Summary:
In zip code 21014, there is one high school, Bel Air High, serving grades 9 through 12 in Bel Air, Maryland, as part of the Harford County Public Schools district.
Bel Air High is a school of stark contrasts. It is a standout performer in English Language Arts (ELA), with 78.2% of students proficient in the 2025-2026 school year, far exceeding both the district (61.1%) and state (51.7%) averages. However, the school struggles significantly in mathematics, with only 20% of all students proficient, which is below the district (28.4%) and state (27.1%) rates. A particularly alarming data point is the 0% proficiency rate in Geometry for the same year, a critical red flag that warrants immediate attention. On a positive note, the school's state ranking has been improving, rising from the 62nd percentile to the 73rd percentile over the past two years, earning it a 4-star rating.
Despite a high graduation rate of 94.5%, the school faces a chronic absenteeism rate of 20.8%, meaning over one-fifth of students are missing substantial instructional time. This likely contributes to the poor math performance. With a per-student spending of $16,287 and a student-teacher ratio of 15.5:1, the school is not under-resourced, raising questions about how effectively these resources are allocated to address the math weakness while maintaining ELA strength. The school also has a relatively low percentage of students receiving free or reduced lunch at 22.74%.
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