Frederick County Public Schools, Maryland

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Frederick County Public Schools
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Frederick, Maryland
District details
Superintendent: Cheryl L. Dyson
# of school board members: 7
Website: Link

Frederick County Public Schools is a school district in Maryland.

Click on the links below to learn more about the school district's...

Superintendent

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 		This information is updated as we become aware of changes. Please contact us with any updates.

Cheryl L. Dyson is the superintendent of Frederick County Public Schools. Dyson was appointed superintendent in July 2022. Dyson's previous career experience includes, most recently, serving as an area associate superintendent for Montgomery County Public Schools. She has also worked multiple administrative and academic roles, including assistant principal, principal, director of school support and improvement of elementary schools, director of family and community engagement, and as a teacher.[1]

Past superintendents

School board

The Frederick County Board of Education consists of seven members elected to four-year terms. Each member represents the entire county from an at-large seat. The board has one student member, selected by the Frederick County Association of Student Councils, to serve a one-year term.[4]

Elections

See also: Frederick County Public Schools, Maryland, elections

Members of the board are elected to four-year terms on a staggered basis. Elections are held in even-numbered years.

Three seats on the board were up for general election on November 5, 2024. A primary was scheduled for May 14, 2024.


Ballotpedia covered school board elections in 367 school districts in 29 states in 2024. Those school districts had a total student enrollment of 12,203,404 students. Click here to read an analysis of those elections.


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Public participation in board meetings

The board maintains the following policy on public testimony during board meetings:[5]

“ 5. Public Comment
a. The Board views public comment as an opportunity to hear concerns of the public, with the understanding and expectation that it is not considered a question and answer platform with Board members. Consequently, the Board will not provide a response to public comment presented in its meeting or by submission of a written comment, although it may follow-up with the individual as may be appropriate.
b. Public comment will be received by the Board on issues relating to the school system, except those that pertain to individual personnel issues, complaints identifying individual students, matters that are on appeal, or advertising or solicitations for products or services. If individuals have specific concerns relating to actions of staff members, such concerns may be communicated to the Superintendent.
c. Allocated Public Comment Time
i. The Board will provide a maximum of 60 minutes for public comment at its meeting - 15 minutes for student comments and 45 minutes for general public comments.
ii. There is also an opportunity for public comment prior to the vote on any action item on the agenda, which shall be announced at each meeting.
iii. There will be no additional time added for public comment at the end of Board meetings.
d. Pre-Registration. For those persons wishing to speak, the Board will provide the opportunity to pre-register for public comment. The window to pre-register will open five (5) days in advance of each scheduled Board meeting concurrent with the public posting of the meeting agenda and will close two (2) days before the scheduled Board meeting. A person wishing to speak may pre-register by completing the form on the Board’s website or by calling (301) 696-6965 and shall provide the following information:
i. Name and contact information (telephone number, e-mail address, and zip code),
ii. Whether the speaker is a student,
iii. The topic(s) to be discussed, and
iv. Whether an interpreter or accommodation is requested with information regarding the specific need.
e. Same-Day/Walk-In Registration. For those persons wishing to speak who do not pre-register, the Board will provide the opportunity to sign-up for public comment thirty (30) minutes prior to the start of the regular evening meeting. Speakers will be asked to provide the same information as those who pre-register by completing the registration form electronically on a device that will be made available by the Board for such purpose. Registration will close no later than five (5) minutes before the start of the meeting.
f. Allotment of Public Comment Slots
i. In order to have an orderly presentation of comments by the public and to maximize the opportunity for public comment, students, individuals and organization representatives shall be limited to three (3) minutes for their public comment. Staff monitors time through use of a timer. When the allotted time expires, the speaker is permitted to complete a sentence. The speaker must then return to the audience.
ii. The following will guide the assignment for all available public comment speaker slots.
1. Ten (10) general public comment speaker slots shall be reserved for speakers who pre-register. If less than ten (10) individuals pre-register to speak on Board agenda items, the remaining time will be allocated to same-day/walk-in public comments.
2. Five (5) general public comment slots shall be reserved for same-day/walk-in public comments.
3. Five (5) public comment slots shall be reserved for students. If the student comment period is not fully exhausted, any remaining time will be allocated to same-day/walk-in public comments.
iii. Selection Process
1. Slots will be allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis.
2. If the number of individuals who request to speak exceeds available slots, and to ensure equity of access and opportunity for public comment, speakers who have spoken at the most recent previous Board meeting will be rotated to the bottom of the sign-up list as to not unduly favor when an individual signs up.
3. Students shall not be selected for a general public comment slot unless all of the student public comment slots are filled and all pre-registered and same day/walk-in public speaker slots are exhausted.
iv. Notification
1. The day prior to each identified Board meeting, individuals who were allocated a confirmed slot will be notified via email and asked to confirm their availability.
2. The day prior to each identified Board meeting, individuals who were not allocated a public comment slot will be notified via email and reminded about the opportunity to submit written comments for the meeting record and about the opportunity to sign-up for same-day/walk-in public comment during the public comment period and in connection with action items.
g. Written Comments. Individuals are provided the opportunity to and encouraged to submit written comments electronically and email them to the address indicated on the Board’s website (https://www.fcps.org/boe/meeting-schedule). Written comments must be submitted as a PDF attachment (strongly preferred) or a Microsoft Word document with the .doc or .docx extension and will be uploaded to BoardDocs as part of the official meeting record. Comments in the body of an e-mail will not be accepted.
h. Disruptive Conduct
i. If any individual fails to comply with these procedures, the Board president may order the person to leave the public meeting, adjourn the meeting, or may take such further action as necessary to ensure compliance with these procedures.
ii. Visual demonstrations such as the waiving of placards, signs, or banners, or other behavior may not obstruct the view of audience members and may be restricted at the discretion of the Board if the visual demonstration results in disruption of the meeting or interferes with the rights of others to attend and observe the meeting. [6]
 ”

School board meetings

The following articles were produced by Citizen Portal using artificial intelligence to analyze public meetings. Citizen Portal publishes articles based on the availability of meeting broadcasts, so the number of articles provided may vary by district. Although these articles are not produced or edited by Ballotpedia, they are included here as a supplemental resource for readers.

School board meeting articles (click to collapse)


District map

School district map

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[7]

Revenue, 2021-2022
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $88,328,000 $1,953 11%
Local: $396,746,000 $8,774 50%
State: $301,647,000 $6,671 38%
Total: $786,721,000 $17,398
Expenditures, 2021-2022
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $761,172,000 $16,832
Total Current Expenditures: $677,438,000 $14,980
Instructional Expenditures: $431,353,000 $9,538 57%
Student and Staff Support: $73,373,000 $1,622 10%
Administration: $62,023,000 $1,371 8%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $110,689,000 $2,447 15%
Total Capital Outlay: $65,257,000 $1,443
Construction: $61,560,000 $1,361
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $1,061,000 $23
Interest on Debt: $7,458,000 $164


Teacher salaries

The following salary information was pulled from the district's teacher salary schedule. A salary schedule is a list of expected compensations based on variables such as position, years employed, and education level. It may not reflect actual teacher salaries in the district.

Year Minimum Maximum
2024-2025[8] $56,528 $110,207
2023-2024[9] $53,851 $107,624
2020-2021[10] $46,000 $97,100

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements.[11]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 27 50 15 14 30-39 24 32
2018-2019 50 72 31 32 45-49 48 58
2016-2017 54 74 34 35 55-59 52 60
2015-2016 55 77 35 37 45-49 54 60
2014-2015 50 72 32 32 50-54 48 55
2013-2014 79 89 60 67 60-64 78 83
2012-2013 84 91 68 76 80-84 83 88
2011-2012 90 97 76 83 90-94 87 93
2010-2011 88 95 72 80 80-84 86 91

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 43 62 34 29 40-49 40 48
2018-2019 58 75 43 40 60-64 55 64
2016-2017 52 72 35 35 55-59 52 57
2015-2016 54 73 36 37 40-44 54 59
2014-2015 54 71 36 38 45-49 55 59
2013-2014 89 94 78 82 85-89 89 91
2012-2013 91 94 81 86 90-94 89 93
2011-2012 91 95 81 87 90-94 89 93
2010-2011 92 95 81 87 85-89 90 94

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2019-2020 92 >=95 94 77 >=50 90-94 96
2018-2019 92 >=95 89 76 >=50 90-94 96
2017-2018 92 >=95 88 77 >=50 90-94 96
2016-2017 92 >=95 88 78 >=50 90-94 96
2015-2016 92 >=95 85 81 >=50 85-89 95
2014-2015 93 >=95 90 87 >=80 90-94 95
2013-2014 93 >=95 84 83 >=80 90-94 95
2012-2013 93 >=95 82 89 >=80 90-94 95
2011-2012 93 >=95 82 85-89 >=50 85-89 95
2010-2011 92 >=95 82 80-84 >=80 >=95 94


Students

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2023-2024 47,681 1.6
2022-2023 46,899 3.6
2021-2022 45,220 4.4
2020-2021 43,221 -1.4
2019-2020 43,828 2.5
2018-2019 42,713 1.3
2017-2018 42,140 2.0
2016-2017 41,317 1.6
2015-2016 40,655 -0.3
2014-2015 40,782 0.3
2013-2014 40,648 0.5
2012-2013 40,456 0.1
2011-2012 40,413 0.6
2010-2011 40,188 0.1
2009-2010 40,159 0.2
2008-2009 40,070 -1.0
2007-2008 40,487 0.6
2006-2007 40,224 1.4
2005-2006 39,672 0.5
2004-2005 39,489 1.4
2003-2004 38,950 1.0
2002-2003 38,559 1.4
2001-2002 38,022 3.0
2000-2001 36,885 2.2
1999-2000 36,059 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2023-2024
RACE Frederick County Public Schools (%) Maryland K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 0.2 0.3
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 7.8 6.8
Black 14.5 32.5
Hispanic 21.1 22.8
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.1 0.1
Two or More Races 7.2 5.3
White 49.0 32.2

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.


Staff

As of the 2023-2024 school year, Frederick County Public Schools had 3,057.56 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 15.59.

Teachers, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 73.00
Kindergarten: 143.00
Elementary: 1,612.68
Secondary: 1,228.88
Total: 3,057.56

Frederick County Public Schools employed 233.88 district administrators and 218.00 school administrators as of the 2023-2024 school year.

Administrators, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 233.88
District Administrative Support: 98.50
School Administrators: 218.00
School Administrative Support: 311.37
Other staff, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 1,097.48
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 97.00
Total Guidance Counselors: 180.70
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 101.70
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 79.00
Librarians/Media Specialists: 65.90
Library/Media Support: 0.00
Student Support Services: 534.36
Other Support Services: 1,136.49


Schools

Frederick County Public Schools operates 69 schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
Ballenger Creek Elementary709PK-5
Ballenger Creek Middle7926-8
Blue Heron Elementary707PK-5
Brunswick Elementary773PK-5
Brunswick High8799-12
Brunswick Middle6546-8
Butterfly Ridge Elementary619PK-5
Carroll Creek Montessori Public Charter315PK-8
Carroll Manor Elementary561PK-5
Catoctin High7929-12
Centerville Elementary468PK-5
Crestwood Middle7476-8
Deer Crossing Elementary533PK-5
Emmitsburg Elementary203PK-5
Frederick Classical Charter377KG-8
Frederick County Career & Technology Center09-12
Frederick County Virtual09-12
Frederick High1,8509-12
Glade Elementary554PK-5
Gov. Thomas Johnson High2,0319-12
Gov. Thomas Johnson Middle5716-8
Green Valley Elementary839KG-5
Heather Ridge576-12
Hillcrest Elementary558PK-5
Kemptown Elementary436KG-5
Lewistown Elementary166PK-5
Liberty Elementary251PK-5
Lincoln Elementary625PK-5
Linganore High1,6209-12
Middletown Elementary4533-5
Middletown High1,1099-12
Middletown Middle7676-8
Middletown Primary487PK-2
Monocacy Elementary549PK-5
Monocacy Middle9326-8
Monocacy Valley Montessori350PK-9
Myersville Elementary402KG-5
New Market Elementary572PK-5
New Market Middle7076-8
New Midway/Woodsboro Elementary264PK-5
North Frederick Elementary652PK-5
Oakdale Elementary1,150PK-5
Oakdale High1,6799-12
Oakdale Middle1,0696-8
Orchard Grove Elementary601PK-5
Parkway Elementary253PK-5
Rock Creek72PK-12
Sabillasville Environmental School183KG-7
Spring Ridge Elementary603PK-5
Sugarloaf Elementary842KG-5
Thurmont Elementary2763-5
Thurmont Middle5216-8
Thurmont Primary329PK-2
Tuscarora Elementary779PK-5
Tuscarora High1,7199-12
Twin Ridge Elementary689PK-5
Urbana Elementary703PK-5
Urbana High2,0129-12
Urbana Middle1,1146-8
Valley Elementary506PK-5
Walkersville Elementary698PK-5
Walkersville High1,2039-12
Walkersville Middle8056-8
Waverley Elementary926PK-5
West Frederick Middle7706-8
Whittier Elementary730PK-5
Windsor Knolls Middle7546-8
Wolfsville Elementary159PK-5
Yellow Springs Elementary605PK-5

Contact information

Frederick County Public Schools logo.png
Frederick County Public Schools
191 S. East St.
Frederick, MD 21701
Phone: 301-644-5000


About school boards

Education legislation in Maryland

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

Maryland School Board Elections News and Analysis
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External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Frederick County Public Schools, "Dr. Cheryl L. Dyson Appointed Superintendent of Frederick County Public Schools," April 26, 2022
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Washington Post, "Frederick schools superintendent abruptly retires following DOJ probe," December 14, 2021
  3. ↑ Frederick County Public Schools, "Superintendent | Central Office," accessed March 31, 2021
  4. ↑ Frederick County Public Schools, "Meet the Board," accessed March 31, 2021
  5. ↑ Frederick County Public Schools, "Board of Education Meetings," accessed March 31, 2021
  6. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  7. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
  8. ↑ Frederick County Public Schools, "10 Month Teacher Pay Scale," accessed April 24, 2025
  9. ↑ Frederick County Public Schools, "July 1, 2023 10 Month Teacher Pay Scale (TA1) ‐ 190 Day ‐ 7 Hour," accessed February 3, 2024
  10. ↑ Frederick County Public Schools, "Appendix A-1: 10 Month Pay Scales," accessed March 31, 2021
  11. ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
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