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Northwood High

Q: Is Northwood High a good school?

Northwood High ranks 107 th of 227 Maryland high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades 9-12

107^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 227 Maryland High Schools

Better than 53% of Maryland high schools

Summary

Northwood High in Rockville, MD, is a public high school serving 1,654 students in grades 9-12 as part of the Montgomery County Public Schools district, and it presents a complex picture of both significant challenges and notable bright spots for parents to consider.

The most pressing concern at Northwood is a crisis in mathematics, where only 2.6% of students were proficient in the 2025-2026 school year—a stark contrast to the district average of 36.9% and far below nearby schools like Walt Whitman High (23.8%) and Winston Churchill High (10.3%). This is compounded by exceptionally high chronic absenteeism, with 46.4% of students missing significant school, and a dropout rate that spiked to 13.7% in 2024-2025. These issues are particularly striking when compared to Walter Johnson High, located just one mile away, which has a 4.5% dropout rate and 93.5% graduation rate. However, Northwood's English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency is a clear strength, with 59.6% of students meeting standards—above the state average and comparable to schools like Wheaton High (59.5%) and Albert Einstein High (59.7%).

Despite these difficulties, Northwood has shown an upward trend in its state ranking, moving from the 37th percentile in 2021-2022 to the 53rd percentile in 2025-2026, likely driven by steady gains in ELA. The school also spends more per student ($20,165) than many high-performing neighbors, suggesting that funding alone is not the solution. For parents, the key takeaway is that Northwood offers strong literacy instruction but faces systemic challenges in math and student attendance that require careful consideration, especially when compared to the high-performing options just a few miles away.

1,654

Students ?

14.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,165

Per pupil spending ?

58.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

11211 Old Georgetown Rd
Rockville, MD 20852

(240) 740-6950

District: Montgomery County Public Schools

Feeder schools for Northwood High:

Elementary:	Arcola Elementary
	Bel Pre Elementary
	Brookhaven Elementary
	East Silver Spring Elementary
	More...
	Flora M. Singer Elementary
	Forest Knolls Elementary
	Georgian Forest Elementary
	Glen Haven Elementary
	Glenallan Elementary
	Harmony Hills Elementary
	Highland Elementary
	Highland View Elementary
	Kemp Mill Elementary
	Montgomery Knolls Elementary
	New Hampshire Estates Elementary
	Oak View Elementary
	Oakland Terrace Elementary
	Pine Crest Elementary
	Piney Branch Elementary
	Rock View Elementary
	Rolling Terrace Elementary
	Sargent Shriver Elementary
	Sligo Creek Elementary
	Strathmore Elementary
	Takoma Park Elementary
	Viers Mill Elementary
	Weller Road Elementary
	Wheaton Woods Elementary
	Woodlin Elementary
Middle:	A. Mario Loiederman Middle
	Argyle Middle
	Eastern Middle
	Newport Mill Middle
	More...
	Odessa Shannon Middle
	Parkland Middle
	Silver Spring International Middle
	Sligo Middle
	Takoma Park Middle

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

59.4%

African American:

23.2%

White:

10.5%

See top rated Maryland high schools

Compare Northwood High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 31st percentile in 2010 → 53rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 22 percentile points since 2010

✓Above the Maryland median (53rd percentile)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Maryland average (28% vs 38% meeting standards)

!Mathematics scores 25 pts below the Maryland average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school28%

District avg47%

Maryland avg38%

107^th of 227

Maryland public high schools ?

Top 47%▲ up 19 pts since 2016

From bottom 34% (2016) to top 47% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

18^th of 26High Schools in the Montgomery County Public Schools

8^th of 25Montgomery 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	40.8	107 of 227	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	34.1	126 of 220	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.1	142 of 225	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	35.9	154 of 233	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	35.9	163 of 233	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2014	47.8	155 of 231	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	24.0	151 of 185	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	33.0	138 of 187	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	29.1	142 of 183	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	46.1	152 of 220	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2009	48.2	141 of 213	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	48.6	140 of 214	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2007	44.6	126 of 209	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2006	42.6	129 of 204	36.8%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Maryland (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts60%+8 vs state

Mathematics3%-25 vs state

Algebra I3%-19 vs state

3.0

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by a student
Thursday, October 4, 2018

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Schools Near Northwood 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)	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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Northwood High	Public, Magnet	9-12	11211 Old Georgetown Rd	Rockville	20852	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(240) 740-6950	1,654	117	14.1	58.4%	173 (10.5%)	383 (23.2%)	983 (59.4%)	62 (3.7%)	4 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	39 (2.4%)	40.8	107^th of 227 public high schools	52.9%		34.1	126^th of 220 public high schools	42.7%	19	2.6	59.6	59.6	2.6	$20,165	$1,326	$18,839
Rock Terrace School	Public	6-12	11400 Marcliff Rd	Rockville	20852	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-4650	77	21	3.5	49.4%	18 (23.4%)	25 (32.5%)	22 (28.6%)	10 (13.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.6%)								(n/a)					$84,418	$5,196	$79,222
Walter Johnson High	Public	9-12	6400 Rock Spring Dr	Bethesda	20814	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-6900	3,016	167	18.0	19.8%	1,342 (44.5%)	477 (15.8%)	577 (19.1%)	389 (12.9%)	9 (0.3%)	3 (0.1%)	204 (6.8%)	73.7	17^th of 227 public high schools	92.5%		76.3	15^th of 220 public high schools	93.2%	2	7.7	85.1	85.1	7.7	$16,379	$937	$15,442
Winston Churchill High	Public	9-12	11300 Gainsborough Rd	Potomac	20854	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-5400	2,185	120	18.2	10.9%	869 (39.8%)	244 (11.2%)	191 (8.7%)	717 (32.8%)	3 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	149 (6.8%)	84.9	7^th of 227 public high schools	96.9%		84.8	5^th of 220 public high schools	97.7%	2	10.3	91.5	91.5	10.3	$18,087	$1,191	$16,896
Albert Einstein High	Public, Magnet	9-12	11135 Newport Mill Rd	Kensington	20895	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(240) 740-2700	1,991	134	14.8	42.4%	453 (22.8%)	318 (16.0%)	967 (48.6%)	135 (6.8%)	5 (0.3%)	2 (0.1%)	93 (4.7%)	45.2	88^th of 227 public high schools	61.2%		53.8	57^th of 220 public high schools	74.1%	31	10.1	59.7	59.7	10.1	$19,371	$1,200	$18,171
Richard Montgomery High	Public, Magnet	9-12	250 Richard Montgomery Dr	Rockville	20852	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(240) 740-6100	2,366	134	17.6	29.3%	653 (27.6%)	367 (15.5%)	627 (26.5%)	555 (23.5%)	7 (0.3%)	1 (0.0%)	143 (6.0%)	63.5	34^th of 227 public high schools	85.0%		63	32^nd of 220 public high schools	85.5%	2	4.3	73.5	73.5	4.3	$17,472	$1,056	$16,417
Wheaton High	Public, Magnet	9-12	12401 Dalewood Dr	Silver Spring	20906	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(301) 321-3400	2,794	172	16.2	56.6%	269 (9.6%)	537 (19.2%)	1,656 (59.3%)	257 (9.2%)	4 (0.1%)	1 (0.0%)	66 (2.4%)	38.3	119^th of 227 public high schools	47.6%		40.1	107^th of 220 public high schools	51.4%	12	13.1	59.5	59.5	13.1	$17,330	$1,092	$16,237
Rockville High	Public, Magnet	9-12	2100 Baltimore Rd	Rockville	20851	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(240) 740-6600	1,550	105	14.7	46.7%	336 (21.7%)	229 (14.8%)	723 (46.6%)	173 (11.2%)	3 (0.2%)	3 (0.2%)	80 (5.2%)	49.3	71^st of 227 public high schools	68.7%		58.8	42^nd of 220 public high schools	80.9%	29	6.5	68.8	68.8	6.5	$21,353	$1,369	$19,983
Thomas Edison High School of Technology	Public	9-12	12501 Dalewood Dr	Silver Spring	20906	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-2000	0	32	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Alternative Programs	Public	6-12	14501 Avery Road	Rockville	20853	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-5000	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	8.7	223^rd of 227 public high schools	1.8%					(n/a)	0.0	21.7	21.7	0.0

Frequently Asked Questions about Northwood High

Is Northwood High a good school?

Northwood High ranks 107^th of 227 Maryland high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Northwood High in?

Montgomery County Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Northwood High?

Students at Northwood High are 59% Hispanic, 23% African American, 10% White, 4% Asian, 2% Two or more races.

How many students attend Northwood High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,654 students attended Northwood High.

What schools feed into Northwood High?

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Schools in Rockville, MD

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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.