Summary:
The Frederick County Public Schools district in Maryland serves 11 high schools, ranging from large comprehensive schools with over 2,000 students to a small alternative school with just 50 students, and the district itself is ranked 5th out of 25 in the state, earning a 4-star rating. This analysis highlights standout schools, key metrics, and critical takeaways for parents evaluating the area.
Two schools clearly lead the district: Urbana High and Oakdale High are both 5-star schools ranked in the top 14 in the state, with Urbana achieving 93% proficiency in English Language Arts (ELA) and 64.3% in math, while Oakdale posts 91.8% in ELA and 44.1% in math. Gov. Thomas Johnson High and Frederick High face more challenges, with math proficiency rates of just 11.1% and 25.4%, respectively, and chronic absenteeism above 26%. Heather Ridge, an alternative school, is a unique outlier with only 50 students, a 59% dropout rate, and a 74.4% chronic absenteeism rate, though it spends $96,817 per student—far more than any other school in the district.
The biggest district-wide issue is a significant math gap: even strong schools like Linganore High (76.1% ELA vs. 25.4% math) and Middletown High (77.3% ELA vs. 25.7% math) show a stark drop in math proficiency, driven by low Algebra I scores where fewer than 10% of students are proficient at schools like Catoctin High and Walkersville High. Spending does not predict success—Tuscarora High and Brunswick High spend more than Urbana but achieve lower results. The district’s overall 4-star rating masks a tale of two districts: high-performing, low-poverty schools like Urbana and Oakdale contrast sharply with higher-poverty schools like Frederick and Gov. Thomas Johnson, where poverty rates exceed 58% and chronic absenteeism is high.
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