Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Walter Johnson High

Public Grades 9-12
15th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 220 Maryland High Schools
Better than 93% of Maryland high schools
Summary

Walter Johnson High is a public high school located in Bethesda, Maryland, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 2,984 students. It is part of the Montgomery County Public Schools district, which is ranked 8th out of 25 districts in Maryland and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Walter Johnson High has consistently been one of the top-performing high schools in Maryland, ranking within the top 20 schools in the state for several years. In the 2024-2025 school year, the school ranked 15th out of 220 Maryland high schools and received a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school outperforms the state and district averages in MCAP (Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program) test scores across various subjects and grade levels, with 84.4% of 10th-grade students proficient or better in MCAP English Language Arts, compared to 65.5% for the district and 59.5% for the state. Additionally, Walter Johnson High maintains high four-year graduation rates, ranging from 89.6% to 94.0% in recent years, and relatively low dropout rates, ranging from 3.7% to 5.1%.

While Walter Johnson High performs well compared to other high schools in the immediate vicinity, such as Thomas S. Wootton High, Richard Montgomery High, and Winston Churchill High, the school's relatively high chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 22.0% to 37.3%, is an area of concern that the school and district may need to address. Overall, Walter Johnson High is a highly regarded and top-performing high school in Maryland, with exceptional academic achievement, strong graduation rates, and a commitment to serving students from diverse backgrounds.

3,016
Students ?
18.0
Student/teacher ratio ?
$16,379
Per pupil spending ?
19.8%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 6400 Rock Spring Dr
       Bethesda, MD  20814-1991

(240) 740-6900

District: Montgomery County Public Schools


Feeder schools for Walter Johnson High:

Elementary:    Ashburton Elementary
    Farmland Elementary
    Garrett Park Elementary
    Kensington Parkwood Elementary
    More...
Middle:    North Bethesda Middle
    Tilden Middle
Racial breakdown:

White:
44.5%
Hispanic:
19.1%
African American:
15.8%
more
 See top rated Maryland high schools

 Compare Walter Johnson High to nearby high schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Holding steady — 97th percentile in 2015 → 93rd in 2025
Strengths
Test scores above the Maryland average (58% vs 37% meeting standards)
Ranks in the top 7% of Maryland high schools
94% graduate within 4 years
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
!Mathematics scores 15 pts below the Maryland average
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school58%
District avg46%
Maryland avg37%
15th of 220
Maryland public high schools ?
Top 7%▼ down 4 pts since 2015
From top 3% (2015) to top 7% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Maryland High Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
5th of 25High Schools in the Montgomery County Public Schools
8th of 25Montgomery 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMaryland percentileRating
202576.315 of 22093.2%★★★★★
202469.515 of 14689.7%★★★★★
202367.518 of 12785.8%★★★★☆
202275.713 of 22594.2%★★★★★
202183.56 of 3281.3%★★★★☆
201974.423 of 13883.3%★★★★☆
201876.719 of 19790.4%★★★★★
201779.416 of 18091.1%★★★★★
201673.529 of 23387.6%★★★★☆
201584.36 of 23397.4%★★★★★
201480.037 of 23184.0%★★★★☆
201378.534 of 18581.6%★★★★☆
201277.637 of 18780.2%★★★★☆
201176.637 of 18379.8%★★★★☆
201081.826 of 22088.2%★★★★☆
200978.535 of 21383.6%★★★★☆
200879.930 of 21486.0%★★★★☆
200773.536 of 20982.8%★★★★☆
200672.339 of 20480.9%★★★★☆
200575.314 of 20493.1%★★★★★
200456.340 of 20180.1%★★★★☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMaryland percentileRating
202190.23 of 1478.6%★★★★☆

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMaryland percentileRating
202171.47 of 2572.0%★★★★☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMaryland percentileRating
202149.72 of 333.3%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMaryland percentileRating
202183.06 of 3180.6%★★★★☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMaryland percentileRating
202160.24 of 955.6%★★★☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMaryland percentileRating
202184.16 of 3582.9%★★★★☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMaryland percentileRating
202182.53 of 1172.7%★★★★☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMaryland percentileRating
202184.29 of 4077.5%★★★★☆
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)
Male (2021)83rd percentile~ school
Female (2021)81st percentile~ school
African American (2021)79th percentile-3 vs school
White (2021)78th percentile-4 vs school
Multi-racial (2021)73rd percentile-9 vs school
Asian (2021)72nd percentile-9 vs school
Hispanic (2021)56th percentile-26 vs school
English Language Learner (2021)33rd percentile-48 vs school
By subject vs Maryland (2024-2025) ?
English Language Arts84%+34 vs state
Mathematics12%-15 vs state
Algebra I12%-10 vs state

No ratings yet
Be the first to rate Walter Johnson High and help other families decide.
Rate Walter Johnson High
Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.
Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.
Tap a star to rate
Reviews
No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.



Schools Near Walter Johnson High









Frequently Asked Questions about Walter Johnson High

Yes. Walter Johnson High ranks in the top 6.8% of Maryland high schools.

In the 2024-25 school year, 3,016 students attended Walter Johnson High.

Walter Johnson High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Ashburton Elementary
Elementary : Farmland Elementary
Elementary : Garrett Park Elementary
Elementary : Kensington Parkwood Elementary
Elementary : Luxmanor Elementary
Elementary : Wyngate Elementary
Middle : North Bethesda Middle
Middle : Tilden Middle

Students at Walter Johnson High are 44% White, 19% Hispanic, 16% African American, 13% Asian, 7% Two or more races.


Rate Walter Johnson High!



Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Walter Johnson High!




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.





Diagnostics
u12_240048000942 retrieved from Memory in 0 milliseconds.
None retrieved from Database in 52 milliseconds.