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Excel Academy at Francis M. Wood High

Q: Is Excel Academy at Francis M. Wood High a good school?

Excel Academy at Francis M. Wood High ranks in the bottom 6.2% of Maryland high schools.

Q: How many students attend Excel Academy at Francis M. Wood High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 264 students attended Excel Academy at Francis M. Wood High.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Excel Academy at Francis M. Wood High?

Students at Excel Academy at Francis M. Wood High are 91% African American, 7% Hispanic, 2% White.

Public Grades 9-12

213^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 227 Maryland High Schools

Better than 6% of Maryland high schools

Summary

Excel Academy at Francis M. Wood High is a small, Title I high school in West Baltimore serving 264 students in grades 9 through 12, operating within the Baltimore City Public Schools district.

The most critical concern for parents is the school's extremely low graduation rate of just 11.0% for the 2024-2025 school year, which is dramatically lower than the district average of 71.7%. This is paired with a staggering 67.4% dropout rate—more than three times the district average. Chronic absenteeism has also been a severe issue, with a 93.8% rate in the most recent data, meaning nearly every student was chronically absent. While the school spends a substantial $27,169 per student—higher than many better-performing schools—the outcomes remain critically low. For example, Baltimore Design School spends less per student but ranks significantly higher. In academics, only 20.8% of students are proficient in English Language Arts, and just 5.1% are proficient in math, showing a deep struggle with mathematics in particular.

A stark comparison can be made with Vivien T. Thomas Medical Arts Academy, located just 0.32 miles away. Despite serving a similarly economically disadvantaged population, Vivien T. Thomas boasts a 72.4% graduation rate and a 23.1% dropout rate—vastly better outcomes. This contrast suggests that the challenges at Excel Academy are not solely due to the neighborhood or district, but are specific to the school's culture and programming. The school's ranking has also declined, falling from the 15th percentile in 2024-2025 to the 6th percentile for 2025-2026, indicating a troubling trend that parents should carefully consider.

264

Students ?

15.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$27,169

Per pupil spending ?

92.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1001 W Saratoga Street
Baltimore, MD 21223

(410) 396-1290

District: Baltimore City Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

African American:

90.5%

Hispanic:

6.8%

White:

1.9%

See top rated Maryland high schools

Compare Excel Academy at Francis M. Wood High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — <1st percentile in 2008 → 6th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 6 percentile points since 2008

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Maryland average (11% vs 38% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (6th percentile)

!English Language Arts scores 31 pts below the Maryland average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school11%

District avg23%

Maryland avg38%

213^th of 227

Maryland public high schools ?

Bottom 6%▲ up 6 pts since 2016

From bottom 1% (2016) to bottom 6% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

25^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	11.3	213 of 227	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	15.9	188 of 220	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.5	220 of 225	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	9.2	171 of 180	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	0.4	232 of 233	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	0.3	231 of 233	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	0.2	228 of 231	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	2.6	210 of 220	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	0.0	213 of 213	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	0.0	214 of 214	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	0.5	208 of 209	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	0.5	203 of 204	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	1.4	204 of 204	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	24.4	195 of 201	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Maryland (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts21%-31 vs state

Mathematics5%-22 vs state

Algebra I5%-16 vs state

★

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Schools Near Excel Academy at Francis M. Wood 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
Excel Academy at Francis M. Wood High	Public	9-12	1001 W Saratoga Street	Baltimore	21223	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 396-1290	264	17	15.5	92.8%	5 (1.9%)	239 (90.5%)	18 (6.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	11.3	213^th of 227 public high schools	6.2%		15.9	188^th of 220 public high schools	14.5%	25				5.1				20.8	20.8	5.1		$27,169	$3,830	$23,339
Vivien T. Thomas Medical Arts Academy	Public	9-12	100 N Calhoun Street	Baltimore	21223	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(443) 984-2831	386	23	16.7	87.3%	9 (2.3%)	323 (83.7%)	48 (12.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.6%)	24.4	163^rd of 227 public high schools	28.2%		18	180^th of 220 public high schools	18.2%	17				9.6				41.2	41.2	9.6		$23,608	$6,047	$17,561
Augusta Fells Savage Institute of Visual Arts	Public	9-12	1500 Harlem Avenue	Baltimore	21217	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-7701	337	25	13.4	92.6%	5 (1.5%)	321 (95.3%)	8 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	6.9	227^th of 227 public high schools	0.0%		11	212^th of 220 public high schools	3.6%	15				0.0				1.8	1.8	0.0		$30,282	$5,760	$24,521
Joseph C. Briscoe Academy	Public	6-12	900 Druid Hill Avenue	Baltimore	21201	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 396-0774	30	17	1.7	86.7%	0 (0.0%)	27 (90.0%)	2 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (3.3%)								(n/a)
Renaissance Academy	Public	9-12	1301 McCulloh Street	Baltimore	21217	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(443) 984-3164	241	23	10.7	94.2%	0 (0.0%)	223 (92.5%)	14 (5.8%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	8.7	224^th of 227 public high schools	1.3%		16.6	187^th of 220 public high schools	15.0%	37				1.4				11.1	11.1	1.4		$38,693	$9,264	$29,429
Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women	Public, Charter	6-12	128 W Franklin Street	Baltimore	21201	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(443) 642-2048	466	40	11.6	82.6%	1 (0.2%)	455 (97.6%)	7 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	9.6	217^th of 227 public high schools	4.4%		15.9	189^th of 220 public high schools	14.1%	28	9.1	6.1	0.0	3.2	24.2	32.7	31.0	18.5	26.8	0.0	0.0	$27,691	$7,661	$20,030
Baltimore School for the Arts	Public	9-12	712 Cathedral Street	Baltimore	21201	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(443) 642-5165	443	28	15.8	24.2%	150 (33.9%)	246 (55.5%)	25 (5.6%)	8 (1.8%)	3 (0.7%)	2 (0.5%)	7 (1.6%)	70.1	21^st of 227 public high schools	90.7%		75.5	16^th of 220 public high schools	92.7%	5				8.3				88.1	88.1	8.3		$27,113	$5,283	$21,830
Carver Vocational-Technical High	Public	9-12	2201 Presstman Street	Baltimore	21216	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-0553	1,041	61	17.2	86.4%	23 (2.2%)	955 (91.7%)	59 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.3%)	13.5	205^th of 227 public high schools	9.7%		13.9	199^th of 220 public high schools	9.5%	6				2.4				28.2	28.2	2.4		$22,485	$5,615	$16,870
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Excel Academy at Francis M. Wood High

How many students attend Excel Academy at Francis M. Wood High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 264 students attended Excel Academy at Francis M. Wood High.

Is Excel Academy at Francis M. Wood High a good school?

Excel Academy at Francis M. Wood High ranks in the bottom 6.2% of Maryland high schools.

What is the racial makeup of Excel Academy at Francis M. Wood High?

Students at Excel Academy at Francis M. Wood High are 91% African American, 7% Hispanic, 2% White.

What district is Excel Academy at Francis M. Wood High in?

Baltimore City Public Schools

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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.