Howard County School District

10910 Clarksville Pike
Ellicott City, MD 21042
(District boundaries shown in map)
10/
10
Top 5%

Top Rankings

Howard County School District ranks among the top 20% of public school district in Maryland for:

Category
Attribute
Overall Rank
Highest overall rank (Top 5%)
Math Proficiency
Highest math proficiency (Top 5%)
Reading/Language Arts Proficiency
Highest reading/language arts proficiency (Top 10%)
Science Proficiency
Highest science proficiency (Top 5%)
Graduation Rate
Highest graduation rate (Top 20%)
Diversity
Most diverse schools (Top 1%)
For the 2024-25 school year, there are 14 public high schools serving 18,492 students in Howard County School District. This district's average high testing ranking is 10/10, which is in the top 5% of public high schools in Maryland.
Public High Schools in Howard County School District have an average math proficiency score of 55% (versus the Maryland public high school average of 32%), and reading proficiency score of 70% (versus the 56% statewide average).
Public High School in Howard County School District have a Graduation Rate of 95%, which is more than the Maryland average of 87%.
The school with highest graduation rate is River Hill High School, with ≥99% graduation rate. Read more about public school graduation rate statistics in Maryland or national school graduation rate statistics.
Minority enrollment is 68% of the student body (majority Black and Asian), which is more than the Maryland public high school average of 67% (majority Black).

Overview

This School District
This State (MD)
# Schools
78 Schools
261 Schools
# Students
57,676 Students
284,412 Students
# Teachers
4,311 Teachers
17,821 Teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio
14:1
14:1

District Rank

Howard County School District, which is ranked within the top 5% of all 25 school districts in Maryland (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2021-2022 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 95% has increased from 92% over five school years.
This School District
State Average (MD)
#1 out of 25 school districts
(Top 5%)
This chart displays the overall district rank of Howard County   School District, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
42%
25%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of Howard County   School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of Maryland by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
58%
45%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of Howard County   School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of Maryland by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
52%
36%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of Howard County   School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of Maryland by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
95%
86%
This chart displays public school graduation rate of Howard County   School District and public school graduation rate of Maryland by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.

Students by Ethnicity:

0.77
0.73
# American Indian Students
142 Students
763 Students
% American Indian Students
n/a
n/a
# Asian Students
13,586 Students
19,202 Students
% Asian Students
24%
7%
# Hispanic Students
7,854 Students
59,725 Students
% Hispanic Students
14%
21%
# Black Students
14,285 Students
96,922 Students
% Black Students
25%
34%
# White Students
17,893 Students
94,535 Students
% White Students
31%
33%
# Hawaiian Students
77 Students
448 Students
% Hawaiian Students
n/a
n/a
# Two or more races Students
3,765 Students
12,489 Students
% of Two or more races Students
6%
5%

Students by Grade:

# Students in PK Grade:
1,451
238
# Students in K Grade:
3,747
280
# Students in 1st Grade:
4,054
308
# Students in 2nd Grade:
4,062
326
# Students in 3rd Grade:
4,193
372
# Students in 4th Grade:
4,289
367
# Students in 5th Grade:
4,275
392
# Students in 6th Grade:
4,400
1,761
# Students in 7th Grade:
4,373
1,799
# Students in 8th Grade:
4,416
2,051
# Students in 9th Grade:
5,084
82,256
# Students in 10th Grade:
4,647
72,892
# Students in 11th Grade:
4,279
60,352
# Students in 12th Grade:
4,406
61,018
# Ungraded Students:
-
-

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $20,093 is higher than the state median of $19,549. The school district revenue/student has grown by 8% over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $18,784 is higher than the state median of $18,476. The school district spending/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
This School District
This State (MD)
Total Revenue
$1,159 MM
$17,412 MM
This chart displays total revenue of Howard County   School District and median value from total revenues of all school districts in Maryland by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Spending
$1,083 MM
$16,456 MM
This chart displays total spending of Howard County   School District and median value from total spendings of all school districts in Maryland by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Revenue / Student
$20,093
$19,549
This chart displays average revenue per public school student in Howard County   School District and average revenue per public school student of all school districts in Maryland by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Spending / Student
$18,784
$18,476
This chart displays average spending per public school student in Howard County   School District and average spending per public school student of all school districts in Maryland by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.

Best Howard County School District Public High Schools (2024-25)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Grades
Students
Rank: #11.
River Hill High School
Magnet School
(Math: 85% | Reading: 87%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 1%
12101 Clarksville Pike
Clarksville, MD 21029
(410) 313-7120
Grades: 9-12
| 1,424 students
Rank: #22.
Centennial High School
Magnet School
(Math: 75% | Reading: 88%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 1%
4300 Centennial Ln
Ellicott City, MD 21042
(410) 313-2856
Grades: 9-12
| 1,392 students
Rank: #33.
Mount Hebron High School
Magnet School
(Math: 69% | Reading: 85%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 5%
9440 Old Frederick Road
Ellicott City, MD 21042
(410) 313-2880
Grades: 9-12
| 1,621 students
Rank: #44.
Marriotts Ridge High School
Magnet School
(Math: 72% | Reading: 80%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 5%
12100 Woodford Dr
Marriottsville, MD 21104
(410) 313-5568
Grades: 9-12
| 1,716 students
Rank: #55.
Glenelg High School
Magnet School
(Math: 69% | Reading: 73%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 5%
14025 Burnt Woods Rd
Glenelg, MD 21737
(410) 313-5528
Grades: 9-12
| 1,339 students
Rank: #66.
Howard High School
Magnet School
(Math: 56% | Reading: 79%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 10%
8700 Old Annapolis Rd
Ellicott City, MD 21043
(410) 313-2867
Grades: 9-12
| 1,741 students
Rank: #77.
Atholton High School
Magnet School
(Math: 54% | Reading: 66%)
Rank:
9/
10
Top 20%
6520 Freetown Rd
Columbia, MD 21044
(410) 313-7065
Grades: 9-12
| 1,467 students
Rank: #88.
Reservoir High School
Magnet School
(Math: 38% | Reading: 66%)
Rank:
9/
10
Top 20%
11550 Scaggsville Rd
Fulton, MD 20759
(410) 888-8850
Grades: 9-12
| 1,837 students
Rank: #99.
Homewood School
Alternative School
Magnet School
(Math: <50% | Reading: <50%)
Rank:
8/
10
Top 30%
10914 Clarksville Pike
Ellicott City, MD 21042
(410) 313-7081
Grades: 7-12
| 88 students
Rank: #1010.
Oakland Mills High School
Magnet School
(Math: 26% | Reading: 67%)
Rank:
8/
10
Top 30%
9410 Kilimanjaro Rd
Columbia, MD 21045
(410) 313-6945
Grades: 9-12
| 1,401 students
Rank: #1111.
Hammond High School
Magnet School
(Math: 29% | Reading: 62%)
Rank:
8/
10
Top 30%
8800 Guilford Rd
Columbia, MD 21046
(410) 313-7615
Grades: 9-12
| 1,287 students
Rank: #1212.
Wilde Lake High School
Magnet School
(Math: 41% | Reading: 36%)
Rank:
6/
10
Top 50%
5460 Trumpeter Rd
Columbia, MD 21044
(410) 313-6965
Grades: 9-12
| 1,341 students
Rank: #1313.
Long Reach High School
Magnet School
(Math: 25% | Reading: 46%)
Rank:
6/
10
Top 50%
6101 Old Dobbin Ln
Columbia, MD 21045
(410) 313-7117
Grades: 9-12
| 1,714 students
Rank: #1414.
Cedar Lane Special Center
Special Education School
Magnet School
(Math: 11-19% | Reading: ≤10%)
Rank:
2/
10
Bottom 50%
11630 Scaggsville Rd
Fulton, MD 20759
(410) 888-8800
Grades: PK-12
| 124 students

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Quick Stats (2024-25)

  • District size: 78 schools
  • Grades: PK-12
  • Enrollment: 57,676 students
  • Student:Teacher Ratio: 14:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 69%
  • : 95% (Top 20% in MD)
  • : Top 5%
  • : 42% (Top 5%)
  • : 58% (Top 10%)
  • : 52% (Top 5%)
  • Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), MD Dept. of Education

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