Best Public Schools in Zip Code 21104

Zip code 21104 in Marriottsville, MD, is home to two standout schools within the highly-ranked Howard County Public Schools district: Marriotts Ridge High School (grades 9-12) and Mount View Middle School (grades 6-8). Both schools have earned 5-star ratings, but they excel in different academic areas, making this a compelling area for families focused on high achievement.

Mount View Middle School is an academic powerhouse, ranking 3rd out of 339 middle schools in Maryland. Its overall math proficiency of 72% is nearly double the district average and almost triple the state average, while its English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency stands at 83.9%. The school is exceptionally effective at accelerating students into high school-level math, with students taking Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry achieving proficiency rates of 93-95%. In contrast, Marriotts Ridge High School ranks 18th out of 227 high schools and is a national-caliber school for ELA, with 89.5% proficiency. However, its math proficiency of 36.4% falls below the district average of 42.1%, creating a notable gap where students not on advanced math tracks may struggle with standard assessments.

Chronic absenteeism is a key differentiator between the two schools. Mount View Middle has an exceptionally low rate of 7.0%, less than half the district average of 17.4%, which likely supports its high academic performance. Meanwhile, Marriotts Ridge High has a rate of 15.4%, more than double that of its feeder middle school, suggesting a potential challenge in student engagement during the transition to high school. Both schools serve relatively affluent populations, with low free/reduced lunch rates of 9.3% and 15.5%, respectively, and Marriotts Ridge spends $1,532 more per student than Mount View, though this higher spending does not translate to higher overall test scores.