Middle school (grades 6-8) · Ellicott City, MD

Ellicott Mills Middle

Federal NCES profile for Ellicott Mills Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 60/100.

2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 240042001444
0/100100/10060/100
👥 S:T ratio
46
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
53
📋 Attendance
72
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Ellicott Mills Middle earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Maryland median.

#1 of 6
middle schools in Ellicott City · Resource Index
60
Resource Index · Higher
13.4:1
students per teacher
16.0%
free-lunch eligible

Ellicott Mills Middle has class sizes near the Maryland median. Computed live against every Maryland school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Ellicott Mills Middle ranks #1 of 6 middle schools in Ellicott City, MD.

Enrollment

698

Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

52.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

13.4:1

vs 14.5:1 Maryland avg

-8% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

16.0%

vs 49.0% Maryland avg

-67% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Ellicott Mills Middle compares with Maryland and U.S. medians

At or below state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Ellicott Mills Middle

Ellicott Mills Middle is a lower-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Ellicott City, Maryland, enrolling 698 students.

Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Maryland schools by student-teacher ratio.

Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 16.0% free-meal eligibility runs 67% below the Maryland average.

Enrollment of 698 puts it in the larger third of Maryland schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index outscores 97% of the 1,382 Maryland schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.

Among 210 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Maryland schools statewide, it ranks #3, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by Asian (43%) and White (28%) (diversity index 70/100).

Counselor coverage is strong, about 233 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.

11.3% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.

Among Ellicott City's middle schools, it stands alongside Burleigh Manor Middle School (777 students): Ellicott Mills Middle is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.4:1 vs 14.9:1).

Howard County Public Schools also operates Marriotts Ridge High (1,741 students) and Reservoir High (1,597 students) alongside Ellicott Mills Middle.

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 Ellicott Mills Middle compares

Ellicott Mills Middle on the metrics families compare, against Maryland and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Maryland Maryland avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 13.4:1 ▼ 8% 14.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 16.0% ▼ 67% 49.0% 51.7%
Enrollment 698 top 29% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

13.4:1
Leaner classes than 63% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
698
Bigger than 80% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
16.0%
free-lunch eligible - 67% below the Maryland average of 49.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
13.4:1
students per teacher - 8% below state mean
Top 35% in Maryland - lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
11.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 233 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.7 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

Asian 43.0%
White 28.2%
African American 15.9%
Two or More 7.0%
Hispanic or Latino 5.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%

Largest group: Asian at 43.0% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 70.2/100

Simpson diversity index - at 70.2, Ellicott Mills Middle is more mixed than the Maryland school average of 52.3.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Howard County Public Schools, which includes Ellicott Mills Middle.

$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 Ellicott Mills Middle Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Marriotts Ridge High Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Reservoir High Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Atholton High Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Howard High Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Mount Hebron High Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Ellicott Mills Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Howard County Public Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar middle schools in Ellicott City

5 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.

Similar middle 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Ellicott Mills Middle's federal record.

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 Ellicott Mills Middle

How many students attend Ellicott Mills Middle?

Ellicott Mills Middle has 698 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Ellicott City, MD.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Ellicott Mills Middle?

The student-teacher ratio at Ellicott Mills Middle is 13.4:1, which is 8% lower than the Maryland average of 14.5:1 and 15% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ellicott Mills Middle?

16.0% of students at Ellicott Mills Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ellicott Mills Middle?

The largest demographic group at Ellicott Mills Middle is Asian at 43.0% of enrollment, in Ellicott City, MD. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 70.2/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Ellicott Mills Middle?

Ellicott Mills Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Ellicott Mills Middle rank among middle schools in Ellicott City?

By Resource Investment Index, Ellicott Mills Middle ranks #1 of 6 middle schools in Ellicott City, MD. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Ellicott City on the city page.

Is Ellicott Mills Middle a good school?

Ellicott Mills Middle earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Maryland median. 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 Ellicott Mills Middle, Howard County Public Schools also operates Marriotts Ridge High (1,741 students), Reservoir High (1,597 students), and Atholton High (1,540 students). See the Howard County Public Schools district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.