Enrollment
1,540
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Columbia, MD
Atholton High
Federal NCES profile for Atholton High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 57/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 240042000719
👥 S:T ratio 34
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 38
📋 Attendance 41
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Atholton High earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 75% of Maryland schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Maryland.
- #1 of 5
- high schools in Columbia · Resource Index
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.4:1
- large classes for Maryland
- 22.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Atholton High has class sizes larger than 75% of Maryland schools. Computed live against every Maryland school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Atholton High ranks #1 of 5 high schools in Columbia, MD.
School address
District: Howard County Public Schools · Maryland
NCES ID 240042000719 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
94.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.4:1
vs 14.5:1 Maryland avg
+13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
22.2%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
-55% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Atholton High compares with Maryland and U.S. medians
What stands out at Atholton High
Atholton High is a large high school in Columbia, Maryland, enrolling 1,540 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.4:1 puts it in the larger third of Maryland schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 22.2% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Maryland, bigger than 95% of state schools at 1,540 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,382 scored Maryland schools.
Against 83 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #36.
Its student body is led by African American (32%) and White (27%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 76/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 28 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 308 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Columbia's high schools, it stands alongside Oakland Mills High (1,413 students): Atholton High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (16.4:1 vs 13.9:1).
Howard County Public Schools also operates Marriotts Ridge High (1,741 students) and Reservoir High (1,597 students) alongside Atholton High.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Atholton High compares
Atholton High on the metrics families compare, against Maryland and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Maryland | Maryland avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.4:1 | ▲ 13% | 14.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.2% | ▼ 55% | 49.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,540 | top 5% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.4:1
Leaner classes than 35% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,540
Bigger than 96% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
22.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 55% below the Maryland average of 49.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.4:1
students per teacher
- 13% above state mean
Top 75% in Maryland - lower ratio than 25% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
23.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$17,971
per pupil, district-wide
- below Maryland avg of $20,446
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 308 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 68 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
African American 32.4%
White 26.8%
Asian 18.8%
Hispanic or Latino 14.1%
Two or More 7.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 32.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 76.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 76.2, Atholton High is more mixed than the Maryland school average of 52.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 28
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Howard County Public Schools, which includes Atholton High.
$17,971
Per student
-12%
vs Maryland
Avg $20,446
+8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 62.7%
State 29.5%
Federal 7.7%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Atholton High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marriotts Ridge High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Reservoir High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Howard High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mount Hebron High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Oakland Mills High | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Atholton High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,741
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 1,597
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 1,493
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 1,455
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 1,413
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
Similar high schools in Columbia
4 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Oakland Mills High
Standard public school
1,413 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Long Reach High
Standard public school
1,334 students 10.7:1 students per teacher
Wilde Lake High
Standard public school
1,197 students 12.2:1 students per teacher
Hammond High
Standard public school
1,159 students 12.5:1 students per teacher
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Maryland, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,540 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Atholton High's federal record.
- Compare Atholton High against another school. Compare schools
- Howard County Public Schools's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Atholton High
How many students attend Atholton High?
Atholton High has 1,540 students enrolled. It is a high school in Columbia, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Atholton High?
The student-teacher ratio at Atholton High is 16.4:1, which is 13% higher than the Maryland average of 14.5:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Atholton High?
22.2% of students at Atholton High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Atholton High?
The largest demographic group at Atholton High is African American at 32.4% of enrollment, in Columbia, MD. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 76.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Atholton High?
Atholton High has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Atholton High rank among high schools in Columbia?
By Resource Investment Index, Atholton High ranks #1 of 5 high schools in Columbia, MD. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Columbia on the city page.
Is Atholton High a good school?
Atholton High earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 75% of Maryland schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Maryland. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Howard County Public Schools?
Besides Atholton High, Howard County Public Schools also operates Marriotts Ridge High (1,741 students), Reservoir High (1,597 students), and Howard High (1,493 students). See the Howard County Public Schools district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.