Hampden Elementary/Middle School #55
We are shining our light!!
Located in the home of HonFest and Hairspray, right off of The Avenue, Hampden Elementary/Middle School #55 has served as the community’s neighborhood school since 1914.
Hampden EMS has long been known for academic excellence, and draws students from across our city, serving a diverse population of pre-Kindergarten to eighth grade children. Our families say that their students feel safe, challenged and valued at our school.
97% of parents say they would recommend the school to other families, based on our last school survey in 2019.
Ranked as a top elementary school in Baltimore City (11th out of 118 schools) by the U.S. News and World Report annual survey, the school has anchored itself as one of the district’s premier STEM schools, where students consistently exceed the district and state expectations for yearly progress as measured by standardized assessments.
We know that today’s families face unprecedented challenges and we are grateful to offer kids a welcoming space to learn, grow and thrive. We are incredibly proud of our story at Hampden EMS, where we cultivate character and compassion in our young people.
They become good students, great citizens and future leaders, well-prepared for the next steps in their school journeys.
Meet our teachers.
We have nearly 50 seasoned and dedicated professionals on our team: faculty, support staff and administrators. Our teachers are experienced, with an average tenure of 10 years — many of whom have been right here in our school for their entire careers. More than 80 percent of our educators have an advanced degree or specialty certification.
Our students form close bonds with their classroom teachers, but are also supported by resource teachers, para-professionals, interventionists and clinicians.
“After 15 years of enormous experiences, I am proud to say that I still work here at Hampden Elementary/Middle School with brilliant and kind scholars. The school community is vibrant with equally vital efforts from teachers, families, staff and leadership!”
-HEMS staff member
Features of our program.
Our small school reaps big benefits available to us as part of a large public school system: educational resources, curriculum materials and professional development such as those offered through the Maryland State Department of Education.
A few great articles about the impact of our school model on learners can be seen here and here.
Gifted & Advanced Learning (GAL) at Hampden EMS
Since 2018, Hampden has been recognized as an EGATE (Excellence in Gifted & Talented Education) school by the Maryland State Department of Education. Our staff use a variety of measures to identify and serve students with high levels of ability and achievement. We focus on not only the academic needs of advanced learners but also their unique social and emotional needs. The GAL committee, in conjunction with the leadership team and classroom teachers, determines the best ways for us to meet the needs of each individual student with opportunities like differentiated instruction in the classroom, pullout Enrichment programming, grade acceleration and engagement in projects that cater to their specific interests. Each formally identified student receives an individualized learning plan (ILP) to set goals for the learner and to state how we plan to support them.
Identification process for Talent Development, Advanced & Gifted
Students at Hampden are measured for both their ability (what are they capable of) and their achievement (how are they currently performing.) All Kindergarten students in the district are assessed using the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT3) and Hampden will assess students that are new to our school and have not taken the assessment previously. The NNAT3 assesses a student’s problem solving and visual-spatial reasoning skills. It provides a nationally-normed ability score that compares how the student did in comparison to other students that age across the country. We also assess a student’s achievement through a variety of normed assessments that they take throughout the school year. Students in grades K-8 take the i-Ready math assessment multiple times during the year. Students in grades K-5 use the Amplify reading assessment and in grades 6-8 use the i-Ready reading assessment. These scores tell us how your child is achieving compared to other students their age across the country. We are regularly analyzing schoolwide data to identify students with above average achievement. Students can be identified as:
Talent Development
Student scores in the 73rd percentile or above on the NNAT3 but does not yet have achievement data to match their ability.
Advanced
Student scores in the 73rd percentile or above on the NNAT3 and have a pattern of scoring in the 80-89th percentile on both Math and ELA achievement assessments.
Gifted
Student scores in the 73rd percentile or above on the NNAT3 and have a pattern of scoring in the 90-99th percentile on both Math and ELA achievement assessments.
Enrichment
Enrichment refers to the pullout programming that happens for students who need additional challenges. Students in grades 2-5 can be invited to participate in Enrichment pullout sessions in ELA and/or Math. Enrichment includes students that are officially identified and students that are not identified, but have high achievement data. Students are pulled for varying amounts of time throughout the week, depending on both the grade level and their needs.
If you are interested in reviewing your child’s assessment data or would like to have them considered for Enrichment programming or official identification, please complete this form:
Join us.
All students in Baltimore City have a zoned elementary school, but many students attend school “out-of-zone,” meaning at an elementary school zone other than their own. Out-of-zone attendance is regulated by the district and available only as space allows.
You can find many more details about the school enrollment process through Baltimore City Public Schools, here.
To learn more about enrollment at Hampden EMS, please reach us through this contact form, or give us a call. We look forward to meeting you and your child!