Hickory Elementary School

Bel Air, MD 21014

Phone: (410) 638-4170
District: Harford County Public Schools

8

GreatSchools Rating

public • Grades KG,1,2,3,4,5 • 610 students

Hickory Elementary School, a public school located in Bel Air, MD, serves grades K-5 in the Harford County Public Schools.It has received a GreatSchools Rating of 8 out of 10, based on a variety of school quality measures.

Hickory Elementary School is a public school located in Bel Air, MD. 610 students attend Hickory Elementary School.

School Ratings

Category Rating Details
Test Scores 9/10 The Test Score Rating examines how students at this school performed on standardized tests compared with other schools in the state. The Test Rating was created using 2025 Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program data from Maryland State Department of Education, and using 2025 Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program End-Of-Course data from Maryland State Department of Education.
Student Growth 7/10 The Student Progress Rating measures whether students at this school are making academic progress over time based on student growth data provided by the Department of Education. Specifically, this rating looks at how much progress individual students have made on state assessments during the past year or more, how this performance aligns with expected progress based on a student growth model established by the state Department of Education, and how this school's growth data compares to other schools in the state. The Growth Rating was created using 2025 Student Growth - Elementary Level data from Maryland State Department of Education, and using 2025 Student Growth - Middle Level data from Maryland State Department of Education.

Posted: August 20, 2024

We absolutely love Hickory Elementary school. My kids have been here for 4 years and have had all great experiences.

Posted: August 20, 2024

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Posted: July 3, 2023

Not sure how, but my brother graduated not knowing how to spell, punctuate, or use propper grammar. God forbid what else he doesn't know. Makes me worry about how I was when I graduated, because I remember being able to spell and use grammar pretty well. At least we're both decent at math.

Posted: July 3, 2023

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Posted: February 12, 2022

My experience with this school has been with their STRIVE program for autistic students. It looks like there has been some improvement in special education here but a lot can still be done. I observed teachers and their aides speak inappropriately about both coworkers and students in front of students, parents, and coworkers. I observed a faculty member from STRIVE administrative support come in the classroom with the intent of assisting the teacher but instead they spent their time on their phone and speaking poorly about one aide to another aide. Instead of helping the other aide, which is their job, they spoke poorly about her in front of her. I have seen the teacher do this as well. As an adult with a mental disability I was shocked to see how poorly the teachers and aides hired to help with disabilities treat adults with disabilities as well as the students at times. Teaching is not just about tracking academic growth.

Posted: February 12, 2022

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Posted: September 21, 2015

Enrolled my two kids at Hickory. As many people know the principal and many staffers were replaced in 2015-2016 school year due to the autism class abuse scandal. While my kids don't have special needs, I'm glad the new principal and his staff seem to communicate well, and my kids are happy with their teachers. I'm also very happy with the responsiveness of their teachers and would recommend Hickory.

Posted: March 1, 2012

I cannot say that I agree with a majority of the reviews. The communication from the school to the parents and the community is virtually non-existent, and it is not true, as one reviewer claimed, that all teachers use e-mail. I do agree with the the one reviewer that the autism program is not handled well at all. As he or she points out, the autism program is practically excluded from the school. The program is housed in a completely separate building, leading to minimal or no interaction with the rest of the school population. According to a friend, there have already been three different teachers in the Kindergarten Autism classroom this year. Also, I cannot speak to previous principals at the school as other reviewers have, but the current one is extremely unprofessional and seems to not care. Just the lack of communication from the school coupled with the staff's belief that they are going above and beyond when it comes to their jobs when they are clearly doing only the minimum has sent us looking for another school and considering a move.

Reviews provided by GreatSchools™

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