Summary:
The 12 public schools in zip code 21042 (Ellicott City, MD) are part of the highly-rated Howard County Public Schools district and serve students from elementary through high school, creating a powerful academic corridor in this suburban community.
The standout schools in this area form a clear "feeder pattern" of excellence. Triadelphia Ridge Elementary (ranked 20th in Maryland) leads all elementary schools in math (74.3%) and ELA (81.9%) proficiency, and it feeds into Folly Quarter Middle, the highest-ranked school in the zip code at 5th in Maryland. Folly Quarter boasts exceptional Algebra I proficiency (94.1%) and the highest overall middle school math (72.2%) and ELA (85.6%) scores. Similarly, Waverly Elementary and Centennial Lane Elementary feed into Burleigh Manor Middle (96th percentile), which then feeds into Centennial High (89th percentile). Mount Hebron High also performs strongly with a 93.7% graduation rate. The outlier is Homewood School, a specialized alternative school serving grades 6-12 with a fundamentally different mission, reflected in its high per-student spending ($81,791) and low traditional academic metrics.
Key metrics show the 11 traditional schools are uniformly excellent, all rated 4 or 5 stars. Elementary math proficiency averages 67.2% (versus 27.1% statewide), and middle school ELA averages 78.8% (versus 51.7% statewide). Chronic absenteeism is low, averaging 13.2% for traditional schools, with Triadelphia Ridge having the lowest rate at 6.9%. However, a notable weakness emerges in high school math: both Centennial High (34%) and Mount Hebron High (29.7%) score below the district average (42.1%), a significant drop from their feeder middle schools' exceptional math performance.
Thank you for your feedback!