Summary:
In zip code 21520, located in the rural community of Accident, Maryland, there is a single middle school, Northern Middle School, which serves grades 6 through 8 and is part of the Garrett County Public Schools district.
Northern Middle School is a standout school in English Language Arts (ELA), consistently outperforming both district and state averages. For the 2025-2026 school year, its overall ELA proficiency rate of 66.7% is significantly higher than the state average of 51.7%. The school has maintained a 4-star rating for three consecutive years and ranks in the top 20-23% of all Maryland middle schools. However, its math performance is more modest, with an overall proficiency rate of 30% only slightly above the state average of 27.1%. A notable exception is 8th grade math, where proficiency is 37.4%, nearly four times higher than the state average of 9.6%. The school also excels in 8th grade science, with 36.4% proficiency compared to the state's 30.9%.
With a student-teacher ratio of 12.7:1 and per-student spending of $18,655, the school invests heavily in its students. However, chronic absenteeism is a concern at 24.1%, slightly above the district average of 22.9%. While the school's ELA program is clearly a strength, the gap between its high ELA scores and more average math scores suggests a potential area for resource reallocation. Overall, Northern Middle School offers a strong academic environment, particularly in reading and writing, but families should be aware of the math performance disparity and the absenteeism rate.
Thank you for your feedback!