Summary:
Somerset County Public Schools serves two high schools—Washington Academy and High School and Crisfield Academy and High School—for grades 9 through 12 in a rural Maryland district ranked 23rd out of 25 in the state.
Crisfield Academy and High School stands out as the stronger performer, showing clear upward momentum. Its state ranking jumped from the 16th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 54th percentile in 2025-2026, earning a 3-star rating. In contrast, Washington Academy and High School has declined, moving from the 8th percentile to the 25th percentile over the same period. Crisfield also boasts a higher graduation rate (88.8% vs. 80.5%) and a much lower dropout rate (6.3% vs. 16.9%). In English Language Arts, Crisfield’s 10th-grade proficiency rate of 62% exceeds the state average of 59.7%, while Washington Academy’s rate is just 35.5%. Crisfield benefits from higher per-student spending ($27,816 vs. $23,352) and a smaller student-teacher ratio (11.8 vs. 14.2), which likely supports its better outcomes.
Both schools face serious challenges. Mathematics proficiency is critically low at about 6% for all grades—far below the state average of 27.1%. Chronic absenteeism exceeds 30% at both schools, contributing to overall low district performance. Despite these issues, Crisfield’s recent gains in ELA and graduation rates offer a bright spot, suggesting that targeted strategies can drive improvement even in a struggling district. For parents, Crisfield Academy appears to be the stronger choice, while Washington Academy may need additional support to reverse its downward trend.
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