Howard County Public School System
Listed by NCES as Howard County Public Schools (district ID 2400420)
Public school district · Howard County · Maryland · NCES district ID 2400420
Howard County Public School System spent $19,256 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 65% of the other Maryland districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $18,114). Its 76 schools enrolled 56,347 students in 2024-25; 32.5% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $20,296 per student, up 5.4% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 93% (Maryland: 85.8%).
NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method
Spending per student among Maryland's largest districts
Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. Among the 10 districts shown, Howard County Public School System ranks 4.
Where the money came from
$1,283,674,000 in revenue: 32.5% state, 63.0% local and 4.5% federal. Total spending including $80,438,000 of capital outlay was $1,235,889,000, or $21,428 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.
- State$417,308,000 33%
- Local$808,227,000 63%
- Federal$58,139,000 5%
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 24 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).
Enrollment fell from 2022-23 to 2024-25
57,676 students in 2022-23, 56,854 students in 2023-24, 56,347 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.
Teachers and students per teacher
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 57,676 | 4268.6 | 13.5 |
| 2023-24 | 56,854 | 4229.6 | 13.4 |
| 2024-25 | 56,347 | 4140.9 | 13.6 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.
$393,156,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $6,817 per student
Howard County Public School System booked $393,156,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 4,327 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $90,857 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 73 in 100 Maryland districts with a figure (state median $84,230, 23 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Maryland teacher salary at $75,766 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
| Program | Teacher salaries | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Regular programs | $287,445,000 | 73.1% |
| Special education | $69,876,000 | 17.8% |
| Vocational | $7,602,000 | 1.9% |
| Other programs | $28,233,000 | 7.2% |
Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23
The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $5,857 in 2018-19, $6,140 in 2019-20, $6,272 in 2020-21, $6,434 in 2021-22, $6,817 in 2022-23.
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).
State test results, 2021-22
In 2021-22, the students tested in Howard County Public School System scored proficient or above: 58% in reading and 42% in math, against 45.1% in reading and 24.6% in math across Maryland. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Maryland, not across states.
| Subject | This district | Maryland | Students tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and language arts | 58% | 45.1% | 29,916 |
| Math | 42% | 24.6% | 29,248 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.
Graduation rate, class of 2023
93% of the 4,564 students in Howard County Public School System's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 85.8% across Maryland. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.
| This district | Maryland | |
|---|---|---|
| Four-year graduation rate | 93% | 85.8% |
| Students in the class | 4,564 | 67,829 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.
42 elementary schools, 25,802 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veterans Elementary | 883 | 13.1 | 24.0% | Not Title I |
| Hanover Hills | 875 | 12.4 | 36.5% | Eligible, no program |
| Fulton Elementary | 872 | 15.0 | 6.7% | Not Title I |
| Pointers Run Elementary | 835 | 14.2 | 7.9% | Not Title I |
| Waverly Elementary | 827 | 13.5 | 7.9% | Not Title I |
| Bellows Spring Elementary | 806 | 12.5 | 22.6% | Not Title I |
| Elkridge Elementary | 798 | 14.1 | 38.6% | Eligible, no program |
| Bollman Bridge Elementary | 775 | 12.1 | 43.9% | Schoolwide program |
| Northfield Elementary | 764 | 15.7 | 14.7% | Not Title I |
| Hammond Elementary | 763 | 15.9 | 16.1% | Not Title I |
| Gorman Crossing Elementary | 750 | 12.7 | 17.9% | Not Title I |
| Centennial Lane Elementary | 749 | 14.1 | 13.9% | Not Title I |
The other 30 elementary schools
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dayton Oaks | 739 | 14.2 | 6.5% | Not Title I |
| Manor Woods Elementary | 697 | 13.6 | 14.6% | Not Title I |
| Phelps Luck Elementary | 681 | 11.7 | 39.9% | Schoolwide program |
| Hollifield Station Elementary | 677 | 13.6 | 20.5% | Not Title I |
| Waterloo Elementary | 666 | 12.9 | 28.1% | Eligible, no program |
| Forest Ridge Elementary | 659 | 12.7 | 34.6% | Eligible, no program |
| Rockburn Elementary | 649 | 12.3 | 8.9% | Not Title I |
| Deep Run Elementary | 638 | 10.6 | 46.6% | Schoolwide program |
| St. Johns Lane Elementary | 636 | 14.4 | 17.6% | Not Title I |
| Bushy Park Elementary | 631 | 13.2 | 8.2% | Not Title I |
| Laurel Woods Elementary | 625 | 12.2 | 49.6% | Schoolwide program |
| Triadelphia Ridge Elementary | 619 | 13.9 | 6.6% | Not Title I |
| Swansfield Elementary | 594 | 11.4 | 35.5% | Schoolwide program |
| Ducketts Lane | 573 | 10.6 | 52.5% | Schoolwide program |
| Clarksville Elementary | 543 | 13.6 | 15.1% | Not Title I |
| Atholton Elementary | 516 | 14.7 | 13.8% | Not Title I |
| Ilchester Elementary | 482 | 12.7 | 12.2% | Not Title I |
| Clemens Crossing Elementary | 481 | 14.0 | 20.0% | Not Title I |
| Lisbon Elementary | 480 | 15.1 | 12.3% | Not Title I |
| Talbott Springs Elementary | 461 | 10.0 | 39.9% | Schoolwide program |
| Thunder Hill Elementary | 459 | 11.7 | 31.6% | Eligible, no program |
| Cradlerock Elementary | 453 | 10.3 | 49.4% | Schoolwide program |
| Longfellow Elementary | 446 | 11.4 | 39.0% | Schoolwide program |
| Guilford Elementary | 437 | 12.0 | 41.4% | Schoolwide program |
| Running Brook Elementary | 407 | 9.5 | 48.6% | Schoolwide program |
| Jeffers Hill Elementary | 406 | 11.6 | 38.2% | Eligible, no program |
| Worthington Elementary | 403 | 11.7 | 9.4% | Not Title I |
| West Friendship Elementary | 367 | 13.0 | 6.8% | Not Title I |
| Bryant Woods Elementary | 366 | 10.3 | 47.3% | Schoolwide program |
| Stevens Forest Elementary | 314 | 9.5 | 51.6% | Schoolwide program |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
20 middle schools, 13,251 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount View Middle | 881 | 16.7 | 7.4% | Not Title I |
| Patuxent Valley Middle | 840 | 13.5 | 39.2% | Eligible, no program |
| Burleigh Manor Middle School | 777 | 15.8 | 14.9% | Not Title I |
| Thomas Viaduct | 758 | 13.2 | 41.0% | Eligible, no program |
| Bonnie Branch Middle | 739 | 14.0 | 25.6% | Eligible, no program |
| Mayfield Woods Middle | 731 | 12.7 | 35.4% | Eligible, no program |
| Ellicott Mills Middle | 698 | 14.4 | 12.5% | Not Title I |
| Elkridge Landing Middle | 686 | 13.4 | 24.9% | Not Title I |
| Folly Quarter Middle | 682 | 14.5 | 5.7% | Not Title I |
| Clarksville Middle | 679 | 16.6 | 5.4% | Not Title I |
| Lime Kiln Middle | 675 | 15.6 | 6.8% | Not Title I |
| Patapsco Middle | 670 | 15.0 | 17.6% | Not Title I |
The other 8 middle schools
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilde Lake Middle | 643 | 13.2 | 34.4% | Eligible, no program |
| Dunloggin Middle | 623 | 13.9 | 21.7% | Not Title I |
| Murray Hill Middle | 616 | 13.1 | 32.5% | Eligible, no program |
| Hammond Middle School | 604 | 14.9 | 13.2% | Not Title I |
| Lake Elkhorn Middle | 569 | 12.2 | 45.7% | Eligible, no program |
| Glenwood Middle | 494 | 13.1 | 12.1% | Not Title I |
| Harpers Choice Middle | 471 | 11.6 | 43.7% | Eligible, no program |
| Oakland Mills Middle | 415 | 11.9 | 42.2% | Eligible, no program |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
13 high schools, 17,161 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marriotts Ridge High | 1,741 | 17.5 | 12.6% | Not Title I |
| Reservoir High | 1,597 | 14.8 | 22.5% | Eligible, no program |
| Atholton High | 1,540 | 16.7 | 21.0% | Not Title I |
| Howard High | 1,493 | 15.5 | 18.7% | Not Title I |
| Mount Hebron High | 1,455 | 15.6 | 17.8% | Not Title I |
| Oakland Mills High | 1,413 | 13.7 | 38.4% | Eligible, no program |
| River Hill High | 1,383 | 17.8 | 6.1% | Not Title I |
| Centennial High | 1,377 | 17.0 | 16.0% | Not Title I |
| Glenelg High | 1,363 | 17.3 | 8.8% | Not Title I |
| Long Reach High | 1,334 | 13.7 | 33.3% | Eligible, no program |
| Wilde Lake High | 1,197 | 14.0 | 39.3% | Eligible, no program |
| Hammond High | 1,159 | 14.3 | 32.4% | Eligible, no program |
One more high school
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homewood School | 109 | 2.5 | 43.1% | Eligible, no program |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
1 other school, 133 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Lane Special Center | 133 | 4.2 | 24.8% | Eligible, no program |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
Contact Howard County Public School System
- Website: hcpss.org
- Phone: (410) 313-6600
- Office: 10910 Clarksville Pike, Ellicott City, MD 21042
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.
What to look at next about Howard County Public School System
- Maryland districts by spending per studentHoward County Public School System ranks 9 of 24 Maryland districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($19,256).#9 of 24
- Every school district in MarylandHoward County Public School System is the number 6 by size of 25 Maryland districts, with 57,676 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#6 of 25
- Baltimore City Public SchoolsThe next larger Maryland district: 75,995 students in fall 2022, $22,977 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$22,977
- Frederick County Public SchoolsThe next smaller Maryland district: 46,899 students in fall 2022, $16,233 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$16,233
- Compare Howard County Public School System with Baltimore City Public SchoolsEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
- Marriotts Ridge High, its largest high school1,741 students in 2024-25, 17.5 per teacher.1,741
- Teacher salary spending across MarylandHoward County Public School System spent $90,857 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $84,230); spending, not a salary.$90,857
- Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).
Questions about Howard County Public School System
How many schools and students are in Howard County Public School System?
76 schools were open in 2024-25 (42 elementary, 20 middle, 13 high, 1 other), enrolling 56,347 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.How much does Howard County Public School System spend per student?
$19,256 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the Maryland median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $18,114 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $20,296 per student, up 5.4% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).Where does Howard County Public School System's money come from?
$1,283,674,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 32.5% state, 63.0% local and 4.5% federal (NCES F-33).How many children in Howard County Public School System live in poverty?
The Census Bureau estimates that 3,355 of the 61,626 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 5.4%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.How much does Howard County Public School System spend on teacher salaries?
$393,156,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $6,817 per student. Divided by the 4,327 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $90,857 per teacher, more than 73 in 100 Maryland districts (state median $84,230). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Maryland teacher salary at $75,766 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).How do students in Howard County Public School System do on state tests?
In 2021-22, the students tested in Howard County Public School System scored proficient or above: 58% in reading and 42% in math, against 45.1% in reading and 24.6% in math across Maryland. Maryland's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.What is the graduation rate in Howard County Public School System?
93% of the 4,564 students in Howard County Public School System's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 85.8% across Maryland. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.What is Howard County Public School System's NCES district ID?
2400420. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.
Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.
Sources
Every federal file behind this record
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
- Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
- EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
- EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
- NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25