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Catonsville Center for Alternative Studies

Public Grades 9-12

218^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 220 Maryland High Schools

Better than 1% of Maryland high schools

Summary

Catonsville Center for Alternative Studies is a small public high school in Baltimore, Maryland that serves grades 9-12 and is part of the Baltimore County Public Schools district. With an enrollment of only 60 students, the school has consistently struggled academically, ranking near the bottom of Maryland high schools.

Catonsville Center for Alternative Studies faces significant challenges, including low academic performance, high dropout rates, and extremely high chronic absenteeism. The school's test scores are well below the district and state averages across all subjects and grade levels. Its dropout rates, ranging from 4.0% to 10.1%, are much higher than the district and state averages. Additionally, the school has grappled with chronic absenteeism rates as high as 86.7%, which likely contributes to its poor academic outcomes. The school serves a high-poverty student population, with 69.57% to 78.33% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch.

When compared to nearby high schools in the Baltimore County Public Schools district, such as Lansdowne High, Woodlawn High, and Catonsville High, Catonsville Center for Alternative Studies performs significantly worse. These nearby schools have higher test scores, graduation rates, and lower dropout and chronic absenteeism rates. The stark contrast is even more evident when comparing Catonsville Center for Alternative Studies to Howard High, a high-performing school in the neighboring Howard County Public Schools district.

Students ?

4.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$66,986

Per pupil spending ?

73.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

901 S Rolling Rd
Baltimore, MD 21228

(443) 809-0934

District: Baltimore County Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

African American:

79.4%

Hispanic:

10.3%

White:

5.9%

See top rated Maryland high schools

Compare Catonsville Center for Alternative Studies to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 2nd percentile in 2004 → 1st in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 4 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Maryland average (4% vs 37% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (1st percentile)

!English Language Arts scores 39 pts below the Maryland average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school4%

District avg31%

Maryland avg37%

218^th of 220

Maryland public high schools ?

Bottom 1%▼ down 4 pts since 2022

From bottom 4% (2022) to bottom 1% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

25^th of 26High Schools in the Baltimore County Public Schools

17^th of 25Baltimore County Public Schools among Maryland districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2025	8.1	218 of 220	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.3	215 of 225	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	2.4	206 of 214	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	9.2	184 of 204	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	24.1	197 of 201	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Maryland (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts11%-39 vs state

Mathematics0%-26 vs state

Algebra I0%-21 vs state

★

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Schools Near Catonsville Center for Alternative Studies

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MCAP Mathematics (2025)				MCAP English Language Arts (2025)					MCAP Algebra I (2025)	MCAP Algebra II (2025)	MCAP Geometry (2025)	MCAP Science (2025)	MCAP Social Studies (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCAP Mathematics 6th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MCAP Mathematics All Grades	MCAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 10th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts All Grades	MCAP Algebra I End of Course	MCAP Algebra II End of Course	MCAP Geometry End of Course	MCAP Science 8th Grade	MCAP Social Studies 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Catonsville Center for Alternative Studies	Public	9-12	901 S Rolling Rd	Baltimore	21228	Baltimore County	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(443) 809-0934	68	17	4.0	73.5%	4 (5.9%)	54 (79.4%)	7 (10.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (4.4%)	8.1	218^th of 220 public high schools	0.9%					(n/a)				0.0				11.4	11.4	0.0					$66,986	$7,130	$59,855
Catonsville High	Public	9-12	421 Bloomsbury Ave	Baltimore	21228	Baltimore County	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 887-0808	1,735	100	17.4	40.7%	739 (42.6%)	405 (23.3%)	199 (11.5%)	284 (16.4%)	3 (0.2%)	5 (0.3%)	99 (5.7%)	37.8	113^th of 220 public high schools	48.6%		46.8	65^th of 146 public high schools	55.5%	48				4.5				62.5	62.5	3.2	11.0	0.0			$16,555	$1,369	$15,186
Western School of Technology	Public, Magnet	9-12	100 Kenwood Ave	Baltimore	21228	Baltimore County	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(443) 809-0840	942	59	15.9	31.2%	153 (16.2%)	523 (55.5%)	45 (4.8%)	171 (18.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	49 (5.2%)	71.6	21^st of 220 public high schools	90.5%		59.9	33^rd of 146 public high schools	77.4%	12				31.6				96.6	96.6	36.5	33.9	14.3			$18,216	$1,000	$17,216
Edmondson-Westside High	Public	9-12	501 N Athol Avenue	Baltimore	21229	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-0685	910	60	15.2	79.8%	3 (0.3%)	795 (87.4%)	104 (11.4%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	3 (0.3%)	18.9	173^rd of 220 public high schools	21.4%					(n/a)				14.8				24.7	24.7	14.8					$24,670	$4,842	$19,829
Green Street Academy	Public, Charter	6-12	125 N Hilton Street	Baltimore	21229	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(443) 642-2068	808	46	17.5	84.3%	11 (1.4%)	772 (95.5%)	15 (1.9%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (0.9%)	13.8	201^st of 220 public high schools	8.6%					(n/a)	2.9	1.0	1.3	1.5	14.8	20.9	20.9	30.2	21.5	0.9			3.6	3.8	$25,371	$5,454	$19,917
The Seed School of Maryland	Public	6-12	200 Font Hill Avenue	Baltimore	21223	Baltimore city	SEED School of Maryland	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 843-9477	395	35	11.2	100.0%	7 (1.8%)	379 (95.9%)	8 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	18	179^th of 220 public high schools	18.6%		9.8	145^th of 146 public high schools	0.7%	34	0.0	4.6		6.1	15.2	23.3	16.3	21.8	19.3	3.5	18.8	6.6	15.6	15.9
Lansdowne High	Public, Magnet	9-12	3800 Hollins Ferry Rd	Baltimore	21227	Baltimore County	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(443) 809-1415	1,313	90	14.6	64.2%	402 (30.6%)	307 (23.4%)	448 (34.1%)	54 (4.1%)	11 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	91 (6.9%)	14.3	198^th of 220 public high schools	10.0%					(n/a)				0.0				32.8	32.8	0.0	0.0	0.0			$17,902	$1,349	$16,553
Woodlawn High	Public, Magnet	9-12	1801 Woodlawn Dr	Baltimore	21207	Baltimore County	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(443) 809-1309	1,922	120	16.0	65.5%	61 (3.2%)	1,279 (66.5%)	423 (22.0%)	109 (5.7%)	10 (0.5%)	3 (0.2%)	37 (1.9%)	17.2	184^th of 220 public high schools	16.4%					(n/a)				9.0				30.1	30.1	9.0					$16,731	$1,191	$15,540
Howard High	Public	9-12	8700 Old Annapolis Rd	Ellicott City	21043	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-2867	1,493	96	15.5	20.2%	518 (34.7%)	348 (23.3%)	94 (6.3%)	418 (28.0%)	2 (0.1%)	3 (0.2%)	108 (7.2%)	62.9	33^rd of 220 public high schools	85.0%		58.7	35^th of 146 public high schools	76.0%	2				28.5				78.2	78.2	10.4	36.5				$19,053	$880	$18,174
Vivien T. Thomas Medical Arts Academy	Public	9-12	100 N Calhoun Street	Baltimore	21223	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(443) 984-2831	386	23	16.7	87.3%	9 (2.3%)	323 (83.7%)	48 (12.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.6%)	18	180^th of 220 public high schools	18.2%					(n/a)				6.6				32.7	32.7	6.6					$23,608	$6,047	$17,561

Frequently Asked Questions about Catonsville Center for Alternative Studies

How many students attend Catonsville Center for Alternative Studies?

In the 2024-25 school year, 68 students attended Catonsville Center for Alternative Studies.

Is Catonsville Center for Alternative Studies a good school?

Catonsville Center for Alternative Studies ranks in the bottom 0.9% of Maryland high schools.

What district is Catonsville Center for Alternative Studies in?

Baltimore County Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Catonsville Center for Alternative Studies?

Students at Catonsville Center for Alternative Studies are 79% African American, 10% Hispanic, 6% White, 4% Two or more races.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Maryland State Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.