Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Atholton High

Q: Is Atholton High a good school?

Atholton High ranks 58 th of 220 Maryland high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

58^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 220 Maryland High Schools

Better than 74% of Maryland high schools

Summary

Atholton High is a public high school located in Columbia, Maryland, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 1,498 students. It is part of the Howard County Public Schools district, which is ranked 4 out of 25 in the state of Maryland and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Academically, Atholton High has consistently ranked in the top 50 high schools in Maryland, with strong performance in English Language Arts, where 76.3% of students are proficient or better. However, the school's Mathematics performance, with only 17.5% of students proficient or better, is significantly lower than the district and state averages. Atholton High's graduation rate is high, ranging from 92.5% to 94.7%, but it has a relatively high chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 17.3% to 21.5%, which may be contributing to its academic challenges.

Compared to nearby high-performing schools like Centennial High, River Hill High, and Howard High, Atholton High's academic performance, particularly in Mathematics, is lower. This trend suggests a potential correlation between socioeconomic factors and academic achievement, as schools with higher percentages of economically disadvantaged students tend to have lower performance in Mathematics. Addressing these areas could potentially lead to improved overall academic outcomes for Atholton High.

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: Declining — 87th percentile in 2014 → 74th in 2025

Strengths

✓95% graduate within 4 years

✓Above the Maryland median (74th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 13 percentile points since 2014

!Algebra I scores 14 pts below the Maryland average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school33%

District avg51%

Maryland avg37%

58^th of 220

Maryland public high schools ?

Top 26%▼ down 15 pts since 2015

From top 12% (2015) to top 26% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 13High Schools in the Howard County Public Schools

4^th of 25Howard 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
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 (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts76%+26 vs state

Algebra II22%~ state avg

Mathematics18%-9 vs state

Algebra I7%-14 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

Rate Atholton High

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

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

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MCAP Mathematics (2025)		MCAP English Language Arts (2025)			MCAP Algebra I (2025)	MCAP Algebra II (2025)	MCAP Science (2025)	MCAP Social Studies (2025)	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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MCAP Mathematics All Grades	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	MCAP Social Studies 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%)	53.6	58^th of 220 public high schools	73.6%		44.9	73^rd of 146 public high schools	50.0%	15		17.5		76.3	76.3	7.1	22.1			$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%)	51.3	70^th of 220 public high schools	68.2%		39.5	91^st of 146 public high schools	37.7%	21		13.5		78.4	78.4	5.5	20.7			$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%)	32.1	131^st of 220 public high schools	40.5%		36.7	98^th of 146 public high schools	32.9%	33		7.8		55.3	55.3	5.1	9.6			$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%)	35.2	121^st of 220 public high schools	45.0%		32.9	114^th of 146 public high schools	21.9%	7		5.8		63.7	63.7	3.1	7.6			$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%)	47.7	79^th of 220 public high schools	64.1%		49.9	57^th of 146 public high schools	61.0%	22		15.0		71.6	71.6	8.1	19.5			$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%)	78.4	12^th of 220 public high schools	94.5%		81.2	6^th of 146 public high schools	95.9%	6		41.3		88.1	88.1	11.4	48.1			$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%)	10.8	213^th of 220 public high schools	3.2%		14.1	139^th of 146 public high schools	4.8%	74	0.0	0.0	15.4	17.6	16.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	16.7	$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%)	36.2	120^th of 220 public high schools	45.5%		36	100^th of 146 public high schools	31.5%	20		8.6		61.2	61.2	1.5	14.1			$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%)								(n/a)		11.9		57.7	57.7	9.3	14.0			$21,328	$961	$20,367

Frequently Asked Questions about Atholton High

What district is Atholton High in?

Howard County Public Schools

Is Atholton High a good school?

Atholton High ranks 58^th of 220 Maryland high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Atholton High?

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

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 schools feed into Atholton High?

Atholton High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Clemens Crossing Elementary

Rate Atholton High!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

MDMaryland High School Rankings

MDMaryland District Rankings

Schools in Columbia, MD

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Atholton High!

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.