Enrollment
823
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Thurmont, MD
Catoctin High
Federal NCES profile for Catoctin High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 240033000629
👥 S:T ratio 22
📚 AP courses 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 21
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Catoctin High earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 96% of Maryland schools.
- #4 of 5
- public schools in Thurmont · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19.6:1
- large classes for Maryland
- 31.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Catoctin High has class sizes larger than 96% of Maryland schools. Computed live against every Maryland school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Catoctin High ranks #4 of 5 public schools in Thurmont, MD.
School address
District: Frederick County Public Schools · Maryland
NCES ID 240033000629 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.6:1
vs 14.5:1 Maryland avg
+35% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
31.0%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
-37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Catoctin High compares with Maryland and U.S. medians
What stands out at Catoctin High
Catoctin High is a mid-sized high school in Thurmont, Maryland, enrolling 823 students.
Class loads run heavy: 19.6:1 is larger than about 96% of Maryland schools and 35% above the 14.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 31.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 823 puts it in the larger third of Maryland schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,382 scored Maryland schools.
Against 239 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #165.
Its student body is predominantly White (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 32/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 9 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 274 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Frederick County Public Schools spends $14,981 per pupil, 27% below the Maryland average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Frederick County Public Schools also operates Gov. Thomas Johnson High (2,066 students) and Urbana High (1,989 students) alongside Catoctin 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 Catoctin High compares
Catoctin 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 | 19.6:1 | ▲ 35% | 14.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 31.0% | ▼ 37% | 49.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 823 | top 21% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.6:1
Leaner classes than 17% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
823
Bigger than 86% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
31.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 37% 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
19.6:1
students per teacher
- 35% above state mean
Top 96% in Maryland - lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
31.6%
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
$14,981
per pupil, district-wide
- below Maryland avg of $20,446
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 274 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 43 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.3 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
White 82.0%
Hispanic or Latino 10.3%
Two or More 4.0%
African American 2.6%
Asian 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 82.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.5, Catoctin High is less mixed than the Maryland school average of 52.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 9
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Frederick County Public Schools, which includes Catoctin High.
$14,981
Per student
-27%
vs Maryland
Avg $20,446
-10%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 50.4%
State 38.3%
Federal 11.2%
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 Catoctin High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gov. Thomas Johnson High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Urbana High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Frederick High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Tuscarora High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Oakdale High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Catoctin High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,066
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,989
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 1,821
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,735
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,702
- Students per teacher
- 21.8:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
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 (~823 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Catoctin High's federal record.
- Compare Catoctin High against another school. Compare schools
- Frederick 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 Catoctin High
How many students attend Catoctin High?
Catoctin High has 823 students enrolled. It is a high school in Thurmont, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Catoctin High?
The student-teacher ratio at Catoctin High is 19.6:1, which is 35% higher than the Maryland average of 14.5:1 and 25% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Catoctin High?
31.0% of students at Catoctin High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Catoctin High?
The largest demographic group at Catoctin High is White at 82.0% of enrollment, in Thurmont, MD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Catoctin High?
Catoctin High has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical 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 Catoctin High rank among public schools in Thurmont?
By Resource Investment Index, Catoctin High ranks #4 of 5 public schools in Thurmont, MD. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Thurmont on the city page.
Is Catoctin High a good school?
Catoctin High earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 96% of Maryland schools. 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 Frederick County Public Schools?
Besides Catoctin High, Frederick County Public Schools also operates Gov. Thomas Johnson High (2,066 students), Urbana High (1,989 students), and Frederick High (1,821 students). See the Frederick 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.