Kent County Public Schools (KCPS) is a school district headquartered in Rock Hall, Maryland.[1] It operates public schools in Kent County, where it is the sole school district.[2]
As of 2021[update] it had about 1,800 students, making it the smallest school district in the state in terms of the number of students.[3]
In 2002 Bonnie Ward became the superintendent of the school district.[4]
Superintendent Karen Couch established a pre-kindergarten program for all families in the county. In 2021 she was awarded the 2021 Maryland Superintendent of the Year award by the Public School Superintendents’ Association of Maryland.[5]
From circa 1997 to 2017 student enrollment declined, leading to a decline in funding and the board considering closing two elementary schools.[6]
The district has a non-voting student on the school board.[7]
The current district headquarters is in Rock Hall.[1] The district headquarters was previously in Chestertown.[8]
All three middle schools consolidated into Kent County Middle in Chestertown in 2010.[6]
In 2016 four members favored and one was against closing the two schools.[24] In 2017 the vote to close was unanimous.[25] Garnet Elementary School's boundary was to be adjusted.[26] In 2019 there were discussions about possibly reopening Millington Elementary.[27]
The current district headquarters, in Rock Hall,[1] is the former Rock Hall Elementary School.[28]
The former school district headquarters, on about 4 acres (1.6 ha) of land, opened in September 1015 as Chestertown High School. An addition was made in 1953, when it was converted into an elementary school. The facility became the headquarters of the Kent County school district in 1973. It closed in 2010. The following year the school district gave the building to the Kent County Commissioners as the school district decided it no longer needed the building. Washington College purchased the property and razed the building in June 2015.[13]
Kent County Board of Education 215 Washington Avenue Chestertown, MD 21620
Kent County High School 25301 Lambs Meadow Rd Worton, MD 21678
114 South Main Street Galena, MD 21635
Rock Hall Middle School 21203 Sharp Street Rock Hall, MD 21661
Rock Hall Elementary 21203 Sharp Street Rock Hall, MD 21661
11085 Worton Road, Worton, MD 21678
Rock Hall Elementary School 5608 Boundary Ave Rock Hall, Maryland 21661- The addresses of the former Rock Hall Elementary and the current (as of 2021) district headquarters match.
