Summary:
Zip code 21117 in Owings Mills, Maryland, is served by two public high schools, New Town High and Owings Mills High, both part of the Baltimore County Public Schools district, and they present a stark contrast in performance and student outcomes.
New Town High is the clear standout, boasting a strong 92.6% graduation rate and a low 4.2% dropout rate, significantly outperforming its local counterpart. While its test scores are below state averages, it achieves notably higher English Language Arts proficiency (42.4%) compared to Owings Mills High (27.9%). In contrast, Owings Mills High is a school of serious concern, ranking in the 7th percentile statewide with a 68.4% graduation rate, a staggering 26.3% dropout rate, and a 44.4% chronic absenteeism rate. This indicates a severe crisis of student engagement, as nearly half the student body is chronically absent and over a quarter leaves school entirely.
A key finding is the spending paradox: Owings Mills High spends $1,649 more per student ($18,539 vs. $16,890) and has a lower student-to-teacher ratio (13.5 vs. 19.6) than New Town High, yet it performs dramatically worse across nearly all metrics. This suggests that deeper socioeconomic and engagement issues, rather than a lack of resources, are driving the poor outcomes. An interesting outlier is that Owings Mills High excels in Algebra II, with 38.5% proficiency—far above both the district and state averages—warranting further investigation into that specific program. Overall, families in this zip code face a clear choice between a stable, higher-performing school and one struggling with fundamental retention and achievement challenges.
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