Summary:
Zip code 21520, located in Accident, Maryland, is home to a single high school, Northern Garrett High School, which serves grades 9 through 12 with a total enrollment of 439 students as part of the Garrett County Public Schools district.
Northern Garrett High School is a standout in English Language Arts, with 72% of students proficient in the 2025-2026 school year, dramatically outperforming both the district (53.4%) and state (51.7%) averages. However, its math performance tells a puzzling story: while 35.8% of students were proficient in 2025-2026 (beating the state average of 27.1%), the previous year saw a sharp drop to just 9.1% proficiency, suggesting a possible data anomaly or significant cohort change. The school’s state ranking has been volatile, jumping from the 62nd percentile in 2023-2024 to the 91st percentile in 2024-2025, before settling at the 87th percentile in 2025-2026. With a student-teacher ratio of 12.3:1 and per-student spending of $19,890, the school invests heavily in its students, yet faces a notable challenge with chronic absenteeism at 27.7%, which is nearly 5 percentage points higher than the district average.
Nearly half of the student body (48.75%) qualifies for free or reduced lunch, indicating significant economic need in the community. Despite this, the school maintains a strong graduation rate of 92.7% and a dropout rate of 4.5%, both slightly below district averages. The high chronic absenteeism rate is a red flag that may be linked to socioeconomic factors, but the school’s exceptional ELA scores demonstrate an ability to overcome this challenge in reading and writing. For parents, Northern Garrett High School offers a strong academic foundation in English, though the math volatility and attendance issues warrant close attention and further inquiry.
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