Executive Summary

Harford County Public Schools (HCPS) is rated "Meets" on all five Blueprint pillars, reflecting strong progress across early childhood, educator quality, college and career readiness, student supports, and governance. Total Pre-K enrollment grew from 548 in 2022-2023 to 981 in 2025-2026, and all HCPS Pre-K programs have converted to full-day.^{[1] [2]} Grades 3-8 ELA proficiency rose from 48.5% to 60.5% between 2021-22 and 2025-26, and all-school chronic absenteeism fell from 29.0% to 18.5% over four years.^{[1] [3]}

On educator quality, National Board Certification achievements grew from 3 in 2021-22 to 70 in 2025-26, teacher vacancies reached 0, and the AIB approved the 2025 Career Ladder on November 20, 2025 with no further revisions required.^{[1] [4]} Community schools expanded from 7 to 16 between SY21-22 and SY24-25, and Care Solace partnership generated more than 1,000 referrals since July 2024.^{[1] [5]} More than 160 stakeholders, including 68 community members, serve on Blueprint committees co-chaired by HCPS and community leaders.^[6]

Key challenges remain. Elementary space constraints limit Pre-K growth, the minimum teacher salary of $57,797 is $2,203 below the $60,000 requirement due July 1, 2026, and teacher retention of 74.8% is below the 79.1% target.^[1] Grades 3-8 math proficiency stands at 33%, and community school math proficiency is 14.1%.^[1] On governance, the AIB found 0% school-level coding of FY25 Comparable Wage Index expenditures, and only 5 of 9 programs were budgeted to meet Minimum School Funding for FY26 as of December 2025.^[1]