Best Public Schools in Zip Code 20874

Zip code 20874 in Germantown, Maryland, is home to 14 schools within the Montgomery County Public Schools district, serving students from elementary through high school, including one alternative school.

The standout school in this area is Spark M. Matsunaga Elementary, a 5-star school that ranks in the 91st percentile statewide and dramatically outperforms district averages in both math and English Language Arts. For high school, Northwest High is the top performer with a 4-star rating, a 73% ELA proficiency rate, and a very low 3.2% dropout rate. In contrast, Seneca Valley High faces significant challenges with a critically low 3.8% math proficiency and an 8.2% dropout rate, highlighting a stark performance gap between the two high schools in the same zip code. Among middle schools, Kingsview Middle excels in advanced coursework, with 91.3% of students proficient in Geometry, far exceeding state averages.

A key takeaway is that higher spending per student does not guarantee better results. For instance, Lake Seneca Elementary spends $24,307 per student but has low performance, while Dr. Ronald E. McNair Elementary spends less and achieves strong math proficiency. Chronic absenteeism is a widespread issue, averaging 23.5% across standard schools, even affecting high-performing Northwest High at 29.7%. The Longview School is a clear outlier, serving a high-need population with only 59 students and a per-student spending of $90,036, making direct academic comparisons inappropriate.