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Montgomery County Public Schools


At a glance
8thof 24 Maryland districts
Better than 66% of Maryland districts
15 W. Gude; Suite 400
Rockville, MD 20850
·(240) 740-3000·All Maryland district rankings →
Statewide performance 2018–2026
2026: better than 66.7% of districts
212
Schools
159,181
Students
43
5-star schools
Top rankedCold Spring Elementary1st of 865 Maryland elementary schools
Biggest riser
Clopper Mill Elementary up 159 spots statewide this year
Smallest classes
Summit Hall Elementary 9.4 students per teacher
Newly ranked this year
M.E.C.C.A Business Learning Institute and 2 more
SchoolDigger ratings
5★
4★
3★
2★
1★
13 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)
Summary:

The Montgomery County Public Schools district in Maryland serves over 207 schools, including elementary, middle, and high schools, and is ranked 8th in the state with a 4-star rating, offering a diverse educational landscape for families.

Standout high schools like Poolesville High (ranked #5 in the state) and Winston Churchill High (ranked #7) consistently achieve top-tier performance, with ELA proficiency rates above 90% and very low free/reduced lunch rates. In contrast, schools like John F. Kennedy High and Gaithersburg High face significant challenges, including low graduation rates (72.9% and 78.6%) and high chronic absenteeism (48.9% and 51.0%). Among middle schools, Thomas W. Pyle Middle leads the state with a 75.9% math proficiency rate, while Montgomery Village Middle struggles with only 5.5% math proficiency. For elementary schools, Cold Spring Elementary and Wood Acres Elementary are top performers, with math proficiency rates above 85%, while Summit Hall Elementary ranks very low with only 17.1% math proficiency.

A key finding is the strong link between socioeconomic status and performance, as schools with low free/reduced lunch rates, like Bannockburn Elementary (4.04%), tend to rank highest. Additionally, a "math proficiency paradox" emerges in high schools, where even top schools like Walt Whitman High (23.8% math) score well below the district average of 36.9%, suggesting the MCAP math test is particularly challenging. Chronic absenteeism is a district-wide issue, averaging 22.6%, with rates as high as 51.0% at Gaithersburg High and as low as 6.7% at Wood Acres Elementary. Finally, per-student spending does not guarantee success, as high-performing schools like Wyngate Elementary ($15,297) spend less than lower-performing ones like Viers Mill Elementary ($27,802), highlighting that community resources and family support are more powerful predictors of academic success.

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Ranking:
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E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private




Districts nearby

See the top MD Maryland districts
SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Maryland State Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.

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