International High School @ Langley Park

International High School @ Langley Park in Bladensburg, MD, is a small high school serving 368 students in grades 9-12 within the Prince George's County Public Schools district, where over 97% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

This school stands out for its extremely low academic proficiency rates, which are the lowest among all nearby schools. Only 3.5% of students are proficient in math, compared to the district average of 13.7%, and just 16.1% are proficient in English Language Arts, less than half the district average of 38.9%. For context, nearby Bladensburg High has an ELA proficiency rate of 35.5%, more than double that of International High School @ Langley Park. The school also recorded a 0% proficiency rate in Geometry and only 2% in Algebra II. Despite these challenges, the school has a favorable student-teacher ratio of 12.4:1, the lowest among comparable schools like Duval High (which has a ratio of 15:1) and spends $26,145 per student, significantly higher than the district average.

Interestingly, the school shows positive trends in graduation rates and chronic absenteeism. The graduation rate climbed from 62.6% in 2020-2021 to 87.9% in 2024-2025, well above the district average of 78.9%. Chronic absenteeism dropped from 42.7% to 22.8% over the same period, far better than nearby Suitland High (56.2%) and Central High (57.6%). This suggests the school may be effectively keeping students on track to graduate and improving school engagement, even though academic test scores remain critically low. The high spending per student, combined with low proficiency, indicates that resources may be directed toward support services like counseling and language programs rather than direct academic instruction, reflecting the school's focus on serving a highly vulnerable population.