Best Public Schools in Zip Code 21050

Zip code 21050 in Forest Hill, Maryland, is served by two high-performing public elementary schools, Forest Hill Elementary and Forest Lakes Elementary, both part of the Harford County Public Schools district, which is ranked 11th out of 25 districts in the state.

Forest Hill Elementary stands out as the top school in the area, ranking 59th out of 864 Maryland elementary schools (93rd percentile) for the 2025-2026 school year, a significant jump from its 81st percentile ranking just two years prior. It outperforms Forest Lakes Elementary (ranked 125th, 86th percentile) in nearly every academic metric, including Math proficiency (62.6% vs. 54.9%), ELA proficiency (78.3% vs. 72.5%), and 5th-grade Science proficiency (58.7% vs. 52.0%). Both schools are academic powerhouses, with proficiency rates more than double the district and state averages. For instance, Forest Hill's Math proficiency is 2.2 times the district average of 28.4%. The schools have similar enrollment (451 and 447 students), student-teacher ratios (14.3 and 14.8), and nearly identical per-student spending (around $18,900), yet Forest Hill achieves notably better results, suggesting factors like teaching strategies or school culture drive the difference.

Both schools share a notable "3rd Grade Peak" pattern, where 3rd graders significantly outperform 4th and 5th graders in Math and ELA, which may indicate a highly effective primary curriculum or a shift in testing rigor. Chronic absenteeism is exceptionally low at both schools (7.6% and 7.2%), less than half the district average of 18.5%, reflecting strong community support. The low percentage of students receiving free/reduced lunch (15.7% at Forest Hill, 21.3% at Forest Lakes) is a well-documented predictor of high academic performance. Overall, families in zip code 21050 have access to two excellent elementary schools, with Forest Hill Elementary offering a slight edge in state ranking and academic outcomes.