Howard County Public Schools

The Howard County Public Schools district in Maryland serves 77 schools, including 42 elementary, 20 middle, and 14 high schools, and is ranked 4th in the state with a 4-star rating, consistently outperforming state averages in both Math and English Language Arts (ELA).

Standout schools in the district include River Hill High, which leads high schools with a #11 state ranking, 93.3% ELA proficiency, and the lowest chronic absenteeism at 13.6%, while Marriotts Ridge High also excels with a #18 ranking and 89.5% ELA scores. Among middle schools, Mount View Middle and Folly Quarter Middle are top performers, ranking #3 and #5 in the state respectively, with over 90% proficiency in advanced math courses and very low chronic absenteeism (7.0% and 9.8%). At the elementary level, Pointers Run Elementary and Triadelphia Ridge Elementary stand out with over 70% Math and 80% ELA proficiency. In contrast, Oakland Mills High and Wilde Lake High are the lowest-performing traditional high schools, with 2-star ratings and chronic absenteeism rates above 30%.

A key finding is the district-wide "Math Gap," where overall Math proficiency (42.1%) lags significantly behind ELA (65.9%), even at top schools like River Hill High (49.4% Math vs. 93.3% ELA). Chronic absenteeism is a powerful predictor of performance, with every school above 25% absenteeism being low-performing, while those below 10% are top performers. Feeder patterns also strongly correlate, as high-performing River Hill High is fed by Clarksville Middle and Pointers Run Elementary, while struggling Oakland Mills High is fed by Oakland Mills Middle. Additionally, higher spending does not guarantee success, as Worthington Elementary ($23,142 per student) is a 5-star school, while Stevens Forest Elementary ($26,356) is a 3-star school.