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Best Public Schools in Zip Code 20817

At a glance

Schools

8,188

Students

5-star schools

Top rankedThomas W. Pyle Middle1^st of 339 Maryland middle schools

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Biggest riser

Burning Tree Elementary up 32 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Carderock Springs Elementary 13.3 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

5★

4★

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Summary:

The 10 public schools in zip code 20817 (Bethesda, MD) are part of the highly-rated Montgomery County Public Schools district and serve students from elementary through high school, creating a powerful pipeline of academic excellence. The standout school is Thomas W. Pyle Middle, which has achieved the #1 rank in Maryland for the 2025-2026 school year, with extraordinary proficiency rates of 75.9% in Math and 88.2% in ELA. A cluster of five elite elementary schools—Bannockburn Elementary (#7), Seven Locks Elementary (#8), Carderock Springs Elementary (#9), Bradley Hills Elementary (#10), and Wyngate Elementary (#32)—all earn 5-star ratings with Math and ELA proficiency rates above 70% and 80%, respectively. The only high school, Walt Whitman High, ranks in the top 10% of Maryland high schools with a 94.9% graduation rate and 83.7% ELA proficiency.

Key metrics reveal exceptional performance across the board, though with notable variations. The five elite elementary schools average 80.0% Math proficiency and 84.9% ELA proficiency, far exceeding district averages of 36.9% and 58.5%. However, Ashburton Elementary stands out as an outlier with a much higher free/reduced lunch rate (21.47%) and lower test scores (61.1% Math, 62.8% ELA), highlighting socioeconomic diversity within the same zip code. The most striking finding is the "Math Paradox" at Walt Whitman High, which has an 83.7% ELA proficiency rate but only 23.8% Math proficiency—a 60-point gap that contrasts sharply with its feeder middle schools, where Algebra I proficiency rates are 86.3% at Pyle and 76.5% at North Bethesda Middle.

Interesting takeaways include the exceptional performance in advanced middle school math, with Pyle students taking the Geometry exam achieving a 92.9% proficiency rate versus 44.5% statewide. Spending does not directly correlate with performance, as Carderock Springs Elementary has the highest per-student spending ($21,318) while Wyngate Elementary has the lowest ($15,297), yet both are top performers. The data paints a clear picture of a high-performing feeder system: the elite elementary schools feed into Pyle Middle (#1 in Maryland), which then feeds into Walt Whitman High (top 10% in Maryland), creating a continuous, high-achieving academic environment for students in this area.

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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 Geometry (2026)	MCAP Science (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 3rd Grade	MCAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 6th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MCAP Mathematics All Grades	MCAP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 10th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts All Grades	MCAP Algebra I End of Course	MCAP Geometry End of Course	MCAP Science 5th Grade	MCAP Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Ashburton Elementary	Public	K-5	6314 Lone Oak Dr	Bethesda	20817	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-1300	871	49	17.7	21.5%	289 (33.2%)	177 (20.3%)	166 (19.1%)	153 (17.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	83 (9.5%)	84.5	137^th of 864 public elementary schools	84.1%		84.9	140^th of 865 public elementary schools	83.8%	3	74.3	59.1	50.3				61.1	67.6	63.7	57.1					62.8			50.0		$16,391	$830	$15,561
Bannockburn Elementary	Public	K-5	6520 Dalroy Ln	Bethesda	20817	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-1270	446	26	17.2	4.0%	275 (61.7%)	25 (5.6%)	39 (8.7%)	70 (15.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (8.3%)	98.2	7^th of 864 public elementary schools	99.2%		99	2^nd of 865 public elementary schools	99.8%	5	91.4	76.0	80.6				81.4	84.5	88.3	85.9					86.5			72.2		$16,919	$858	$16,062
Bradley Hills Elementary	Public	K-5	8701 Hartsdale Ave	Bethesda	20817	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 204-5210	474	28	16.9	2.1%	306 (64.6%)	10 (2.1%)	44 (9.3%)	68 (14.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (9.7%)	97.8	10^th of 864 public elementary schools	98.8%		97.1	14^th of 865 public elementary schools	98.4%	4	91.0	82.3	73.5				81.6	87.0	85.3	81.3					84.3			66.7		$16,485	$914	$15,570
Burning Tree Elementary	Public	K-5	7900 Beech Tree Rd	Bethesda	20817	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-1750	479	34	13.9	8.6%	246 (51.4%)	45 (9.4%)	50 (10.4%)	100 (20.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	37 (7.7%)	94	44^th of 864 public elementary schools	94.9%		91.6	76^th of 865 public elementary schools	91.2%	32	77.9	65.8	68.7				70.4	79.1	69.7	73.2					73.8			66.3		$19,728	$1,083	$18,646
Carderock Springs Elementary	Public	K-5	7401 Persimmon Tree Lane	Bethesda	20817	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-0540	363	27	13.3	5.5%	204 (56.2%)	18 (5.0%)	43 (11.8%)	52 (14.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	45 (12.4%)	97.9	9^th of 864 public elementary schools	99.0%		98.3	5^th of 865 public elementary schools	99.4%	4	90.4	87.9	73.0				83.2	90.4	91.4	82.3					87.8			61.3		$21,318	$1,565	$19,752
Seven Locks Elementary	Public	K-5	9500 Seven Locks Road	Bethesda	20817	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-0940	376	25	14.8	7.2%	196 (52.1%)	25 (6.6%)	45 (12.0%)	81 (21.5%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.8%)	24 (6.4%)	98.1	8^th of 864 public elementary schools	99.1%		97.8	10^th of 865 public elementary schools	98.8%	2	91.7	75.4	84.7				83.5	85.0	83.8	87.9					85.5			71.2		$18,618	$780	$17,838
Walt Whitman High	Public	9-12	7100 Whittier Blvd	Bethesda	20817	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-4800	2,056	115	17.8	7.0%	1,164 (56.6%)	122 (5.9%)	257 (12.5%)	330 (16.1%)	1 (0.0%)	2 (0.1%)	175 (8.5%)	79.8	13^th of 227 public high schools	94.3%		82.4	8^th of 220 public high schools	96.4%	5							23.8							83.7	83.7	23.8				$17,926	$943	$16,983
Wyngate Elementary	Public	K-5	9300 Wadsworth Dr	Bethesda	20817	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-1080	640	37	17.1	3.4%	356 (55.6%)	32 (5.0%)	96 (15.0%)	80 (12.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	76 (11.9%)	95	32^nd of 864 public elementary schools	96.3%		95.4	34^th of 865 public elementary schools	96.1%	2	81.4	68.8	59.2				70.4	83.8	78.9	78.1					80.4			57.1		$15,297	$800	$14,497
North Bethesda Middle	Public	6-8	8935 Bradmoor Dr	Bethesda	20817	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-2100	1,224	72	17.0	15.9%	573 (46.8%)	163 (13.3%)	226 (18.5%)	152 (12.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	110 (9.0%)	92.1	21^st of 339 public middle schools	93.8%		92.8	20^th of 337 public middle schools	94.1%	1				58.1	41.9	6.1	57.9				81.2	82.4	75.1		79.6	76.5	82.0		54.2	$18,038	$884	$17,154
Thomas W. Pyle Middle	Public	6-8	6311 Wilson Lane	Bethesda	20817	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-3500	1,259	75	16.8	6.4%	687 (54.6%)	71 (5.6%)	189 (15.0%)	202 (16.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	106 (8.4%)	98.3	1^st of 339 public middle schools	99.7%		98.3	2^nd of 337 public middle schools	99.4%	1				77.1	57.9	22.2	75.9				88.8	87.6	88.1		88.2	86.3	92.9		76.5	$18,170	$958	$17,212

Cities Near Zip Code 20817

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Bethesda	0.57 mi	16	15^th
Potomac	2.66 mi	8	4^th
Rockville	3.07 mi	35	91^st
Kensington	3.21 mi	7	81^st
Chevy Chase	3.53 mi	4	29^th

See the top MD Maryland cities

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.