Summary:
The Garrett County Public Schools district in Maryland serves two high schools—Southern Garrett High School (grades 7-12, 870 students) and Northern Garrett High School (grades 9-12, 439 students)—and is ranked 9th out of 25 districts in the state, earning a 4-star rating.
Northern Garrett High School is the clear standout, ranking 30th out of 227 high schools in Maryland (top 13%) with a 4-star rating. It dramatically outperforms both the district and state in English Language Arts (72% proficient vs. 53.4% district and 51.7% state) and mathematics (35.8% vs. 32.3% district and 27.1% state). The school has shown consistent improvement, jumping from a 3-star rating two years ago to its current 4-star status. In contrast, Southern Garrett High School ranks 99th (56th percentile) with a 3-star rating, and its performance generally falls below district averages. Despite similar per-student spending (around $20,000) and student-teacher ratios (about 12.4:1), the two schools have diverged sharply, with Northern Garrett on an upward trajectory and Southern Garrett showing volatile, lower rankings.
Key concerns include chronic absenteeism, which is a district-wide challenge: Southern Garrett’s rate of 32.4% and Northern Garrett’s 27.7% both exceed the district average of 22.9%. Southern Garrett also had an alarming Algebra I proficiency rate of just 2.4% in 2024-2025, though it improved to 18.5% in 2025-2026. However, Southern Garrett’s 8th-grade math proficiency of 42.3% is a bright spot, far exceeding the state average of 9.6%. Graduation rates are similar (93.7% at Southern, 92.7% at Northern), and dropout rates are nearly identical (4.8% vs. 4.5%). Overall, Northern Garrett offers exceptional ELA instruction and strong academic growth, while Southern Garrett has pockets of strength but faces significant challenges in math and attendance.
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