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Wilde Lake High

Q: Is Wilde Lake High a good school?

Wilde Lake High ranks 131 st of 220 Maryland high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

131^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 220 Maryland High Schools

Better than 40% of Maryland high schools

Summary

Wilde Lake High is a public high school located in Columbia, Maryland, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 1,270 students. It is part of the Howard County Public Schools district, which is ranked 4 out of 25 in Maryland and is rated 4 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

Wilde Lake High consistently underperforms compared to the Howard County Public Schools district and the state of Maryland in standardized test scores across various subjects and grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 7.8% of Wilde Lake High students were proficient or better in MCAP/Mathematics for All Grades, compared to 42% for the Howard County Public Schools district and 26.5% for the state of Maryland. The school's performance in English Language Arts is slightly better, with 55.3% of 10th-grade students being proficient or better in 2024-2025, compared to 74.2% for the district and 59.5% for the state. Wilde Lake High's performance in Algebra I and Algebra II is particularly low, with only 5.1% and 9.6% of students being proficient or better, respectively, in the 2024-2025 school year.

Wilde Lake High has a significantly higher percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch (42.28% in 2023-2024) compared to the nearby schools, such as Reservoir High (38.9%), River Hill High (6.91%), and Centennial High (10.91%). This suggests that Wilde Lake High serves a more economically disadvantaged student population compared to its neighboring schools. Additionally, Wilde Lake High has a high chronic absenteeism rate, reaching 38.7% in the 2023-2024 school year, which is significantly higher than the nearby schools and the district average.

1,197

Students ?

13.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,629

Per pupil spending ?

42.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5460 Trumpeter Rd
Columbia, MD 21044

(410) 313-6965

District: Howard County Public Schools

Feeder schools for Wilde Lake High:

Elementary:	Bryant Woods Elementary
	Longfellow Elementary
	Running Brook Elementary
Middle:	Harpers Choice Middle

Racial breakdown:

African American:

44.6%

White:

22.1%

Hispanic:

17.4%

See top rated Maryland high schools

Compare Wilde Lake High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 48th percentile in 2014 → 40th in 2025

Strengths

✓91% graduate within 4 years

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Maryland average (20% vs 37% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 8 percentile points since 2014

!Mathematics scores 19 pts below the Maryland average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school20%

District avg51%

Maryland avg37%

131^st of 220

Maryland public high schools ?

Bottom 40%▼ down 5 pts since 2015

From bottom 46% (2015) to bottom 40% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

12^th of 13High Schools in the Howard County Public Schools

4^th of 25Howard 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	32.1	131 of 220	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.7	98 of 146	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.1	100 of 127	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.4	131 of 225	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.1	96 of 138	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.9	124 of 197	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	40.8	96 of 180	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	55.0	97 of 233	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	48.6	126 of 233	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2014	65.1	119 of 231	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	57.4	98 of 185	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2012	54.7	107 of 187	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	52.6	103 of 183	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2010	73.6	66 of 220	70.0%	★★★★☆
2009	76.9	45 of 213	78.9%	★★★★☆
2008	78.8	33 of 214	84.6%	★★★★☆
2007	69.5	52 of 209	75.1%	★★★★☆
2006	56.3	90 of 204	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2005	61.8	59 of 204	71.1%	★★★★☆
2004	49.8	75 of 201	62.7%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	19.4	36 of 40	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

White (2021)10th percentile

By subject vs Maryland (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts55%+4 vs state

Algebra II10%-15 vs state

Mathematics8%-19 vs state

Algebra I5%-16 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

5★1

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2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a student
Monday, January 24, 2022

Wilde Lake has great diversity and inclusion. The sports and music programs are great and the teachers are mostly good too. Close Quote

Schools Near Wilde Lake High

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 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 8th Grade	MCAP Mathematics All Grades	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 Science 8th Grade	MCAP Social Studies 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Wilde Lake High	Public	9-12	5460 Trumpeter Rd	Columbia	21044	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-6965	1,197	86	13.9	42.6%	264 (22.1%)	534 (44.6%)	208 (17.4%)	78 (6.5%)	3 (0.3%)	5 (0.4%)	101 (8.4%)	32.1	131^st of 220 public high schools	40.5%		36.7	98^th of 146 public high schools	32.9%	33		7.8		55.3	55.3	5.1	9.6			$21,629	$1,004	$20,625
Applications and Research Laboratory	Public	9-12	10920 Clarksville Pike	Ellicott City	21042	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-6698	0	33	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Homewood School	Public	6-12	10914 Clarksville Pike	Ellicott City	21042	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-7081	109	43	2.5	45.9%	36 (33.0%)	40 (36.7%)	18 (16.5%)	5 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (8.3%)	10.8	213^th of 220 public high schools	3.2%		14.1	139^th of 146 public high schools	4.8%	74	0.0	0.0	15.4	17.6	16.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	16.7	$81,791	$2,291	$79,501
Oakland Mills High	Public	9-12	9410 Kilimanjaro Rd	Columbia	21045	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-6945	1,413	103	13.7	43.2%	227 (16.1%)	628 (44.4%)	314 (22.2%)	119 (8.4%)	4 (0.3%)	2 (0.1%)	112 (7.9%)	35.2	121^st of 220 public high schools	45.0%		32.9	114^th of 146 public high schools	21.9%	7		5.8		63.7	63.7	3.1	7.6			$20,779	$1,052	$19,727
Atholton High	Public	9-12	6520 Freetown Rd	Columbia	21044	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-7065	1,540	92	16.7	22.9%	412 (26.8%)	497 (32.3%)	217 (14.1%)	288 (18.7%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	118 (7.7%)	53.6	58^th of 220 public high schools	73.6%		44.9	73^rd of 146 public high schools	50.0%	15		17.5		76.3	76.3	7.1	22.1			$18,240	$836	$17,404
Centennial High	Public	9-12	4300 Centennial Ln	Ellicott City	21042	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-2856	1,377	81	17.0	18.5%	455 (33.0%)	185 (13.4%)	107 (7.8%)	547 (39.7%)	3 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	74 (5.4%)	70.6	23^rd of 220 public high schools	89.5%		77.4	10^th of 146 public high schools	93.2%	13		33.3		83.6	83.6	15.3	41.4			$17,982	$875	$17,107
River Hill High	Public	9-12	12101 Clarksville Pike	Clarksville	21029	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-7120	1,383	78	17.7	7.7%	457 (33.0%)	182 (13.2%)	76 (5.5%)	586 (42.4%)	4 (0.3%)	2 (0.1%)	72 (5.2%)	78.4	12^th of 220 public high schools	94.5%		81.2	6^th of 146 public high schools	95.9%	6		41.3		88.1	88.1	11.4	48.1			$17,496	$854	$16,643
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
Long Reach High	Public	9-12	6101 Old Dobbin Ln	Columbia	21045	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-7117	1,334	97	13.7	37.6%	312 (23.4%)	367 (27.5%)	399 (29.9%)	154 (11.5%)	2 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	94 (7.0%)	36.2	120^th of 220 public high schools	45.5%		36	100^th of 146 public high schools	31.5%	20		8.6		61.2	61.2	1.5	14.1			$20,610	$892	$19,718
Hammond High	Public	9-12	8800 Guilford Rd	Columbia	21046	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-7615	1,159	81	14.3	37.4%	239 (20.6%)	514 (44.3%)	192 (16.6%)	128 (11.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	83 (7.2%)	51.3	70^th of 220 public high schools	68.2%		39.5	91^st of 146 public high schools	37.7%	21		13.5		78.4	78.4	5.5	20.7			$20,375	$1,025	$19,351

Frequently Asked Questions about Wilde Lake High

How many students attend Wilde Lake High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,197 students attended Wilde Lake High.

What schools feed into Wilde Lake High?

Wilde Lake High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Bryant Woods Elementary
Elementary : Longfellow Elementary
Elementary : Running Brook Elementary
Middle : Harpers Choice Middle

Is Wilde Lake High a good school?

Wilde Lake High ranks 131^st of 220 Maryland high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Wilde Lake High?

Students at Wilde Lake High are 45% African American, 22% White, 17% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 7% Asian.

What district is Wilde Lake High in?

Howard County Public Schools

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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.