There is great news in the Crayola crew in Baltimore City: Kindergarten readiness in the city’s public schools reached a nine-year high, according to the latest results from the school system. Translation for grown-ups: more kindergarten students are more likely to be at grade level when they start their kindergarten year.
Around 53.4% of City Schools students who attended City Schools’ pre-kindergarten programs showed readiness on Maryland’s Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) in 2024-25. This figure only includes pre-K programs not in a Judy Center, which provides children and their families comprehensive full-day, full-year early care and education services and family support.
Groups posting large increases in kindergarten readiness include economically disadvantaged students, multilingual learners, and Black or African American students.
Between school years 2021-22 and 2023-24, City Schools’ kindergarten readiness improved by 16%, which is four times greater than the state’s improvement rate. Additionally, City Schools’ readiness outpaced the most recent performance of Maryland kindergarteners, which was 44% for the 2023-24 school year.
Maryland state data is not available because of plans to adopt a new statewide KRA in 2025-26, and MSDE did not administer the KRA for the 2024-25 school year.
Early learning investments in Baltimore City have been paying off, according to district leaders. The report indicates that Judy Centers and pre-kindergarten programs remain the top way to prepare students for kindergarten. Controlling for student demographics, students attending City school programs were more likely to achieve kindergarten readiness compared to children at other prior care settings, like private care or in-home options.
“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,” said Sonja Brookins Santelises, chief executive officer of City Schools. “The dividend is that year after year, we are producing higher percentages of children with the skills and knowledge to win on day one. Students learning on grade level have a much better chance of maximizing their educational potential.”
Other key takeaways include:
- 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 blog highlights an incredible achievement in kindergarten readiness for Baltimore City Public Schools! A nine-year high reflects dedication, effective programs, and community support, setting young learners up for long-term academic success.
This is such great news! As a retired kindergarten teacher I feel like we could solve so many of our problems with just these kinds of early interventions.