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

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its Maryland rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

Be the first to know when we post new rankings!

Guilford Park High

Q: Is Guilford Park High a good school?

Guilford Park High ranks 135 th of 227 Maryland high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

135^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 227 Maryland High Schools

Better than 41% of Maryland high schools

Summary

Guilford Park High in Jessup, MD, serves 1,218 students in grades 9-12 and is part of the highly-regarded Howard County Public Schools district, but it faces significant challenges that set it apart from its neighbors.

The most critical issue is a catastrophic graduation rate of just 16.6% for the 2024-2025 school year, paired with a dropout rate of 41.6%—over eight times the district average. This is an outlier even among struggling nearby schools: Oakland Mills High has an 84.9% graduation rate, and Laurel High in Prince George's County has a 73.9% rate. Academic performance is also uneven. While English Language Arts proficiency is a respectable 53.8% (above the state average), math proficiency is critically low at just 10.8%, compared to the district average of 42.1%. The Algebra I exam proficiency rate is a mere 8.1%. This extreme gap between literacy and math suggests a breakdown in math instruction or student preparedness that is not seen at nearby schools like Howard High or Reservoir High.

Compounding these issues, the school is undergoing a rapid demographic shift, with the percentage of students eligible for free/reduced lunch jumping from 27.34% to 45.16% in just one year—now the second-highest rate among Howard County schools. Despite spending $21,328 per student—the highest in the comparison group and more than top-performing schools like Howard High ($19,053)—the school is not seeing results. Chronic absenteeism at 29.1% is high but not the worst in the area (Wilde Lake High is at 37.5%), yet those schools have far higher graduation rates. This indicates that Guilford Park's struggles go beyond attendance, pointing to a systemic crisis in student retention and support that the current high spending is not addressing.

1,218

Students ?

15.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,328

Per pupil spending ?

45.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

8500 Ridgelys Run Rd
Jessup, MD 20794

(410) 313-7430

District: Howard County Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

African American:

38.2%

Hispanic:

24.6%

White:

18.2%

See top rated Maryland high schools

Compare Guilford Park High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Maryland average (21% vs 38% meeting standards)

!Mathematics scores 16 pts below the Maryland average

!Near the bottom of Howard County Public Schools's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school21%

District avg51%

Maryland avg38%

135^th of 227

Maryland public high schools ?

Bottom 41%

See the entire ranking list of Maryland High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

4^th of 25Howard County Public Schools among Maryland districts

By subject vs Maryland (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts54%~ state avg

Algebra II13%-14 vs state

Mathematics11%-16 vs state

Algebra I8%-13 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Guilford Park High and help other families decide.

Rate Guilford Park 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

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Guilford Park High

Load more schools when map is moved

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)	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	MCAP Geometry End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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
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
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
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
Meade High	Public, Magnet	9-12	1100 Clark Road	Fort Meade	20755	Anne Arundel County	Anne Arundel County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(410) 674-7710	2,045	129	15.8	53.1%	203 (9.9%)	965 (47.2%)	649 (31.7%)	70 (3.4%)	3 (0.1%)	8 (0.4%)	143 (7.0%)	36.4	123^rd of 227 public high schools	45.8%		39.3	108^th of 220 public high schools	50.9%	15	4.6	58.4	58.4	4.6			$16,441	$1,355	$15,085
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
Laurel High	Public, Magnet	9-12	8000 Cherry Ln	Laurel	20707	Prince George's County	Prince George's County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(301) 497-2050	2,129	115	18.5	95.7%	56 (2.6%)	977 (45.9%)	1,002 (47.1%)	55 (2.6%)	6 (0.3%)	2 (0.1%)	31 (1.5%)	22.9	167^th of 227 public high schools	26.4%		31.5	133^rd of 220 public high schools	39.5%	34	8.8	41.0	41.0	8.8		8.1	$17,553	$1,036	$16,517
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
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	65^th of 227 public high schools	71.4%		47.7	79^th of 220 public high schools	64.1%	14	21.5	73.2	73.2	6.4	28.3		$17,951	$816	$17,135

Frequently Asked Questions about Guilford Park High

What district is Guilford Park High in?

Howard County Public Schools

How many students attend Guilford Park High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,218 students attended Guilford Park High.

Is Guilford Park High a good school?

Guilford Park High ranks 135^th of 227 Maryland high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Guilford Park High?

Students at Guilford Park High are 38% African American, 25% Hispanic, 18% White, 13% Asian, 5% Two or more races.

Rate Guilford Park High!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

MDMaryland High School Rankings

MDMaryland District Rankings

Schools in Jessup, MD

Sign up for updates!

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

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.