The Hidden Crisis in Baltimore Schools
Over Labor Day weekend, a post on X (formerly Twitter) caught everyone’s attention. It said that, in 2022, 30 schools in Illinois had no students who could read English well enough to be called “proficient.” A later post, using 2024 data, claimed that 80 Illinois schools had no students who could do math at a proficient level. Those numbers made folks gasp. When a guy named Chris Papst, who’s been digging into Baltimore’s schools for years, mentioned a similar shock in Maryland, people started to piece together a bigger picture.
Why the Numbers Feared
When a lot of schools say “zero students” in a subject, it feels wrong. It tells you the system is missing a lot of help. How can 30 schools in a single state have no proficient students? The math story is even worse. Such numbers are hard to believe at first. But when you see the same pattern in other places, it starts to make sense.
The Bigger Map: Other States Lacking
Illinois isn’t the only state with trouble. Maryland, Kentucky, and several southern states have seen the same trend. In Maryland, reports show 600 or more kids struggling with English reading. In Kentucky, many high schools have zero math‑proficient students. These numbers aren’t rare, they’re a trend that shows one thing: school systems in certain cities are failing to provide quality learning.
Project Baltimore 2017: A New Mission
Chris Papst began working for Fox45 News, which is owned by Sinclair. The outlet launched Project Baltimore in 2017. The goal was clear: make school leaders answer for how they use money and why kids keep falling behind. They chose to focus on Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS). That city had been one of the biggest problems in the U.S. for a long time.
Keeping Money in Check
Project Baltimore started by looking at budgets. They followed the line items that promised teachers salaries, classroom supplies, and technology help. They compared those to the real outcomes students were showing. The gaps were huge. Schools spent a lot of money but didn’t see students balance the math or read well.
The 2023 Report
- 13 high schools out of 33 had no students who could excel in math.
- That’s about 40 percent of all high schools.
- The report said, “Maybe you think 40% of a city’s high schools have zero math‑proficient students?” Yes, that’s a headline in the report and Chris says it’s still true.
Violence Versus Learning
U.S. News & World Report named Baltimore the fourth most dangerous city in America in July 2024. People think crime is the top cause of trouble in the city. But here’s another view: a harmful school system’s lack of education can lead to street violence. Kids who can’t learn well often look for ways to survive on the streets. That’s why addressing the school problems could help reduce crime too.
What Happens Inside the Classroom?
- Teachers often have to teach many different levels of students in one class.
- Classroom supplies—new books, desks, computers—are missing.
- Students become bored because the lessons are too easy or too hard.
- Kids who don’t get help fall behind, and this creates a wedge between them and the rest of the school.
One story that keeps coming up is of a student named Maya. Maya can’t read well and, by the time she reaches eighth grade, she feels like she’s falling behind. She says her teachers ask her for projects that are impossible. She travels home a week after class and is ready to face her next lesson, but she’s tired and upset. That’s a common story in Baltimore schools.
Teacher Turnover and Burnout
The number of teachers leaving schools is high. Teachers want better pay and a supportive classroom. The city’s schools show a lack of resources that cause teachers to quit. They go to private schools or low‑cost schools in nearby suburbs. That makes the teachers that stay overworked, turning them into “instructors of multiple levels” instead of specialists. A teacher can’t focus on a single subject or grade level, and that adds to the failure.
Families That Feel Left Out
Parents feel isolated in Baltimore. They keep trying to help kids with homework but don’t have the right tools. Talking to teachers is hard because the teachers themselves don’t have enough student support. When you ask them what kind of books they want, teachers say, “We need ఙ .” The school system’s failure does not just hurt students, it hurts parents too. Parents pay taxes, they want a good education for their children, but the system is a mess.
The Root Causes in a Few Lines
- Money is misused or spent on unrelated projects.
- Teachers get no extra support, professional training, or a chance to adapt lessons to many students.
- Classrooms lack tools like learning software, updated textbooks, or extra reading aids.
- The school board makes decisions that don’t match the actual needs.
- The administration doesn’t watch what is happening in classrooms day‑to‑day.
What’s the Answer? Simple Steps
We need more funding to buy new tools. We need teachers to have special training. We need the city board to wait for actual data from the field before making big decisions. We need parents and schools to talk to each other more often. If these steps happen, students will do better in math and reading. That means fewer kids will go to the street and look for other ways to earn money.
Our Book: Failure Factory
After nearly a thousand reports, Chris wrote a book called Failure Factory: How Baltimore City Public Schools Deprive Taxpayers and Students of a Future. In that book, you can read more about the problems and the data from the field. The book shows how the city’s system, with wrong priorities and a misused budget, keeps kids from learning. It’s meant to wake up all citizens, teachers and parents about the reality. It’s a warning and a guide.
The Final Thought
Links between poor school outcomes and the overall health of a city are real. Every time a school can’t teach a student math or reading, that student has a chance to fail. That failure shows up in later crime and trouble. By reading the data, we see that it’s not a unique problem—it’s widespread. But the bright bits in Project Baltimore’s story show a way forward. Give kids better books, give teachers more help, keep to actual budgets, and let parents help out. The future of Baltimore—and any city—relies on this.
Why Baltimore’s Schools are a Hard‑Hit
Baltimore City Public Schools spent a whopping $1.7 billion in 2024.
That money comes from the state, the federal government, and local taxes.
In the U.S., that places Baltimore among the richly funded large school systems.
Yet, the results show a different picture. Only 10 percent of students hit the math proficiency benchmark.
In other words, ninety students out of every hundred didn’t reach the required level.
In 2023, a study by Project Baltimore looked at state testing.
It found that 40 percent of Baltimore high schools had zero students testing proficient in math.
The numbers were so stark that President Trump mentioned them in a recent executive order.
These problems aren’t new. Back in 2017, the same study found six schools where not a single student passed any state exam in math or English.
One might think an $1.7 billion budget would solve that.
It didn’t.
What the Numbers Tell Us
- Only 10 % of students, most of them in math, are proficient.
- In 2023, 40 % of high schools had zero math proficiency.
- Six schools in 2017 had zero proficiency at all in core subjects.
That means many students miss out on crucial knowledge that ways to succeed later in life.
It also means local taxpayers are not seeing an immediate return on their investment.
When Politics Holds One Voice
All Baltimore city officials belong to the same party.
Both Maryland senators are Democrats.
All U.S. representatives with Baltimore constituents are Democrats.
Every state senator and delegate from Baltimore is a Democrat.
There are no Republicans holding city council seats or the mayor’s office.
The last Republican mayor served in the 1960s.
Because of this, there’s little debate around school performance.
The people in charge rarely call for accountability.
Or push for better student outcomes.
That’s why many listeners ask the question:
“Are there any elected officials in Maryland demanding better results?”
The answer is mostly no.
Media Coverage – Inside vs. Outside
Reports from Project Baltimore often go viral.
Outrage shines from outside the state.
Inside Maryland, officials remain quiet.
They have been quiet now and then.
Chris Papst – Investigating the System
Chris Papst wrote Failure Factory, a book about how Baltimore’s schools create hardship for taxpayers and students.
He is an award‑winning reporter from Fox45 News.
He also earned the 2023 Maryland State Conference NAACP Vanguard Award.
His book examines corrupt practices that keep students from a future.
It shows how the system cheats the taxpayers – the very people who fund it.
It shows how it denies students the knowledge they need.
His work was featured on The Megyn Kelly Show and Newt Gingrich’s program.
A Call to Change the Narrative
Because the current system fails students, it also fails the community.
A public school that cannot lift its students is a weak community engine.
What does that mean for Illinois?
Will its public officials push for quality education?
We’ll see.
When leaders change, the focus can shift.
South Illinois may demand accountability.
It might boost student success.
And ultimately, keep communities alive.
Lessons from the Past
Leadership matters.
When every official arrived from the same party, accountability waned.
But when diverse voices debate, solutions appear.
Students need:
- Proper math resources.
- Subject teachers who know how to drive success.
- Systems that track progress.
These tools can make a difference.
Because learning is a community effort, local leaders must act.
What We’re Asking of the Future
First, we need holistic solutions.
That means:
- Better teacher training.
- Regular assessment feedback.
- Community partnerships.
Second, we need leadership that listens.
they must ask students questions.
They should tweak curriculum accordingly.
Third, taxpayers deserve an outcome.
Each dollar must help a student rise.
It’s about building a society that can rely on education.
A Final View on Baltimore
In a city that once had a substantial budget, the current status shows a harsh reality.
Math proficiency rates are low.
The top political party controls the conversation.
Because of that, progress in education stalls.
This isn’t just a local problem.
Other communities face similar dangers when political voices aren’t balanced.
Investing heavily in schools without accountability is expensive.
The system wastes taxpayers’ money.
It also leaves students behind, turning a bright future into a hard‑hit reality.
This book reminds us that we can’t lean old data or unbroken leadership for progress.
Investigative journalism shows gaps, but only politicians can close them.
If the good ones step forward, the community can thrive again.
And that is what we should all remember.
