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Elkton, Maryland - 28 schools
An equity score of 48/100 ranks Cecil County Public Schools #13 of 24 districts in Maryland (state average 52). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $17,169 per pupil, Cecil County Public Schools ranks #15 of 24 Maryland districts by per-pupil spending (Maryland districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
15,047
Total Enrollment
28
Schools
$17,169
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Cecil County Public Schools operates 28 public schools serving 15,047 students, placing it in the mid-size range in Maryland. The school portfolio breaks down into 17 combined, 6 middle, 5 high schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Cecil County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $17,169 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 24 Maryland districts by per-pupil spending. See how Maryland compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 37.4% local, 48.0% state, and 14.6% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 48/100, ranked #13 of 24 in Maryland against a state average of 52, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 5 of 28 schools offering Advanced Placement (75 AP courses district-wide), a 355.7:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 34.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 67.9% White, 11.3% African American, 11.1% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Thomson Estates Elementary, with a diversity index of 73.1/100.
Its largest campus is Rising Sun High, enrolling 1,074 students (7% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Cecilton Elementary, at 273 students, a 4x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Cecil County Public Schools school enrollment varies 3.9× across entities
Cecil County Public Schools school enrollment ranges from 273 students (lowest) to 1,074 students (highest), a spread of 801 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Cecil County Public Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 50.4% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Cecil County Public Schools student-counselor ratio is 356:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Cecil County Public Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 34.3% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
How many schools are in Cecil County Public Schools?
Cecil County Public Schools has 28 schools, including 5 high, 6 middle, 17 combined. Total enrollment is 15,047 students.
How much does Cecil County Public Schools spend per student?
Cecil County Public Schools spends $17,169 per student. The district has an equity score of 48/100, ranking #13 in Maryland.
What is the demographic composition of Cecil County Public Schools?
Cecil County Public Schools students are 67.9% White, 11.3% African American, 11.1% Hispanic or Latino, 0.8% Asian, averaged across 28 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Cecil County Public Schools?
Cecil County Public Schools has an equity score of 48/100, ranking #13 out of 24 districts in Maryland.