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Best Public Schools in Zip Code 21218

At a glance

Schools

7,021

Students

5-star school

Top rankedBaltimore City College8^th of 227 Maryland high schools

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Biggest riser

Margaret Brent Elementary/Middle up 67 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Dallas F. Nicholas Senior Elementary 13 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

5★

1★

0★

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Summary:

The 12 schools in Baltimore's 21218 zip code, all part of the Baltimore City Public Schools district, serve a predominantly high-needs population with an average free/reduced lunch rate of 78.5%, and include seven elementary schools, two middle schools, and three high schools.

The standout performer is Baltimore City College, a high school ranked in the 96th percentile statewide with 85% English proficiency and 46.7% math proficiency, dramatically outperforming the area's average of 25% and 9.4% respectively. In stark contrast, Stadium School (1st percentile among middle schools) and The Reach! Partnership School (3rd percentile among high schools) represent the lowest-performing schools. Among elementary/middle schools, Margaret Brent Elementary/Middle shows relative strength with 19.7% math proficiency and the lowest poverty rate (60%), while Barclay Elementary/Middle achieves 37.1% English proficiency, exceeding the district average.

Chronic absenteeism is the defining crisis, averaging 50.1% across the zip code, with The Reach! Partnership School (79.8%) and Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High (76.5%) having the highest rates, while Baltimore City College has the lowest (21.7%). Notably, higher spending does not correlate with success—the three highest-spending schools (Dallas F. Nicholas Senior Elementary at $33,806, Stadium School at $30,471, and Barclay Elementary/Middle at $25,600) are among the lowest-performing, while the highest-performing school has the lowest spending ($18,604). This suggests that school culture and student engagement, not financial input, are the primary drivers of success in this area.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MCAP Mathematics (2026)							MCAP English Language Arts (2026)								MCAP Algebra I (2026)	MCAP Science (2026)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCAP Mathematics 3rd Grade	MCAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 6th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MCAP Mathematics All Grades	MCAP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 10th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts All Grades	MCAP Algebra I End of Course	MCAP Science 5th Grade	MCAP Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Abbottston Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1300 Gorsuch Avenue	Baltimore	21218	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(443) 984-2685	330	25	13.4	81.8%	9 (2.7%)	266 (80.6%)	47 (14.2%)	3 (0.9%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	13.4	776^th of 864 public elementary schools	10.2%		11.7	812^th of 865 public elementary schools	6.1%	36	15.4	7.3	15.3				13.2	26.9	7.3	22.4					19.9		6.8		$26,177	$5,389	$20,788
Baltimore City College	Public	9-12	3220 The Alameda	Baltimore	21218	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 396-6557	1,470	79	18.6	52.1%	207 (14.1%)	986 (67.1%)	207 (14.1%)	23 (1.6%)	3 (0.2%)	3 (0.2%)	36 (2.4%)	83.9	8^th of 227 public high schools	96.5%		65.1	30^th of 220 public high schools	86.4%	22							46.7							85.0	85.0	46.7			$18,604	$4,067	$14,537
Barclay Elementary/Middle	Public	PK, KG-8	2900 Barclay Street	Baltimore	21218	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-6387	373	28	13.5	82.3%	13 (3.5%)	263 (70.5%)	86 (23.1%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.6%)	22.7	651^st of 864 public elementary schools	24.7%		18.7	705^th of 865 public elementary schools	18.5%	54	11.1	13.9	7.3	5.4	2.4	10.4	8.3	41.7	13.9	34.1	50.0	34.9	45.8		37.1		12.2	16.7	$25,600	$5,214	$20,386
Cecil Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2000 Cecil Avenue	Baltimore	21218	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-6385	348	22	15.8	85.1%	3 (0.9%)	328 (94.3%)	10 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.0%)	8.1	841^st of 864 public elementary schools	2.7%		7.4	857^th of 865 public elementary schools	0.9%	16	9.4	8.2	5.3				7.9	16.7	14.3	13.2					14.9		5.3		$25,070	$4,804	$20,265
Dallas F. Nicholas Senior Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	201 E 21st Street	Baltimore	21218	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-4525	189	15	13.0	81.5%	2 (1.1%)	142 (75.1%)	35 (18.5%)	2 (1.1%)	1 (0.5%)	5 (2.6%)	2 (1.1%)	11.3	807^th of 864 public elementary schools	6.6%		7.4	856^th of 865 public elementary schools	1.0%	49	16.7	4.0	14.3				11.1	25.0	12.0	21.4					19.0		7.1		$33,806	$6,232	$27,574
Margaret Brent Elementary/Middle	Public	PK, KG-8	100 E 26th Street	Baltimore	21218	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-6509	235	18	13.4	60.0%	35 (14.9%)	102 (43.4%)	82 (34.9%)	5 (2.1%)	1 (0.4%)	4 (1.7%)	6 (2.6%)	25.3	626^th of 864 public elementary schools	27.5%		19.4	693^rd of 865 public elementary schools	19.9%	67	26.9	32.0	20.8	6.7	8.3	26.7	19.7	34.6	28.0	25.0	29.0	33.3	42.1		31.5		14.3	5.6	$24,395	$4,780	$19,615
Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High	Public	9-12	3500 Hillen Road	Baltimore	21218	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-6496	1,714	116	14.7	79.2%	22 (1.3%)	1,498 (87.4%)	159 (9.3%)	22 (1.3%)	5 (0.3%)	3 (0.2%)	5 (0.3%)	14.5	200^th of 227 public high schools	11.9%		14.9	196^th of 220 public high schools	10.9%	4							5.1							27.8	27.8	5.1			$20,324	$3,835	$16,489
Montebello Elementary/Middle	Public	PK, KG-8	2040 E 32nd Street	Baltimore	21218	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-6576	542	34	16.1	88.6%	2 (0.4%)	506 (93.4%)	26 (4.8%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	16.1	737^th of 864 public elementary schools	14.7%		20.3	680^th of 865 public elementary schools	21.4%	57	23.8	10.4	7.8	8.5	8.5	4.4	10.0	35.7	16.3	21.6	23.0	23.9	16.2		22.2		10.0	1.5	$22,524	$4,402	$18,121
Waverly Elementary/Middle	Public	PK, KG-8	3400 Ellerslie Avenue	Baltimore	21218	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(410) 396-6394	534	37	14.4	82.2%	8 (1.5%)	479 (89.7%)	37 (6.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.7%)	14.1	763^rd of 864 public elementary schools	11.7%		18.1	712^th of 865 public elementary schools	17.7%	51	17.8	9.1	8.2	0.0	7.0	0.0	6.5	26.7	18.2	12.0	35.8	43.0	23.4		28.7	10.7	4.0	5.3	$24,490	$5,214	$19,275
Stadium School	Public	6-8	1400 Exeter Hall Avenue	Baltimore	21218	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(443) 984-2682	259	17	15.2	86.1%	3 (1.2%)	238 (91.9%)	15 (5.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.2%)	8.6	335^th of 339 public middle schools	1.2%		9.7	332^nd of 337 public middle schools	1.5%	3				1.3	1.4	0.0	1.0				7.8	8.7	13.0		9.4			0.0	$30,471	$6,086	$24,385
The Reach! Partnership School	Public	9-12	2555 Harford Road	Baltimore	21218	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(443) 642-2291	724	46	15.7	84.4%	12 (1.7%)	642 (88.7%)	57 (7.9%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.6%)	6 (0.8%)	8.8	221^st of 227 public high schools	2.6%		12.8	207^th of 220 public high schools	5.9%	14							1.7							12.8	12.8	1.7			$24,125	$5,014	$19,111
Baltimore Collegiate School for Boys	Public, Charter	4-8	2525 Kirk Avenue	Baltimore	21218	Baltimore city	Baltimore City Public Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(443) 642-5320	303	20	15.1	78.9%	2 (0.7%)	291 (96.0%)	9 (3.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13.8	313^th of 339 public middle schools	7.7%		12.6	319^th of 337 public middle schools	5.3%	6		0.0	0.0	1.2	2.9	5.9	2.6		9.1	0.0	9.6	26.8	19.1		15.4		0.0	3.0	$24,945	$7,203	$17,743

Cities Near Zip Code 21218

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Baltimore	0.28 mi	278	222^nd
Towson	4.53 mi	12	85^th
Parkville	5.3 mi	1
Pikesville	5.89 mi	1	160^th
Lutherville	6.32 mi	3	45^th

See the top MD Maryland cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Maryland State Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.