Summary:
Zip code 21043 in Ellicott City, Maryland, is home to one high school, Howard High, which serves grades 9 through 12 with an enrollment of 1,493 students as part of the highly-rated Howard County Public Schools district.
Howard High is a standout school with a strong upward trajectory, moving from the 76th percentile in state rankings to the 88th percentile over the last three years. The school excels in English Language Arts, with an 82.4% proficiency rate that far exceeds both the district (65.9%) and state (51.7%) averages. It also boasts a high graduation rate of 93.7% and a low dropout rate of 3.3%. However, the school presents a "math paradox": while overall math proficiency is 31.8% (below the district's 42.1%), Algebra II proficiency is a strong 40.1% (above the district's 31%). This suggests that students who reach advanced math perform very well, while those taking Algebra I—likely a broader group—struggle significantly, with only 8.6% proficient. The school benefits from relatively low poverty (20.23% free/reduced lunch) and high per-student spending of $19,053, which supports its overall strong performance.
One interesting finding is that despite a high graduation rate, nearly 1 in 5 students (19.4%) are chronically absent, which is slightly above the district average of 17.4%. This indicates that while the school has effective support systems to help students graduate, absenteeism remains an area to watch. Overall, Howard High is a top-performing school with clear strengths in literacy and advanced math, but it has a specific weakness in foundational Algebra I that parents should be aware of when considering course placement and support.
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