Annual Review

From a Portfolio Review to an Annual Review of Schools

City Schools’ primary goal is to make sure that every student has high–quality educational experiences that support their learning and their personal growth where our students will thrive and graduate from our high schools with the skills, knowledge and understanding to succeed in college, careers, our community and wherever their dreams will take them.  

For over a decade, City Schools has used a “portfolio” strategy to review, discuss, plan, and implement recommendations for physical and programmatic developments that best foster student learning and professional growth and have called this process “Portfolio Review.”

Words can be important indicators of what we value. While numeric data is an important component, consideration of the qualitative and lived experience of our school communities is essential to co-create quality schools for every child. Given we value a holistic approach we have decided not to call this process “Portfolio Review” any longer and for now are calling it the “Annual School Review”. We have also continued to expand and shift the review process to be more inclusive and centered in the communities we serve. To learn more about this – place read the Annual Review Report linked below.

The Annual Review results in a set of recommendations to the Board of School Commissioners each fall that can include: 
- Creating new traditional schools
- Relocating schools
- Changing grade configuration at schools
- Renewing contracts or charters for schools run by external operators
- Amending the 21st Century Schools Buildings Program
- Closing schools

To see this year’s recommendations, please review the summary table below and select the Annual Review Report link for details on this year’s process, ongoing work of the district that impacts all of our schools, and reports for COMAR recommendations (or recommendations that are for closure, surplus, or relocation).