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Best Public Schools in Zip Code 21043

At a glance

Schools

6,851

Students

5-star schools

Top rankedWorthington Elementary17^th of 864 Maryland elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Ellicott Mills Middle up 11 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Worthington Elementary 11.7 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

5★

4★

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Summary:

The nine public schools in zip code 21043 (Ellicott City, MD), part of the highly-rated Howard County Public Schools district, serve students from elementary through high school and consistently outperform state averages in academic achievement.

Worthington Elementary stands out as the top performer, ranking in the 98th percentile statewide with exceptional math (74.3% proficient) and ELA (85.2% proficient) scores, the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (9.0%), and the lowest percentage of students receiving free/reduced lunch (11.66%). Ellicott Mills Middle is a rising star, jumping to the 95th percentile and achieving 100% proficiency in Algebra II, while Ilchester Elementary delivers consistent high performance with the second-highest math proficiency (61.3%) among elementary schools. In contrast, Howard High presents a mixed picture: it leads the zip code in ELA proficiency (82.4%) and has a strong 93.7% graduation rate, but its overall math proficiency is the lowest (31.8%), dragged down by a very low Algebra I rate (8.6%).

Key metrics reveal a zip code average of 54.7% math proficiency and 69.6% ELA proficiency, far exceeding state averages of 27.1% and 51.7%, respectively. Chronic absenteeism averages 12.7%, well below the district's 17.4%, with Worthington Elementary and Ellicott Mills Middle having the lowest rates. Spending per student ranges from $17,633 to $23,142, with top performers like Worthington Elementary and Ilchester Elementary showing a correlation between higher spending and better outcomes, though Ellicott Mills Middle proves efficient resource allocation can also drive success. The middle schools excel in advanced math, with Patapsco Middle achieving 86.1% proficiency in Geometry, setting students up for high school success.

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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 Algebra II (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 Algebra II 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
Howard High	Public	9-12	8700 Old Annapolis Rd	Ellicott City	21043	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-2867	1,493	96	15.5	20.2%	518 (34.7%)	348 (23.3%)	94 (6.3%)	418 (28.0%)	2 (0.1%)	3 (0.2%)	108 (7.2%)	66.7	28^th of 227 public high schools	87.7%		62.9	33^rd of 220 public high schools	85.0%	5							31.8							82.4	82.4	8.6	40.1				$19,053	$880	$18,174
Patapsco Middle	Public	6-8	8885 Old Frederick Rd	Ellicott City	21043	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-2848	670	45	15.0	20.4%	222 (33.1%)	86 (12.8%)	67 (10.0%)	252 (37.6%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (5.7%)	87.9	37^th of 339 public middle schools	89.1%		88	41^st of 337 public middle schools	87.8%	4				49.1	29.3	14.1	51.1				75.5	69.5	68.8		71.4	73.8	100.0	86.1		55.4	$17,957	$726	$17,230
Worthington Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4570 Roundhill Rd	Ellicott City	21043	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-2825	403	34	11.7	11.7%	153 (38.0%)	51 (12.7%)	26 (6.5%)	142 (35.2%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (6.9%)	97.1	17^th of 864 public elementary schools	98.0%		97.4	11^th of 865 public elementary schools	98.7%	6	82.3	77.4	64.7				74.3	88.5	88.7	79.4					85.2				64.7		$23,142	$885	$22,257
Ilchester Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4981 Ilchester Rd	Ellicott City	21043	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-2524	482	38	12.6	13.7%	212 (44.0%)	58 (12.0%)	29 (6.0%)	132 (27.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	50 (10.4%)	88.4	101^st of 864 public elementary schools	88.3%		89.9	92^nd of 865 public elementary schools	89.4%	9	58.7	65.3	60.4				61.3	71.2	61.1	73.3					68.9				57.1		$21,779	$1,327	$20,452
Hollifield Station Elementary	Public	K-5	8701 Stonehouse Dr	Ellicott City	21043	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-2550	677	50	13.6	26.0%	144 (21.3%)	97 (14.3%)	110 (16.2%)	285 (42.1%)	6 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	34 (5.0%)	72.7	246^th of 864 public elementary schools	71.5%		81.2	167^th of 865 public elementary schools	80.7%	79	56.4	45.0	44.5				48.1	56.4	62.5	53.3					57.8				40.0		$18,629	$696	$17,933
Bonnie Branch Middle	Public	6-8	4979 Ilchester Rd	Ellicott City	21043	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-2580	739	53	14.0	29.2%	255 (34.5%)	171 (23.1%)	125 (16.9%)	143 (19.4%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (5.7%)	72.2	90^th of 339 public middle schools	73.5%		78.5	66^th of 337 public middle schools	80.4%	24				36.8	21.7	6.8	39.1				53.5	69.0	61.0		61.8	65.4		78.5		39.1	$18,541	$842	$17,699
Ellicott Mills Middle	Public	6-8	4445 Montgomery Rd	Ellicott City	21043	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-2839	698	49	14.3	14.6%	197 (28.2%)	111 (15.9%)	39 (5.6%)	300 (43.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (7.0%)	93.8	17^th of 339 public middle schools	95.0%		91.7	28^th of 337 public middle schools	91.7%	11				54.8	43.0	13.4	54.3				78.6	80.2	80.4		79.8	72.0	100.0	66.3		64.3	$17,633	$822	$16,811
Bellows Spring Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	8125 Old Stockbridge Dr	Ellicott City	21043	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-5057	806	64	12.5	26.3%	146 (18.1%)	256 (31.8%)	79 (9.8%)	274 (34.0%)	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	45 (5.6%)	75.9	218^th of 864 public elementary schools	74.8%		80.3	177^th of 865 public elementary schools	79.5%	41	57.3	57.9	46.7				54.2	57.7	68.6	49.5					59.1				38.7		$19,642	$925	$18,717
Veterans Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4355 Montgomery Road	Ellicott City	21043	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-1700	883	68	13.0	27.5%	193 (21.9%)	166 (18.8%)	82 (9.3%)	367 (41.6%)	7 (0.8%)	3 (0.3%)	65 (7.4%)	76.8	209^th of 864 public elementary schools	75.8%		81.8	162^nd of 865 public elementary schools	81.3%	47	58.8	44.5	45.5				49.2	64.1	52.6	60.6					58.9				53.0		$17,839	$979	$16,861

Cities Near Zip Code 21043

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Ellicott City	0.86 mi	22	55^th
Columbia	2.63 mi	23	136^th
Catonsville	4.02 mi	3	115^th
Baltimore	4.06 mi	278	222^nd
Elkridge	5.42 mi	6	105^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.