Enrollment
1,390
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Damascus, MD
Damascus High
Federal NCES profile for Damascus High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 58/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 240048001455
👥 S:T ratio 35
📚 AP courses 95
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 38
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Damascus High earns 58/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% of Maryland schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Maryland schools.
- #2 of 5
- public schools in Damascus · Resource Index
- 58
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.2:1
- large classes for Maryland
- 28.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Damascus High has class sizes larger than 73% of Maryland schools. Computed live against every Maryland school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Damascus High ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Damascus, MD.
School address
District: Montgomery County Public Schools · Maryland
NCES ID 240048001455 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
86.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.2:1
vs 14.5:1 Maryland avg
+12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
28.8%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
-41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Damascus High compares with Maryland and U.S. medians
What stands out at Damascus High
Damascus High is a large high school in Damascus, Maryland, enrolling 1,390 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.2:1 puts it in the larger third of Maryland schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 28.8% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Maryland, bigger than 93% of state schools at 1,390 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,382 scored Maryland schools.
Against 104 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #24.
Its student body is led by White (38%) and Hispanic or Latino (31%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 73/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 19 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 253 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Montgomery County Public Schools also operates Montgomery Blair High (3,266 students) and Walter Johnson High (3,016 students) alongside Damascus 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 Damascus High compares
Damascus 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 | 16.2:1 | ▲ 12% | 14.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 28.8% | ▼ 41% | 49.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,390 | top 7% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.2:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,390
Bigger than 95% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
28.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 41% 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
16.2:1
students per teacher
- 12% above state mean
Top 73% in Maryland - lower ratio than 27% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
24.8%
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
$18,101
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
Counselors5.5 FTE
Per 253 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
12
in-school suspensions + 21 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.4 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 37.9%
Hispanic or Latino 30.7%
African American 13.4%
Asian 11.0%
Two or More 6.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 37.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 72.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 72.7, Damascus High is more mixed than the Maryland school average of 52.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 19
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Montgomery County Public Schools, which includes Damascus High.
$18,101
Per student
-11%
vs Maryland
Avg $20,446
+9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 66.0%
State 23.7%
Federal 10.3%
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 Damascus High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery Blair High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Walter Johnson High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wheaton High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Gaithersburg High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Seneca Valley High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Damascus High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,266
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 3,016
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 2,794
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 2,441
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 2,409
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
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 (~1,390 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Damascus High's federal record.
- Compare Damascus High against another school. Compare schools
- Montgomery 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 Damascus High
How many students attend Damascus High?
Damascus High has 1,390 students enrolled. It is a high school in Damascus, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Damascus High?
The student-teacher ratio at Damascus High is 16.2:1, which is 12% higher than the Maryland average of 14.5:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Damascus High?
28.8% of students at Damascus High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Damascus High?
The largest demographic group at Damascus High is White at 37.9% of enrollment, in Damascus, MD. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 72.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Damascus High?
Damascus High has a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (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 Damascus High rank among public schools in Damascus?
By Resource Investment Index, Damascus High ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Damascus, 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 Damascus on the city page.
Is Damascus High a good school?
Damascus High earns 58/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% of Maryland schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Montgomery County Public Schools?
Besides Damascus High, Montgomery County Public Schools also operates Montgomery Blair High (3,266 students), Walter Johnson High (3,016 students), and Wheaton High (2,794 students). See the Montgomery 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.