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Best public high schools in Maryland

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April 1, 2024
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Best public high schools in Maryland

As filmmaker and writer Nora Ephron said during a '96 commencement address at Wellesley College, "Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead." If that's the case, high school may be one of the greatest dress rehearsals of all.

It's a place where students explore their interests, dive into extracurricular activities, finally get the freedom to choose their own classes, and prepare for college or the workplace. For many of these students and their families, public education is key: 49.4 million students enrolled in public pre-K-12 schools in fall 2021, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those, about a third were in high school, enrolled across about 23,500 public secondary schools nationwide.

For many anxious parents, getting their kids into the best of these public high schools is of the utmost importance. Some families even move homes to get into better school districts. However, among all of these thousands of schools, a few stand out for their academic excellence, incredible track records, and the future success of their young students.

Stacker compiled a list of the 30 best public high schools in Maryland using 2023 rankings from Niche. Niche uses seven weighted factors for its rankings. A majority of the score is based on academics, but other factors include culture and diversity; sports; clubs and activities; resources; and surveys of parents, teachers, and students. School districts are provided when available; otherwise, the city is listed instead.

A class of high schoolers as viewed from the rear.
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Daniel Hoz // Shutterstock

#30. Barbara Ingram School for the Arts

- Location: Washington County Public Schools, MD
- Enrollment: 332 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A
A student filling out a scantron form for a multiple choice test.
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Achira22 // Shutterstock

#29. Eleanor Roosevelt High School

- Location: Prince George's County Public Schools, MD
- Enrollment: 2,420 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A
A student talking to a teacher in the hallway.
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#28. Huntingtown High School

- Location: Calvert County Public Schools, MD
- Enrollment: 1,358 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A
A student standing next to their backpack as seen from the knee down.
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#27. Howard High School

- Location: Howard County Public Schools, MD
- Enrollment: 1,792 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A
Students walking down a hallway with their backs facing the camera.
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Mircea Moira // Shutterstock

#26. Clarksburg High School

- Location: Montgomery County Public Schools, MD
- Enrollment: 2,316 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A
A high school student doing a chemical experiment.
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#25. Oakdale High School

- Location: Frederick County Public Schools, MD
- Enrollment: 1,465 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A
A high school student sitting at a desk writing on a piece of paper.
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#24. Century High School

- Location: Carroll County Public Schools, MD
- Enrollment: 1,140 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A
A student raising their hand in class.
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#23. Sherwood High School

- Location: Montgomery County Public Schools, MD
- Enrollment: 1,769 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A
An empty school hallway lined with red lockers.
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#22. Quince Orchard High School

- Location: Montgomery County Public Schools, MD
- Enrollment: 2,069 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A
A student solving a math equation on a whiteboard.
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Ground Picture // Shutterstock

#21. Reservoir High School

- Location: Howard County Public Schools, MD
- Enrollment: 1,814 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A
A row of empty desks with notebooks and pencils on them.
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#20. Western School of Technology & Environmental Science

- Location: Baltimore County Public Schools, MD
- Enrollment: 937 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A
A hallway lined with green lockers.
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#19. Baltimore Polytechnic Institute

- Location: Baltimore City Public Schools, MD
- Enrollment: 1,601 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A
A side view of a person using a laptop in the school library.
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#18. Glenelg High School

- Location: Howard County Public Schools, MD
- Enrollment: 1,298 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
An empty classroom as viewed from the back.
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#17. Severna Park High School

- Location: Anne Arundel County Public Schools, MD
- Enrollment: 1,854 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A pencil case full of pens, pencils, and highlighters spilling on a table.
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#16. Academy of Health Sciences at PGCC

- Location: Prince George's County Public Schools, MD
- Enrollment: 498 (23:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A group of students walking down the hall with their backs facing the camera.
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GagliardiPhotography // Shutterstock

#15. Atholton High School

- Location: Howard County Public Schools, MD
- Enrollment: 1,456 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
An overhead view of high school pupils in group study sitting around circular tables.
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#14. Urbana High School

- Location: Frederick County Public Schools, MD
- Enrollment: 1,929 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
Students using microscopes in science class.
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#13. Eastern Technical High School

- Location: Baltimore County Public Schools, MD
- Enrollment: 1,215 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
High school students studying and reading together in their school library.
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#12. Mount Hebron High School

- Location: Howard County Public Schools, MD
- Enrollment: 1,639 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
Students raising their hands for class participation.
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#11. Northwest High School

- Location: Montgomery County Public Schools, MD
- Enrollment: 2,519 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A stack of textbooks with pens on top of them next to an open notebook.
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#10. Montgomery Blair High School

- Location: Montgomery County Public Schools, MD
- Enrollment: 3,176 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
Two students sharing a book.
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#9. Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School

- Location: Montgomery County Public Schools, MD
- Enrollment: 2,289 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A high school student doing classwork on their laptop.
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#8. Richard Montgomery High School

- Location: Montgomery County Public Schools, MD
- Enrollment: 2,334 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A teacher writing an equation on a blackboard using chalk.
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#7. Walter Johnson High School

- Location: Montgomery County Public Schools, MD
- Enrollment: 2,870 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
Students' backpacks sitting on a hallway floor.
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#6. Thomas S. Wootton High School

- Location: Montgomery County Public Schools, MD
- Enrollment: 1,943 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
Bookshelves at a high school's library.
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#5. Marriotts Ridge High School

- Location: Howard County Public Schools, MD
- Enrollment: 1,662 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A stack of spiral noteboooks in front of a wooden background.
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#4. Winston Churchill High School

- Location: Montgomery County Public Schools, MD
- Enrollment: 2,212 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
Two rows of red lockers.
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#3. Walt Whitman High School

- Location: Montgomery County Public Schools, MD
- Enrollment: 2,029 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
Empty desks in a high school classroom.
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#2. River Hill High School

- Location: Howard County Public Schools, MD
- Enrollment: 1,508 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A closeup of a student taking notes in class.
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#1. Poolesville High School

- Location: Montgomery County Public Schools, MD
- Enrollment: 1,272 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+

This story features data reporting and writing by Emma Rubin and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.

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