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Atholton High

Q: Is Atholton High a good school?

Atholton High ranks 67 th of 227 Maryland high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

67^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 227 Maryland High Schools

Better than 70% of Maryland high schools

Summary

Atholton High in Columbia, MD, is a large high school serving 1,540 students in grades 9-12 as part of the highly-regarded Howard County Public Schools district, which ranks in the top 16% of districts in Maryland.

Atholton’s standout strength is its exceptional English Language Arts (ELA) performance, with 75.5% of students proficient—well above the state average of 51.7% and the district average of 65.9%. This places it as a top ELA performer among nearby schools, second only to elite River Hill High (93.3%) and Howard High (82.4%). However, the school presents a dramatic contrast: only 18.7% of students are proficient in math, far below the district average of 42.1% and even below the state average of 27.1%. This gap is the most extreme among comparable schools in the area, with math scores more aligned with Long Reach High (14.2%) and Oakland Mills High (7.8%), which serve higher percentages of economically disadvantaged students. The school also boasts a strong graduation rate of 92.3%, above the district average of 91.3%, though chronic absenteeism at 20.7% is slightly above the district average of 17.4%.

Atholton’s ranking history shows it was a top-tier performer from 2014 to 2019, consistently ranking in the 79th to 88th percentile statewide, but has since settled into the 50th to 74th percentile range—a decline coinciding with rising chronic absenteeism and persistent math struggles. The school spends $18,240 per student, less than many lower-performing peers like Wilde Lake High ($21,629) and Oakland Mills ($20,779), suggesting relative efficiency. Yet, River Hill High spends slightly less ($17,496) with dramatically better results, highlighting that school culture and instructional quality matter more than spending alone. Atholton sits in the middle of Howard County’s academic landscape—not an elite powerhouse like River Hill, but a solid school that significantly outperforms its more challenged neighbors. Its primary challenge is closing the internal gap between its strong ELA program and struggling math program to regain its former elite status.

1,540

Students ?

16.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,240

Per pupil spending ?

22.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

6520 Freetown Rd
Columbia, MD 21044-4002

(410) 313-7065

District: Howard County Public Schools

Feeder schools for Atholton High:

Elementary:

Clemens Crossing Elementary

Racial breakdown:

African American:

32.3%

White:

26.8%

Asian:

18.7%

See top rated Maryland high schools

Compare Atholton High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 50th percentile in 2024 → 70th in 2026

Strengths

✓92% graduate within 4 years

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 70th (2026) from a 50th-percentile low (2024)

✓Above the Maryland median (70th percentile)

Worth a look

!Algebra I scores 12 pts below the Maryland average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school33%

District avg51%

Maryland avg38%

67^th of 227

Maryland public high schools ?

Top 30%▼ down 9 pts since 2016

From top 21% (2016) to top 30% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^th of 14High Schools in the Howard County Public Schools

4^th of 24Howard 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	51.9	67 of 227	70.5%	★★★★☆
2025	53.6	58 of 220	73.6%	★★★★☆
2024	44.9	73 of 146	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.6	58 of 127	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.4	45 of 225	80.0%	★★★★☆
2019	71.6	25 of 138	81.9%	★★★★☆
2018	69.0	33 of 197	83.2%	★★★★☆
2017	73.8	23 of 180	87.2%	★★★★☆
2016	68.5	48 of 233	79.4%	★★★★☆
2015	74.0	27 of 233	88.4%	★★★★☆
2014	80.3	31 of 231	86.6%	★★★★☆
2013	84.9	6 of 185	96.8%	★★★★★
2012	84.4	9 of 187	95.2%	★★★★★
2011	86.5	9 of 183	95.1%	★★★★★
2010	86.5	5 of 220	97.7%	★★★★★
2009	83.1	11 of 213	94.8%	★★★★★
2008	83.6	12 of 214	94.4%	★★★★★
2007	81.4	12 of 209	94.3%	★★★★★
2006	78.3	19 of 204	90.7%	★★★★★
2005	82.2	8 of 204	96.1%	★★★★★
2004	58.2	29 of 201	85.6%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	59.9	11 of 25	56.0%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Asian (2021)56th percentile

By subject vs Maryland (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts75%+24 vs state

Algebra II23%-4 vs state

Mathematics19%-8 vs state

Algebra I9%-12 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a student
Tuesday, October 12, 2021

Atholton 2021-2022 has had more than 10 fights involving students and parents. And it’s only been 1 month of school. This school also has a very bad drug problem. This used to be a really good school. Now the learning environment doesn’t feel safe at all. I do not recommend going here! Close Quote

Schools Near Atholton 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 Algebra II (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 Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Atholton High	Public	9-12	6520 Freetown Rd	Columbia	21044	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-7065	1,540	92	16.7	22.9%	412 (26.8%)	497 (32.3%)	217 (14.1%)	288 (18.7%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	118 (7.7%)	51.9	67^th of 227 public high schools	70.5%		53.6	58^th of 220 public high schools	73.6%	9				18.7				75.5	75.5	9.0	22.7		$18,240	$836	$17,404
Hammond High	Public	9-12	8800 Guilford Rd	Columbia	21046	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-7615	1,159	81	14.3	37.4%	239 (20.6%)	514 (44.3%)	192 (16.6%)	128 (11.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	83 (7.2%)	47.5	82^nd of 227 public high schools	63.9%		51.3	70^th of 220 public high schools	68.2%	12				12.8				77.1	77.1	9.0	15.6		$20,375	$1,025	$19,351
Wilde Lake High	Public	9-12	5460 Trumpeter Rd	Columbia	21044	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-6965	1,197	86	13.9	42.6%	264 (22.1%)	534 (44.6%)	208 (17.4%)	78 (6.5%)	3 (0.3%)	5 (0.4%)	101 (8.4%)	30.1	144^th of 227 public high schools	36.6%		32.1	131^st of 220 public high schools	40.5%	13				7.9				54.0	54.0	2.7	12.4		$21,629	$1,004	$20,625
Oakland Mills High	Public	9-12	9410 Kilimanjaro Rd	Columbia	21045	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-6945	1,413	103	13.7	43.2%	227 (16.1%)	628 (44.4%)	314 (22.2%)	119 (8.4%)	4 (0.3%)	2 (0.1%)	112 (7.9%)	35	127^th of 227 public high schools	44.1%		35.2	121^st of 220 public high schools	45.0%	6				7.8				61.9	61.9	6.2	9.2		$20,779	$1,052	$19,727
Reservoir High	Public	9-12	11550 Scaggsville Rd	Fulton	20759	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 888-8850	1,597	108	14.8	26.2%	362 (22.7%)	522 (32.7%)	306 (19.2%)	295 (18.5%)	2 (0.1%)	3 (0.2%)	103 (6.4%)	52.2	66^th of 227 public high schools	70.9%		47.7	79^th of 220 public high schools	64.1%	13				21.5				73.2	73.2	6.4	28.3		$17,951	$816	$17,135
River Hill High	Public	9-12	12101 Clarksville Pike	Clarksville	21029	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-7120	1,383	78	17.7	7.7%	457 (33.0%)	182 (13.2%)	76 (5.5%)	586 (42.4%)	4 (0.3%)	2 (0.1%)	72 (5.2%)	81.7	11^th of 227 public high schools	95.2%		78.4	12^th of 220 public high schools	94.5%	1				49.4				93.3	93.3	17.8	58.4		$17,496	$854	$16,643
Applications and Research Laboratory	Public	9-12	10920 Clarksville Pike	Ellicott City	21042	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-6698	0	33	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Homewood School	Public	6-12	10914 Clarksville Pike	Ellicott City	21042	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-7081	109	43	2.5	45.9%	36 (33.0%)	40 (36.7%)	18 (16.5%)	5 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (8.3%)	11.2	214^th of 227 public high schools	5.7%		10.8	213^th of 220 public high schools	3.2%	1				1.4				13.8	20.0	3.3	0.0		$81,791	$2,291	$79,501
Long Reach High	Public	9-12	6101 Old Dobbin Ln	Columbia	21045	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-7117	1,334	97	13.7	37.6%	312 (23.4%)	367 (27.5%)	399 (29.9%)	154 (11.5%)	2 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	94 (7.0%)	40.6	110^th of 227 public high schools	51.5%		36.2	120^th of 220 public high schools	45.5%	10				14.2				62.8	62.8	3.6	22.1		$20,610	$892	$19,718
Guilford Park High	Public	9-12	8500 Ridgelys Run Rd	Jessup	20794	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(410) 313-7430	1,218	78	15.6	45.2%	222 (18.2%)	465 (38.2%)	300 (24.6%)	158 (13.0%)	2 (0.2%)	5 (0.4%)	63 (5.2%)	32	136^th of 227 public high schools	40.1%					(n/a)				10.8				53.8	53.8	8.1	12.8		$21,328	$961	$20,367

Frequently Asked Questions about Atholton High

What schools feed into Atholton High?

Atholton High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Clemens Crossing Elementary

How many students attend Atholton High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,540 students attended Atholton High.

Is Atholton High a good school?

Atholton High ranks 67^th of 227 Maryland high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Atholton High?

Students at Atholton High are 32% African American, 27% White, 19% Asian, 14% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races.

What district is Atholton High in?

Howard County 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.