Summary:
Zip code 20816 in Bethesda, Maryland, is home to a single, exceptional middle school, Westland Middle, which serves grades 6 through 8 and is part of the highly-rated Montgomery County Public Schools district.
Westland Middle is a standout school, consistently earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger and ranking in the top 10% of all Maryland middle schools for the past three years, currently placing 20th out of 339 schools. Its academic performance far exceeds both district and state averages. For the 2025-2026 school year, 75.8% of students were proficient in English Language Arts, compared to 58.5% for the district and 51.7% for the state. In mathematics, 56.6% of all students were proficient, versus 36.9% for the district and 27.1% for the state. The school is particularly exceptional in advanced math, with 76.7% proficiency in Algebra I and 88.6% in Geometry—rates that are more than triple the state averages. While 8th-grade math scores appear lower (15.0%), this is a common pattern in high-performing schools where top students take advanced math courses tested separately.
Beyond test scores, Westland Middle demonstrates a healthy school environment. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 13.8% is significantly lower than the district average of 22.6%, indicating strong student engagement. The school serves a relatively low percentage of economically disadvantaged students (17.52% free/reduced lunch) and invests $19,555 per student, which appears to yield strong academic returns. With a student-teacher ratio of 15.7:1, the school provides a supportive setting for its 839 students, making it a top choice for families in the area seeking a high-achieving middle school.
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