Best High Schools in Zip Code 21214

In zip code 21214, four high schools within the Baltimore City Public Schools district serve approximately 1,726 students, all facing significant socioeconomic challenges with over 70% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch.

The standout school for positive outcomes is City Neighbors High, which boasts an exceptional 94.9% graduation rate—far exceeding the district average of 71.7%—despite having the lowest math proficiency in the group at just 1%. In stark contrast, Achievement Academy at Harbor City High faces critical challenges with an 8.0% graduation rate, a 55.2% dropout rate, and the highest spending per student at $42,618. Reginald F. Lewis High has the highest math proficiency at 9.9% but a graduation rate of only 58.6%, while Baltimore Revolutionary Academy for Virtual Education is the only school exceeding the district average in English Language Arts proficiency at 42.4% and has the lowest chronic absenteeism rate at 31.2%.

Chronic absenteeism emerges as the most critical predictor of success: the two schools with the highest absenteeism—Reginald F. Lewis High at 85.8% and Achievement Academy at Harbor City High at 93.8%—have the lowest graduation rates, while the two schools with lower absenteeism (City Neighbors High at 38.5% and Baltimore Revolutionary Academy at 31.2%) achieve significantly higher graduation rates of 94.9% and 80.2%, respectively. This data reveals that a school's ability to keep students engaged and attending class is more strongly linked to graduation success than standardized test scores, highlighting the diverse challenges and outcomes within this single zip code.