Best Public Schools in Annapolis, MD

The 18 public schools in Annapolis, Maryland, part of the Anne Arundel County Public Schools district, present a starkly divided educational landscape, with a cluster of high-performing, affluent schools on one side and a group of struggling, high-poverty schools on the other.

At the top, West Annapolis Elementary stands out as the city's only 5-star school, ranking in the 93rd percentile statewide with exceptional test scores. Other strong performers include Broadneck High, a consistent 4-star school with a 94.7% graduation rate, and Windsor Farm Elementary and Hillsmere Elementary, both 4-star schools ranking above the 80th percentile. In contrast, Phoenix Academy and Mary Moss at Adams Academy face extreme challenges, with chronic absenteeism rates exceeding 80% and near-zero test scores. Among standard elementary schools, Georgetown East Elementary has the lowest performance, ranking in the 6th percentile with only 6.1% math proficiency. The Broadneck Peninsula area, including Cape St. Claire Elementary, forms an educational oasis of high achievement with low poverty rates.

A key finding is that higher spending does not guarantee success—schools like Annapolis Elementary ($36,018 per pupil) and Eastport Elementary ($27,656) spend the most yet rank among the lowest. Chronic absenteeism emerges as the defining challenge, strongly correlating with low performance across the city. Additionally, Annapolis Middle and Wiley H. Bates Middle show an "Algebra I anomaly," where only a select group of students excels in advanced math while the majority struggle with grade-level coursework.