Best High Schools in Zip Code 21740

Zip code 21740 in Hagerstown, Maryland, is home to three high schools serving grades 9-12 within the Washington County Public Schools district, offering a diverse range of educational options from a large comprehensive school to a specialized arts magnet and an alternative job development center.

The standout school in this area is Barbara Ingram School for the Arts, a selective magnet school that ranks in the top 10% of Maryland high schools with a 5-star rating. It dramatically outperforms its peers, with 84.9% of students proficient in English Language Arts compared to just 50.2% at South Hagerstown High, and a low 14.3% chronic absenteeism rate versus South Hagerstown's alarming 49.8%. In contrast, South Hagerstown High, the largest school with 1,690 students, struggles significantly with a 2-star rating, a 13.8% math proficiency rate, and an 18.7% dropout rate—more than double the district average. The Washington County Job Development Center serves a small, high-need population of 38 students with intensive support, reflected in its $50,061 per-student spending and a 6.3:1 student-teacher ratio, though it still faces a 45% chronic absenteeism rate.

Key takeaways for parents include the stark contrast between school types within the same zip code: Barbara Ingram offers a high-performing, engaged environment with low poverty (29.68% free/reduced lunch), while South Hagerstown serves a high-poverty population (67.46%) with severe engagement and academic challenges. Chronic absenteeism emerges as a critical predictor of success, with Barbara Ingram's low rate correlating with strong outcomes, while South Hagerstown's near-50% rate signals a crisis. Mathematics proficiency is a universal challenge, with even Barbara Ingram's 41.3% rate lagging behind its ELA performance, and South Hagerstown's 13.8% proficiency highlighting a critical need for intervention across the district.