Summary:
Zip code 21716, encompassing Brunswick, MD, is home to a single high school, Brunswick High, which serves grades 9-12 with an enrollment of 910 students as part of the highly-rated Frederick County Public Schools district.
Brunswick High presents a striking academic paradox. The school is a powerhouse in English Language Arts (ELA), with 80.6% of students proficient—far exceeding both the district (64%) and state (51.7%) averages. However, it struggles significantly in mathematics, where only 19.5% of students are proficient, well below the district (38.5%) and state (27.1%) averages. This contrast is the school's most defining feature. Despite this math challenge, the school's overall state ranking has improved dramatically, moving from the 46th percentile (2-star rating) in 2023-2024 to the 77th percentile (4-star rating) for the 2025-2026 school year, suggesting that gains in ELA and other factors like a strong 93.6% graduation rate are driving its upward trajectory.
A key concern is chronic absenteeism, which sits at 21.3%—nearly 28% higher than the district average of 16.7%. This high rate is a red flag, as it is often linked to lower academic performance, particularly in sequential subjects like math. The school spends a substantial $17,373 per student, yet this investment has not translated into strong math outcomes, pointing to a potential need for more targeted math intervention programs. With a relatively low free/reduced lunch rate of 27.8%, the school's challenges appear less tied to poverty and more to school-specific factors like culture or instructional strategies, making the math and absenteeism issues particularly noteworthy for parents to investigate.
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