An equity score of 25/100 ranks St. Mary's County Public Schools #22 of 24 districts in Maryland (state average 53). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $17,088 per pupil, St. Mary's County Public Schools ranks #19 of 24 Maryland districts by per-pupil spending (Maryland districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
17,493
Total Enrollment
26
Schools
$17,088
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
St. Mary's County Public Schools operates 26 public schools serving 17,493 students, placing it in the mid-size range in Maryland. The school portfolio breaks down into 15 combined, 4 middle, 4 elementary, 3 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 St. Mary's County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $17,088 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 45.1% local, 41.2% state, and 13.6% 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 25/100, ranked #22 of 24 in Maryland against a state average of 53, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 3 of 26 schools offering Advanced Placement (78 AP courses district-wide), a 379.9:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 29.5% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 58.2% White, 19.1% African American, 9.9% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Greenview Knolls Elementary, with a diversity index of 73.0/100.
Its largest campus is Leonardtown High, enrolling 2,118 students (13% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Ridge Elementary, at 209 students, a 10x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Enrollment across the district's NCES-reporting campuses held roughly steady from 2022-23 to 2023-24 (17,493 to 17,223 students, -1.5%), per the NCES Common Core of Data annual universe files.
Of the district's $323,141,000 in reported FY2023 expenditures, 52.6% went to instruction, 37.2% to support services, and 6.1% to capital outlay, support-services-heavy relative to typical districts, reflecting spending on transportation, administration, or student services. Figures come from the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey's function-level breakdown, not the aggregate per-pupil figure above.
St. Mary's County Public Schools school enrollment varies 10× across entities
St. Mary's County Public Schools school enrollment ranges from 209 students (lowest) to 2,118 students (highest), a spread of 1,909 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
St. Mary's County Public Schools student-counselor ratio is 380:1 — 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.
St. Mary's County Public Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 29.5% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
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 Variation between sub-units within St. Mary's County Public Schools is typically wider than the St. Mary's County Public Schools-aggregate figure suggests.
Comparisons are relative to St. Mary's County Public Schools's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
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How many schools are in St. Mary's County Public Schools?
St. Mary's County Public Schools has 26 schools, including 3 high, 4 middle, 4 elementary, 15 combined. Total enrollment is 17,493 students.
How much does St. Mary's County Public Schools spend per student?
St. Mary's County Public Schools spends $17,088 per student. The district has an equity score of 25/100, ranking #22 in Maryland.
What is the demographic composition of St. Mary's County Public Schools?
St. Mary's County Public Schools students are 58.2% White, 19.1% African American, 9.9% Hispanic or Latino, 2.2% Asian, averaged across 26 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for St. Mary's County Public Schools?
St. Mary's County Public Schools has an equity score of 25/100, ranking #22 out of 24 districts in Maryland.