21 public K-12 schools in Ellicott City from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.
21 public schools ranked by quality score. NCES CCD 2022-23 data.
Choosing the right school is one of the most important decisions families make. This page ranks every public school in Ellicott City, MD using a composite quality score based on student-teacher ratios, counselor access, gifted program availability, and attendance rates. All data comes from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data for the 2022-23 school year.
21
Schools
16,166
Students
—
Avg Quality
13.7:1
Avg Class Size
How the Ellicott City Public-School Landscape Breaks Down
Ellicott City, MD enrolls 16,166 students across 21 public schools reporting to the National Center for Education Statistics. The average student-teacher ratio across the city is 13.7:1, Schools must report at least five campuses in a city to appear in this listing, which is why very small towns may redirect to the broader county or state view.
The highest-ranked campus in Ellicott City is Howard High, scoring 49/100 (D) with 1,493 enrolled students at the high level. Families should treat any single ranking as a starting point rather than a verdict — a school serving fewer at-risk students or offering more AP classes will score higher on resource-based composites even if individual teachers or programs elsewhere are stronger. The quality score framework is transparent and rebuilt from raw NCES and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) inputs, so each component can be inspected on the individual school pages linked in the table below.
Ellicott City schools sit within multiple district boundaries, which matters for property taxes, redistricting votes, and bond measures. Each district files its own NCES F-33 financial return, meaning per-pupil spending can vary noticeably even between neighbouring campuses in the same city. Use the table to sort by enrollment, level, or district, then click any school name for campus-level demographics, Title I status, counselor and nurse staffing, AP courses, chronic-absenteeism rates, and district per-pupil spending. The sidebar links also connect Ellicott City housing costs, wage data, and crime statistics — context many parents weigh alongside test-adjacent school signals when relocating.
Ellicott City school enrollment varies 14× across entities
Ellicott City school enrollment ranges from 109 students (lowest) to 1,493 students (highest), a spread of 1,384 students. That spread reflects typical urban portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing, programme depth, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same city based on enrollment shape — a 200-student magnet runs a different operational model than a 2,000-student comprehensive high school.
Ellicott City operates only 1 school district — among the most consolidated governance structures in the country
Most Ellicott City school districts are a single unified district covering the whole city — a structural feature that simplifies inter-school comparison but concentrates policy authority. Consolidation produces narrower variance because resources pool across larger populations, but it can also mask intra-school district inequities — sub-school district differences within a single school district are not visible at this aggregation level. Consolidated systems typically rely more heavily on top-down funding formulas than on local revenue variability.
Ellicott City student-teacher ratio is 13.7:1 — low (typically associated with smaller schools or per-school staffing investment that often correlates with stronger per-student supports)
student-teacher ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE classroom teachers against total enrollment — push-in specialists, English-language aides, special-education co-teachers, and counselors are not included in most reporting Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
The top-rated school in Ellicott City is Howard High with a quality score of 49/100. There are 21 public schools in Ellicott City with 16,166 total students.
How many schools are in Ellicott City, MD? ▼
Ellicott City has 21 public schools with a total enrollment of 16,166 students. Average student-teacher ratio: 13.7:1.
Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22. Quality scores based on student-teacher ratio,
counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance. Schools must have 5+ in the city to be listed.
Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD). Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
