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Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High

Public Grades 9-12

200^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 227 Maryland High Schools

Better than 12% of Maryland high schools

Summary

Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High is a large comprehensive high school in Baltimore, MD, serving 1,714 students in grades 9-12 as part of the Baltimore City Public Schools district, which ranks near the bottom of the state.

Mergenthaler faces a severe challenge with chronic absenteeism, which has consistently been above 75% and reached 81.3% in the 2023-2024 school year—the highest rate among nearby schools. This is dramatically worse than high-performing neighbors like Baltimore City College (21.7% chronic absenteeism) and Baltimore Design School (30.0%). The school's academic proficiency rates are critically low, with only 5.1% of students proficient in math and 27.8% in ELA. Despite this, Mergenthaler has a relatively strong graduation rate of 81.2% and a low dropout rate of 7.3%, suggesting the school is effective at retaining students and moving them toward graduation, even if many are not achieving basic academic competency.

Mergenthaler spends over $20,000 per student, yet its outcomes lag significantly behind nearby schools. Located just 0.55 miles from Baltimore City College—a 5-star school with 46.7% math proficiency and 85% ELA proficiency—the contrast highlights the impact of school culture and academic expectations. As a vocational-technical school, Mergenthaler's mission is to prepare students for careers, and it may be succeeding in keeping students enrolled and graduating. However, the extremely low academic proficiency rates raise serious questions about whether students are gaining the foundational skills needed to succeed in trades or post-secondary training. The school's primary challenge is not funding, but addressing the root causes of its catastrophic chronic absenteeism.

1,714

Students ?

14.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,324

Per pupil spending ?

79.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3500 Hillen Road
Baltimore, MD 21218-2227

(410) 396-6496

District: Baltimore City Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

African American:

87.4%

Hispanic:

9.3%

White:

1.3%

See top rated Maryland high schools

Compare Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 1st percentile in 2019 → 12th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 12th (2026) from a 1st-percentile low (2019)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Maryland average (13% vs 38% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (12th percentile)

!English Language Arts scores 24 pts below the Maryland average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school13%

District avg23%

Maryland avg38%

200^th of 227

Maryland public high schools ?

Bottom 12%▼ down 6 pts since 2016

From bottom 18% (2016) to bottom 12% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

16^th of 31High Schools in the Baltimore City Public Schools

24^th of 25Baltimore City Public Schools among Maryland districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2026	14.5	200 of 227	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	14.9	196 of 220	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.3	168 of 225	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	8.6	137 of 138	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.0	163 of 197	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	10.8	166 of 180	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	16.4	192 of 233	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	19.4	189 of 233	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	9.8	201 of 231	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	43.4	155 of 220	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	54.3	133 of 213	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	43.5	146 of 214	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2007	39.8	134 of 209	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2006	21.0	156 of 204	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	34.4	141 of 204	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2004	42.3	118 of 201	41.3%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Maryland (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts28%-24 vs state

Mathematics5%-22 vs state

Algebra I5%-16 vs state

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, December 22, 2022

Beware of Mervo. School not safe inside and outside. Principal has not control over school, don't care, too nice. My 11th grade daughter jumped by 3 12th graders and situation was poorly handled by Principal's female spokesperson, 2 Baltimore City School System ladies, botched and little detail given about fight, 11th grade administrator gave wrong info and lied. Meeting hurried up so 12 graders can return to school in 3 days. Close Quote

Schools Near Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High

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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 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	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 10th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts All Grades	MCAP Algebra I End of Course	MCAP Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High	Public	9-12	3500 Hillen Road	Baltimore	21218	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-6496	1,714	116	14.7	79.2%	22 (1.3%)	1,498 (87.4%)	159 (9.3%)	22 (1.3%)	5 (0.3%)	3 (0.2%)	5 (0.3%)	14.5	200^th of 227 public high schools	11.9%		14.9	196^th of 220 public high schools	10.9%	4				5.1				27.8	27.8	5.1		$20,324	$3,835	$16,489
Baltimore City College	Public	9-12	3220 The Alameda	Baltimore	21218	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 396-6557	1,470	79	18.6	52.1%	207 (14.1%)	986 (67.1%)	207 (14.1%)	23 (1.6%)	3 (0.2%)	3 (0.2%)	36 (2.4%)	83.9	8^th of 227 public high schools	96.5%		65.1	30^th of 220 public high schools	86.4%	22				46.7				85.0	85.0	46.7		$18,604	$4,067	$14,537
The Reach! Partnership School	Public	9-12	2555 Harford Road	Baltimore	21218	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(443) 642-2291	724	46	15.7	84.4%	12 (1.7%)	642 (88.7%)	57 (7.9%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.6%)	6 (0.8%)	8.8	221^st of 227 public high schools	2.6%		12.8	207^th of 220 public high schools	5.9%	14				1.7				12.8	12.8	1.7		$24,125	$5,014	$19,111
Baltimore Design School	Public	6-12	1500 Barclay Street	Baltimore	21202	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(443) 642-2311	503	39	13.0	75.9%	26 (5.2%)	435 (86.5%)	25 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.0%)	54.2	60^th of 227 public high schools	73.6%		53.4	60^th of 220 public high schools	72.7%		10.3	9.0	35.3	15.1	25.6	49.3	30.9	72.5	46.7	11.6	12.7	$21,049	$4,384	$16,665
City Neighbors High	Public, Charter	9-12	5609 Sefton Avenue	Baltimore	21214	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(443) 642-2119	416	31	13.6	70.7%	26 (6.3%)	355 (85.3%)	22 (5.3%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	9 (2.2%)	14.1	202^nd of 227 public high schools	11.0%		27.5	142^nd of 220 public high schools	35.5%	60				1.0				31.1	31.1	1.0		$27,454	$5,638	$21,816
Eager Street Academy	Public	6-12	926 Greenmount Avenue	Baltimore	21202	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 234-1815	45	10	4.5	57.8%	1 (2.2%)	40 (88.9%)	1 (2.2%)	1 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (4.4%)	8.9	219^th of 227 public high schools	3.5%					(n/a)				0.0				17.2	17.2	0.0		$45,237	$8,592	$36,645
National Academy Foundation	Public	6-12	540 N Caroline Street	Baltimore	21205	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(443) 984-1594	801	60	13.3	64.0%	11 (1.4%)	316 (39.5%)	457 (57.1%)	6 (0.7%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	6 (0.7%)	12.3	207^th of 227 public high schools	8.8%		13.5	203^rd of 220 public high schools	7.7%	4	0.0	7.0	6.1	5.3	4.3	12.3	16.0	14.5	12.5	6.1	4.3	$25,006	$4,437	$20,569
Academy for College and Career Exploration	Public	6-12	1300 W 36th Street	Baltimore	21211	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-7607	967	67	14.4	79.1%	85 (8.8%)	674 (69.7%)	171 (17.7%)	20 (2.1%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.3%)	12 (1.2%)	16.6	187^th of 227 public high schools	17.6%		21.9	162^nd of 220 public high schools	26.4%	25	0.0	4.7	2.2	4.8	11.6	21.4	41.7	31.2	28.9	6.6	11.8	$23,129	$4,571	$18,558
Reginald F. Lewis High	Public	9-12	6401 Pioneer Drive	Baltimore	21214	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 545-1746	481	30	16.0	79.8%	11 (2.3%)	398 (82.7%)	66 (13.7%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	19.3	174^th of 227 public high schools	23.3%		19.1	171^st of 220 public high schools	22.3%	3				9.9				31.9	31.9	9.9		$28,737	$4,607	$24,130
Achievement Academy at Harbor City High	Public	9-12	2201 Pinewood Avenue	Baltimore	21214	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 396-6241	314	18	17.9	89.5%	2 (0.6%)	291 (92.7%)	18 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	13.7	204^th of 227 public high schools	10.1%		11.6	211^th of 220 public high schools	4.1%	7				8.3				25.4	25.4	8.3		$42,618	$7,080	$35,537

Frequently Asked Questions about Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High

Is Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High a good school?

Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High ranks in the bottom 11.9% of Maryland high schools.

What schools feed into Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High?

What district is Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High in?

Baltimore City Public Schools

How many students attend Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,714 students attended Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High.

What is the racial makeup of Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High?

Students at Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High are 87% African American, 9% Hispanic, 1% White, 1% Asian.

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Latest Maryland data All new data »

2025–26 MCAP test scoresJul 28, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

2024–25 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 MCAP test scoresAug 26, 2025

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.