Summary:
The seven high schools in Charles County Public Schools, serving grades 9-12 in a suburban Maryland district ranked 20th out of 25 in the state, present a mixed picture of performance with standout successes and significant challenges. North Point High School is the district's top performer, boasting the highest state ranking (97th of 227), a 4-star rating, and the best English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency at 69.8%, well above the state average. La Plata High School is a consistent high achiever with the highest graduation rate (94.7%) and second-highest ELA scores (63%). In contrast, Thomas Stone High School faces the most difficulties, with the lowest graduation rate (82.3%), highest dropout rate (11.5%), and critically low math proficiency of just 0.6%.
Key metrics reveal a district-wide crisis in mathematics, where no school exceeds 6% proficiency in all-grade math, compared to the state average of 27.1%. However, ELA is a bright spot, with Maurice J. McDonough High School (68.6%) and La Plata also outperforming the state. Chronic absenteeism is a major challenge, averaging 26.6% district-wide, but Henry E. Lackey High School has an alarming rate of 42.5%, the highest in the district. Graduation rates average 90.3%, with La Plata and Westlake High School (91.1%) exceeding this, while Thomas Stone and Henry E. Lackey fall short.
Interesting findings include a disconnect between spending and outcomes: Thomas Stone ($21,315 per student) and Henry E. Lackey ($19,573) have the highest spending but lowest performance, while North Point ($17,647) and La Plata ($17,385) achieve better results with less. Additionally, a math paradox exists where students in higher-level courses like Algebra II at Henry E. Lackey show proficiency near the state average, yet overall math scores are dismal. St. Charles High School also struggles with high absenteeism (38.9%) and low ELA proficiency (36.8%), highlighting the varied challenges across the district.
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