Press Release: 2025 MCAP Results Signal Strong Start for PGCPS Students

More than 70% of CSI schools posted gains in math, with multilingual learners and students with disabilities advancing in reading and math across grade levels.

UPPER MARLBORO, MD — Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) students showed measurable gains on the 2025 Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP), with the strongest year-over-year progress among the district’s most challenged schools and student groups.

Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) schools — campuses historically identified as struggling — recorded gains in both math and English Language Arts (ELA), while multilingual learners (MLs) and students with disabilities (SWD) made consistent progress across grade levels.

“This year’s results send a powerful message — even in our most challenged schools, students are making strides,” said Interim Superintendent Dr. Shawn Joseph. “Growth in our CSI schools proves that when equity leads, progress follows. Continued gains for multilingual learners and students with disabilities show what’s possible when we meet students where they are and push them forward. Assessments like MCAP give us insight, not just scores — and with that clarity, we will make smarter, targeted investments in time, talent and tools to accelerate growth for every child.”

From 2024 to 2025, 71% of CSI schools recorded measurable gains in mathematics and 58% showed gains in ELA, marking an important step forward for the district’s most challenged schools — many of which posted improvements of 5 to 10 percentage points or more.

Across the district, multilingual learners and students with disabilities continued to show progress in both reading and math at every grade level. Only fourth-grade reading declined — a trend also reflected statewide — but middle schools rebounded after last year’s drop, with scores rising between 3 and 4 percentage points.

Key Highlights:

• CSI schools: 71% improved in math and 58% improved in ELA, with several campuses posting double-digit gains.

• Multilingual learners and students with disabilities: In ELA, more than half of schools with both groups showed measurable progress. In math, more than half of schools with multilingual learners and about 40% of schools with students with disabilities posted gains.

• Overall schools: 72% of schools showed measurable gains in math and 64% in ELA, with more schools posting 5- and 10-point improvements than the previous year.

• Algebra I: Proficiency rose 26%, though fewer students took the test due to changes in high school course sequencing.

The district’s focus on climate and culture is fueling progress alongside instructional strategies. Graduation rates are up for a third consecutive year, while suspensions and chronic absenteeism continue to decline, particularly among multilingual learners and students with disabilities.

As PGCPS continues implementation of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future and embarks on planning for a new strategic plan, CSI schools will remain a priority for sustained investment and innovation.

Families will receive individual student reports by the end of September and are invited to join a virtual session on September 16, Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) Results: A Guide to Individual Student Reports, which will walk parents through MCAP basics, how to read score reports, available resources, and ways to use the results to support their child’s learning.