give our pre-kindergarten students the preparation and support they need to start their educational careers ready to learn. The dividend is that year after year, we are producing higher percentages of children with the skills and knowledge to win on day one,” said Sonja Brookins Santelises, chief executive officer of City Schools. “Students learning on grade level have a much better chance of maximizing their educational potential.”
Previously, the KRA was administered to all kindergarten students in the first semester of a school year. The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) did not administer KRA for the 2024-25 school year.
Key takeaways include:
Locally, our Judy Centers and pre-kindergarten programs continue to be the top way to prepare students for kindergarten - When controlling for student demographics, students who attended City school programs were more likely to be ready for kindergarten compared to those at other prior care settings like private care or in-home options.
Students in a City Schools Judy Centers pre-K program are 28.1 percent more likely to demonstrate readiness.
Students in other City Schools pre-K programs are 24.6 percent more likely to demonstrate readiness.
Among KRA test takers who attended City Schools’ Pre-K programs, three student groups produced extraordinary gains.
African-American: increased 6 percentage points to 52 percent.
Economically Disadvantaged: increased 7 percentage points to 49 percent.
Multilingual learner: increased 7 percentage points to 31 percent.
** This figure only includes pre-kindergarten programs that are not in a Judy Center.
*** Maryland data is not available due to plans to adopt a new statewide kindergarten readiness assessment in 2025-26.