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Howard High

Q: Is Howard High a good school?

Howard High ranks 28 th of 227 Maryland high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

28^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 227 Maryland High Schools

Better than 88% of Maryland high schools

Summary

Howard High in Ellicott City, MD, is a large, high-performing public high school serving 1,493 students in grades 9-12 within the top-rated Howard County Public Schools district, which is ranked 4th in Maryland.

Howard High stands out for its exceptional academic performance, particularly in English Language Arts (ELA), where 82.4% of students are proficient—far exceeding the district average of 65.9% and the state average of 51.7%. This is the highest ELA proficiency rate among nearby schools, including Centennial High (84.2%) and significantly outperforming schools like Wilde Lake High (54%) and Oakland Mills High (61.9%). In mathematics, Howard shows a strong upward trend, with overall proficiency rising from 18.7% to 31.8% over recent years, making it the second-highest among nearby schools after Centennial High. Notably, Howard excels in Algebra II, with 40.1% of students proficient—the only school in the comparison group to exceed both the district (31%) and state (27.1%) averages. The school also boasts a low chronic absenteeism rate of 19.4%, better than many peers like Wilde Lake High (37.5%) and Long Reach High (28.3%).

An interesting finding is the "Algebra I paradox"—only 8.6% of Howard students are proficient in Algebra I, a district-wide issue also seen at Centennial High (10.2%) and Hammond High (9%), suggesting a systemic challenge in how the subject is taught or assessed. Despite this, Howard achieves strong results with lower per-student spending ($19,053) than several lower-performing schools in the district, such as Wilde Lake High ($21,629) and Oakland Mills High ($20,779), indicating effective resource allocation. The school also dramatically outperforms Catonsville High in the neighboring Baltimore County Public Schools district, where math proficiency is just 6% and ELA proficiency is 65.8%. With a graduation rate of 93.7% and a low dropout rate of 3.3%, Howard High is a top-tier choice for families seeking strong academics and a supportive learning environment.

1,493

Students ?

15.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,053

Per pupil spending ?

20.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

8700 Old Annapolis Rd
Ellicott City, MD 21043-6920

(410) 313-2867

District: Howard County Public Schools

Feeder schools for Howard High:

Elementary:	Ilchester Elementary
	Phelps Luck Elementary
	Worthington Elementary
Middle:	Bonnie Branch Middle
	Ellicott Mills Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

34.7%

Asian:

28.0%

African American:

23.3%

See top rated Maryland high schools

Compare Howard High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 78th percentile in 2015 → 88th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Maryland average (46% vs 38% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 12% of Maryland high schools

✓94% graduate within 4 years

Worth a look

!Algebra I scores 13 pts below the Maryland average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school46%

District avg51%

Maryland avg38%

28^th of 227

Maryland public high schools ?

Top 12%▲ up 12 pts since 2016

From top 24% (2016) to top 12% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 14High 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
2026	66.7	28 of 227	87.7%	★★★★☆
2025	62.9	33 of 220	85.0%	★★★★☆
2024	58.7	35 of 146	76.0%	★★★★☆
2023	47.0	62 of 127	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.9	51 of 225	77.3%	★★★★☆
2019	64.7	36 of 138	73.9%	★★★★☆
2018	60.2	51 of 197	74.1%	★★★★☆
2017	70.3	29 of 180	83.9%	★★★★☆
2016	67.7	56 of 233	76.0%	★★★★☆
2015	67.3	51 of 233	78.1%	★★★★☆
2014	82.6	9 of 231	96.1%	★★★★★
2013	86.2	5 of 185	97.3%	★★★★★
2012	84.5	8 of 187	95.7%	★★★★★
2011	84.7	17 of 183	90.7%	★★★★★
2010	80.5	29 of 220	86.8%	★★★★☆
2009	81.7	17 of 213	92.0%	★★★★★
2008	83.0	15 of 214	93.0%	★★★★★
2007	79.0	17 of 209	91.9%	★★★★★
2006	70.5	44 of 204	78.4%	★★★★☆
2005	69.9	27 of 204	86.8%	★★★★☆
2004	56.1	42 of 201	79.1%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Maryland (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts82%+31 vs state

Algebra II40%+13 vs state

Mathematics32%+5 vs state

Algebra I9%-13 vs state

★

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Schools Near Howard 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)	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 All Grades	MCAP English Language Arts 10th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts All Grades	MCAP Algebra I End of Course	MCAP Algebra II End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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
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	109^th of 227 public high schools	52.0%		36.2	120^th of 220 public high schools	45.5%	11	14.2	62.8	62.8	3.6	22.1	$20,610	$892	$19,718
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	126^th of 227 public high schools	44.5%		35.2	121^st of 220 public high schools	45.0%	5	7.8	61.9	61.9	6.2	9.2	$20,779	$1,052	$19,727
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%)	30.2	143^rd of 227 public high schools	37.0%		32.1	131^st of 220 public high schools	40.5%	12	7.9	54.0	54.0	2.7	12.4	$21,629	$1,004	$20,625
Centennial High	Public	9-12	4300 Centennial Ln	Ellicott City	21042	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-2856	1,377	81	17.0	18.5%	455 (33.0%)	185 (13.4%)	107 (7.8%)	547 (39.7%)	3 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	74 (5.4%)	68.5	25^th of 227 public high schools	89.0%		70.6	23^rd of 220 public high schools	89.5%	2	34.0	84.2	84.2	10.2	43.2	$17,982	$875	$17,107
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
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)
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	66^th of 227 public high schools	70.9%		53.6	58^th of 220 public high schools	73.6%	8	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	81^st of 227 public high schools	64.3%		51.3	70^th of 220 public high schools	68.2%	11	12.8	77.1	77.1	9.0	15.6	$20,375	$1,025	$19,351
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	135^th of 227 public high schools	40.5%					(n/a)	10.8	53.8	53.8	8.1	12.8	$21,328	$961	$20,367

Frequently Asked Questions about Howard High

Is Howard High a good school?

Howard High ranks 28^th of 227 Maryland high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Howard High?

Students at Howard High are 35% White, 28% Asian, 23% African American, 7% Two or more races, 6% Hispanic.

What schools feed into Howard High?

Howard High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Ilchester Elementary
Elementary : Phelps Luck Elementary
Elementary : Worthington Elementary
Middle : Bonnie Branch Middle
Middle : Ellicott Mills Middle

How many students attend Howard High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,493 students attended Howard High.

What district is Howard High in?

Howard County Public Schools

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Latest Maryland data All new data »

2025–26 MCAP test scoresNewJul 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.