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Middle Schools in Washington County Public Schools

At a glance

DistrictWashington County Public Schools10^th of 24 Maryland districtsFull district overview →

Schools

4,901

Students

Top rankedSmithsburg Middle36^th of 342 Maryland middle schools

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Biggest riser

Clear Spring Middle up 15 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Western Heights Middle 12 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

4★

3★

2★

Compare Maryland districts →See the top-ranked Maryland schools →

Summary:

The seven middle schools in Washington County Public Schools serve grades 6-8 and approximately 4,900 students across a mix of rural and suburban communities in western Maryland, revealing a district with clear standouts and significant challenges.

For parents, the most important takeaway is that school performance is strongly tied to poverty and attendance rates. Smithsburg Middle is the top performer, ranking in the top 10% of Maryland schools with the highest math (46.1%) and English (70.8%) proficiency, the lowest chronic absenteeism (16.0%), and the lowest per-student spending ($16,462). Boonsboro Middle is a consistent high-achiever with a 4-star rating and the lowest poverty rate (33.43% free/reduced lunch), while Clear Spring Middle is a small-school success story with a perfect 100% Algebra I proficiency rate. On the other end, Western Heights Middle faces the greatest challenges, ranking in the 47th percentile with the highest poverty (69.88%), highest chronic absenteeism (38.2%), and lowest math proficiency (16.7%). E. Russell Hicks Middle and Northern Middle also struggle with similar issues, while Springfield Middle sits in the middle of the pack.

A standout district-wide strength is advanced math: every school far exceeds the state average in Algebra I proficiency (21.3%), with Clear Spring (100%), Smithsburg (97.8%), and Springfield (84.7%) achieving near-perfect scores. However, spending does not predict success—Smithsburg spends the least yet performs the best, while Clear Spring spends the most ($21,956) but is not the top. The district’s core challenge is an equity gap: three high-poverty schools lag significantly behind three low-poverty schools, making targeted support for attendance and resources critical for closing the achievement divide.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MCAP Mathematics (2026)				MCAP English Language Arts (2026)				MCAP Algebra I (2026)	MCAP Geometry (2026)	MCAP Science (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCAP Mathematics 6th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MCAP Mathematics All Grades	MCAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts All Grades	MCAP Algebra I End of Course	MCAP Geometry End of Course	MCAP Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Boonsboro Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	1 J-H Wade Dr	Boonsboro	21713	Washington County	Washington County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(301) 766-8038	673	40	16.7	33.4%	567 (84.2%)	22 (3.3%)	47 (7.0%)	8 (1.2%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	27 (4.0%)	84.4	52^nd of 342 public middle schools	84.8%		90.8	35^th of 337 public middle schools	89.6%	17	33.8	46.0	13.9	38.9	66.8	68.4	67.3	67.5	77.5		50.0	$17,110	$2,706	$14,404
Clear Spring Middle	Public	6-8	12628 Broadfording Rd	Clear Spring	21722	Washington County	Washington County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 766-8094	301	24	12.6	52.2%	262 (87.0%)	7 (2.3%)	22 (7.3%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.3%)	82.3	61^st of 342 public middle schools	82.2%		74.8	76^th of 337 public middle schools	77.4%	15	36.2	37.2	42.0	43.3	53.7	60.5	64.4	59.6	100.0		49.0	$21,956	$3,795	$18,162
E. Russell Hicks Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	1321 S Potomac St	Hagerstown	21740	Washington County	Washington County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(301) 766-8110	841	61	13.7	68.8%	297 (35.3%)	190 (22.6%)	212 (25.2%)	19 (2.3%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	120 (14.3%)	67.8	101^st of 342 public middle schools	70.5%		65.4	108^th of 337 public middle schools	68.0%	7	27.2	27.8	17.0	28.5	48.9	64.0	57.1	56.5	85.7		30.0	$19,017	$3,782	$15,236
Northern Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	701 Northern Ave	Hagerstown	21742	Washington County	Washington County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(301) 766-8258	841	62	13.6	61.2%	335 (39.8%)	189 (22.5%)	186 (22.1%)	38 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	92 (10.9%)	67	103^rd of 342 public middle schools	69.9%		65.8	107^th of 337 public middle schools	68.2%	4	19.4	25.9	17.9	28.7	53.0	57.6	61.5	57.1	83.3	96.1	38.7	$19,574	$4,635	$14,939
Smithsburg Middle	Public	6-8	68 N Main St	Smithsburg	21783	Washington County	Washington County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(301) 766-8353	554	36	15.5	46.4%	415 (74.9%)	39 (7.0%)	61 (11.0%)	9 (1.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (5.2%)	88.2	36^th of 342 public middle schools	89.5%		90.8	34^th of 337 public middle schools	89.9%	2	32.3	42.6	51.2	46.1	61.1	70.2	80.8	70.8	97.8		50.3	$16,462	$1,005	$15,457
Springfield Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	334 Sunset Ave	Williamsport	21795	Washington County	Washington County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(301) 766-8389	808	52	15.5	64.1%	471 (58.3%)	83 (10.3%)	163 (20.2%)	20 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	71 (8.8%)	55	141^st of 342 public middle schools	58.8%		55	140^th of 337 public middle schools	58.5%	1	19.3	15.8	13.3	23.4	48.7	52.4	51.4	50.8	84.7	94.4	32.0	$17,901	$3,005	$14,896
Western Heights Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	1300 Marshall St	Hagerstown	21740	Washington County	Washington County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(301) 766-8403	883	73	12.0	69.9%	303 (34.3%)	224 (25.4%)	194 (22.0%)	20 (2.3%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	140 (15.9%)	43.2	182^nd of 342 public middle schools	46.8%		43.7	179^th of 337 public middle schools	46.9%	3	15.8	20.4	8.0	16.7	43.0	50.9	36.8	43.9	68.2		17.3	$19,257	$3,485	$15,772

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Frederick County Public Schools	10.11 mi	70	5^th
Carroll County Public Schools	29.91 mi	44	2^nd
Montgomery County Public Schools	32.63 mi	214	8^th
Howard County Public Schools	40.56 mi	78	4^th
Allegany County Public Schools	44.53 mi	22	12^th

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.