NCES CCD 2024-25 29 schools MD

Best-Resourced Schools in Gaithersburg, MD

29 public K-12 schools in Gaithersburg from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.

29 public schools ranked by quality score. NCES CCD 2024-25 data.

The highest-ranked of Gaithersburg's 29 public schools is Gaithersburg High, scoring 56/100, against a city average of 44.3/100. Computed live across every Gaithersburg campus reporting to NCES.

Every public school in Gaithersburg, MD, ranked by Resource Investment Index.

29
Schools
20,676
Students
44.3/100
Avg Quality
12.5:1
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

How the Gaithersburg Public-School Landscape Breaks Down

Gaithersburg, MD enrolls 20,676 students across 29 public schools reporting to the National Center for Education Statistics. The average student-teacher ratio across the city is 12.5:1, and the composite quality score, derived from student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted-program availability, and CRDC attendance data, averages 44.3/100. 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 most-resourced campus in Gaithersburg on this index is Gaithersburg High, at 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index with 2,441 enrolled students. What the index does and doesn't measure; click any school below for its full component breakdown.

Gaithersburg spans 1 district, each filing its own NCES F-33 return, per-pupil spending can vary between neighbouring campuses. Sort the table below by enrollment, level, or district; click any school for its full profile.

Gaithersburg school enrollment varies 8.8× across entities

Gaithersburg school enrollment ranges from 276 students (lowest) to 2,441 students (highest), a spread of 2,165 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous school portfolio for a city this size. 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.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Gaithersburg operates only 1 school district — one of the single most consolidated governance structures in the country

Most Gaithersburg school districts are a single unified district covering the whole city, a structural feature that simplifies inter-school comparison but concentrates policy authority, and the count here is near the floor observed nationally. Consolidation produces narrower variance because resources pool across a large population, 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.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Gaithersburg student-teacher ratio is 12.5:1 — 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.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, Public School Universe NCES Common Core of Data, Public School Universe

# School Score
1. Gaithersburg High 56
2. Quince Orchard High 45
3. Watkins Mill High 43
4. Lakelands Park Middle 57
5. Gaithersburg Middle 48
6. Forest Oak Middle 51
7. South Lake Elementary 37
8. Ridgeview Middle 53
9. Whetstone Elementary 42
10. Rachel Carson Elementary 39
11. Diamond Elementary 43
12. Gaithersburg Elementary 44
13. Brown Station Elementary 39
14. Harriet R. Tubman Elementary 48
15. Rosemont Elementary 38
16. Thurgood Marshall Elementary 35
17. Judith a. Resnik Elementary 31
18. Shady Grove Middle 53
19. Goshen Elementary 30
20. Washington Grove Elementary 38
21. Flower Hill Elementary 38
22. Fields Road Elementary 37
23. Strawberry Knoll Elementary 34
24. Jones Lane Elementary 42
25. Summit Hall Elementary 48
26. Darnestown Elementary 56
27. Laytonsville Elementary 44
28. Woodfield Elementary 57
29. Dufief Elementary 59

Most racially and ethnically mixed schools in Gaithersburg

Ranked by the Simpson student-body diversity index (0-100) from NCES race and ethnicity data, where higher means a more evenly mixed student body. It measures mix, not quality.

  1. 1 Dufief Elementary 76.8/100
  2. 2 Lakelands Park Middle 75.1/100
  3. 3 Ridgeview Middle 74.9/100
  4. 4 Thurgood Marshall Elementary 74.5/100
  5. 5 Fields Road Elementary 74.3/100

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best schools in Gaithersburg, MD?

The highest-ranked school in Gaithersburg is Gaithersburg High with a quality score of 56/100. There are 29 public schools in Gaithersburg with 20,676 total students.

How many schools are in Gaithersburg, MD?

Gaithersburg has 29 public schools with a total enrollment of 20,676 students. Average student-teacher ratio: 12.5:1.

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Related Guides

Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 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.