Briefing
MCAP briefing: four years of Talbot scores
Four years of Talbot County MCAP scores in English language arts and math, against the state.
Figures are percent proficient on the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program, from the State Board of Education's July 28, 2026 release. 2023 and 2024 statewide math totals were not published in that LEA table, so those points are blank.
English language arts
Talbot is up 3.7 points from 2022 to 2026, after a 1.9-point drop in 2025 — the state's largest that year — and a partial rebound. Caroline gained 9.9 points in the same window and has now passed 50%. Maryland overall is 51.7% this year, up from 45.3% in 2022. The dashed Maryland line shows 2025–26 only, matching the math chart.
Math
Four in five Talbot students still miss the math standard. Caroline passed Talbot in 2024 and is now at 23.7%. Queen Anne's holds 31.7%. Maryland overall is 27.1% this year.
What the trend actually is
Talbot is not collapsing, and it is not catching the state. English is up 3.7 points in four years — 43.1% in 2022 to 46.8% in 2026 — after a 1.9-point drop in 2025 that no other Maryland district matched, then a partial rebound that still leaves the county 4.9 points behind the state (51.7%). Math is the slower climb that matters more: 15.4% to 20.7%, a 5.3-point gain, with four in five students still below the standard. Maryland is 27.1% in math this year. The gap is 6.4 points, wider than the ELA gap.
Neighbors are the comparison that hurts. Caroline, next door, passed Talbot in math in 2024 and is now at 23.7%. In ELA Caroline gained 9.9 points in the same four years and sits at 50.8%. Queen Anne's is in a different band entirely — 57.9% ELA, 31.7% math. The money did not buy a different file: unrestricted FY27 revenue of about $84.6 million against 4,485 students in FY2025 is on the order of $19,000 per student, a Patriot calculation using last year's count, not an MSDE figure.
The table
| Year | Talbot ELA | Talbot math | Caroline ELA | Q.A. ELA | MD ELA | MD math |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 43.1% | 15.4% | 40.9% | 59.4% | 45.3% | 21% |
| 2023 | 44.4% | 17% | 43.2% | 60.4% | 47.9% | — |
| 2024 | 47.3% | 18.3% | 45.5% | 58.5% | 48.4% | — |
| 2025 | 45.4% | 18.9% | 49% | 57% | 50.8% | 26.5% |
| 2026 | 46.8% | 20.7% | 50.8% | 57.9% | 51.7% | 27.1% |
Source: MSDE 2025–26 MCAP results. Unrestricted FY27 revenue is about $84.6 million against 4,485 students in FY2025 — the last published headcount, not an FY27 census. $84.6 million divided by 4,485 is on the order of $19,000 per student, a Patriot calculation using last year's enrollment, not an MSDE figure. Weapons detection: the district asked for $800,000, the county funded $400,000, and a cheaper alternative is being piloted at fall athletics. Related: the news write-up and the data-center opportunity on tax base that could grow the school share.