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Catonsville Center for Alternative Studies

Public Grades 9-12

199^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 227 Maryland High Schools

Better than 12% of Maryland high schools

Summary

Catonsville Center for Alternative Studies (CCAS) is a small, specialized high school in Baltimore, MD, serving just 68 students in grades 9-12 within the Baltimore County Public Schools district, designed for students who have not succeeded in a traditional school setting.

CCAS faces profound challenges, most notably a chronic absenteeism rate of 91.8% and a dropout rate of 47.0%—both far higher than nearby schools. For comparison, Catonsville High, located just 0.57 miles away, has a 22.3% chronic absenteeism rate and a 7.1% dropout rate. To support its high-needs population, CCAS spends an extraordinary $66,986 per student—roughly four times the spending of Catonsville High ($16,555) and Woodlawn High ($16,731)—and maintains a very low student-teacher ratio of 4:1. Despite this intensive investment, academic proficiency is low, with only 9.1% of students proficient in math and 20% in English Language Arts (ELA). However, the ELA proficiency rate is a relative bright spot, outperforming some nearby Baltimore City schools like Edmondson-Westside High (21.6%) and Carver Vocational-Technical High (28.2%).

The school’s performance is highly volatile, with its dropout rate swinging from 5.0% in 2022-2023 to 47.0% in 2024-2025, and its star rating fluctuating between 0 and 1 stars. This instability suggests that CCAS struggles to provide consistent outcomes for its students, even with its intensive resources. While the school’s literacy interventions may be a relative strength, the combination of extreme absenteeism and high dropout rates indicates that for many students, the alternative model is not enough to keep them engaged through graduation. This raises important questions about how resources could be better deployed to address the root causes of disengagement.

Students ?

4.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$66,986

Per pupil spending ?

73.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

901 S Rolling Rd
Baltimore, MD 21228

(443) 809-0934

District: Baltimore County Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

African American:

79.4%

Hispanic:

10.3%

White:

5.9%

See top rated Maryland high schools

Compare Catonsville Center for Alternative Studies to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 2nd percentile in 2004 → 12th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 10 percentile points since 2004

✓Small classes — about 4 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Maryland average (14% vs 38% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (12th percentile)

!English Language Arts scores 32 pts below the Maryland average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school14%

District avg32%

Maryland avg38%

199^th of 227

Maryland public high schools ?

Bottom 12%▲ up 8 pts since 2022

From bottom 4% (2022) to bottom 12% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

24^th of 26High Schools in the Baltimore County Public Schools

18^th of 24Baltimore County 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	14.7	199 of 227	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	8.1	218 of 220	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.3	215 of 225	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	2.4	206 of 214	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	9.2	184 of 204	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	24.1	197 of 201	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Maryland (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts20%-32 vs state

Algebra I12%-9 vs state

Mathematics9%-18 vs state

★

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Schools Near Catonsville Center for Alternative Studies

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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 Algebra II (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 10th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts All Grades	MCAP Algebra I End of Course	MCAP Algebra II 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
Catonsville Center for Alternative Studies	Public	9-12	901 S Rolling Rd	Baltimore	21228	Baltimore County	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(443) 809-0934	68	17	4.0	73.5%	4 (5.9%)	54 (79.4%)	7 (10.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (4.4%)	14.7	199^th of 227 public high schools	12.3%		8.1	218^th of 220 public high schools	0.9%	19				9.1				20.0	20.0	11.8				$66,986	$7,130	$59,855
Catonsville High	Public	9-12	421 Bloomsbury Ave	Baltimore	21228	Baltimore County	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 887-0808	1,735	100	17.4	40.7%	739 (42.6%)	405 (23.3%)	199 (11.5%)	284 (16.4%)	3 (0.2%)	5 (0.3%)	99 (5.7%)	41.6	102^nd of 227 public high schools	55.1%		37.8	113^th of 220 public high schools	48.6%	11				6.0				65.8	65.8	2.7	17.8	0.0		$16,555	$1,369	$15,186
Western School of Technology	Public, Magnet	9-12	100 Kenwood Ave	Baltimore	21228	Baltimore County	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(443) 809-0840	942	59	15.9	31.2%	153 (16.2%)	523 (55.5%)	45 (4.8%)	171 (18.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	49 (5.2%)	75	15^th of 227 public high schools	93.4%		71.6	21^st of 220 public high schools	90.5%	6				39.9				96.8	96.8	37.6	50.8	21.5		$18,216	$1,000	$17,216
Edmondson-Westside High	Public	9-12	501 N Athol Avenue	Baltimore	21229	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-0685	910	60	15.2	79.8%	3 (0.3%)	795 (87.4%)	104 (11.4%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	3 (0.3%)	12.7	206^th of 227 public high schools	9.3%		18.9	173^rd of 220 public high schools	21.4%	33				5.1				21.6	21.6	5.1				$24,670	$4,842	$19,829
Green Street Academy	Public, Charter	6-12	125 N Hilton Street	Baltimore	21229	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(443) 642-2068	808	46	17.5	84.3%	11 (1.4%)	772 (95.5%)	15 (1.9%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (0.9%)	11.3	211^th of 227 public high schools	7.0%		13.8	201^st of 220 public high schools	8.6%	10	1.8	4.4	3.2	2.6	21.6	27.8	21.0	21.4	22.9	1.4			6.4	$25,371	$5,454	$19,917
Lansdowne High	Public, Magnet	9-12	3800 Hollins Ferry Rd	Baltimore	21227	Baltimore County	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(443) 809-1415	1,313	90	14.6	64.2%	402 (30.6%)	307 (23.4%)	448 (34.1%)	54 (4.1%)	11 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	91 (6.9%)	16.5	189^th of 227 public high schools	16.7%		14.3	198^th of 220 public high schools	10.0%	9				1.9				35.8	35.8	1.6	3.1	2.3		$17,902	$1,349	$16,553
Woodlawn High	Public, Magnet	9-12	1801 Woodlawn Dr	Baltimore	21207	Baltimore County	Baltimore County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(443) 809-1309	1,922	120	16.0	65.5%	61 (3.2%)	1,279 (66.5%)	423 (22.0%)	109 (5.7%)	10 (0.5%)	3 (0.2%)	37 (1.9%)	18.1	178^th of 227 public high schools	21.6%		17.2	184^th of 220 public high schools	16.4%	6				8.9				32.7	32.7	8.8	0.0	14.3		$16,731	$1,191	$15,540
Howard High	Public	9-12	8700 Old Annapolis Rd	Ellicott City	21043	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-2867	1,493	96	15.5	20.2%	518 (34.7%)	348 (23.3%)	94 (6.3%)	418 (28.0%)	2 (0.1%)	3 (0.2%)	108 (7.2%)	66.7	28^th of 227 public high schools	87.7%		62.9	33^rd of 220 public high schools	85.0%	5				31.8				82.4	82.4	8.6	40.1			$19,053	$880	$18,174
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	164^th of 227 public high schools	27.8%		18	180^th of 220 public high schools	18.2%	16				9.6				41.2	41.2	9.6				$23,608	$6,047	$17,561
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Catonsville Center for Alternative Studies

Is Catonsville Center for Alternative Studies a good school?

Catonsville Center for Alternative Studies ranks in the bottom 12.3% of Maryland high schools.

What district is Catonsville Center for Alternative Studies in?

Baltimore County Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Catonsville Center for Alternative Studies?

Students at Catonsville Center for Alternative Studies are 79% African American, 10% Hispanic, 6% White, 4% Two or more races.

How many students attend Catonsville Center for Alternative Studies?

In the 2024-25 school year, 68 students attended Catonsville Center for Alternative Studies.

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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.