Enrollment
1,493
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Ellicott City, MD
Howard High
Federal NCES profile for Howard High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 61/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 240042000738
👥 S:T ratio 46
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 57
📋 Attendance 33
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Howard High earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Maryland median. It is also one of the largest schools in Maryland.
- #1 of 3
- high schools in Ellicott City · Resource Index
- 61
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.5:1
- students per teacher
- 19.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Howard High has class sizes near the Maryland median. Computed live against every Maryland school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Howard High ranks #1 of 3 high schools in Ellicott City, MD.
School address
District: Howard County Public Schools · Maryland
NCES ID 240042000738 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
111.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.5:1
vs 14.5:1 Maryland avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
19.2%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
-61% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Howard High compares with Maryland and U.S. medians
What stands out at Howard High
Howard High is a lower-poverty, large high school in Ellicott City, Maryland, enrolling 1,493 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Maryland schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 19.2% free-meal eligibility runs 61% below the Maryland average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Maryland, bigger than 95% of state schools at 1,493 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,382 scored Maryland schools.
Against 82 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #18.
Its student body is led by White (35%) and Asian (28%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 74/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 25 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 213 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Ellicott City's high schools, it stands alongside Mount Hebron High (1,455 students): Howard High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.5:1 vs 13.7:1).
Howard County Public Schools also operates Marriotts Ridge High (1,741 students) and Reservoir High (1,597 students) alongside Howard 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 Howard High compares
Howard 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 | 13.5:1 | ▼ 7% | 14.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 19.2% | ▼ 61% | 49.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,493 | top 5% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.5:1
Leaner classes than 62% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,493
Bigger than 96% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
19.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 61% 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
13.5:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 36% in Maryland - lower ratio than 64% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
26.9%
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
Counselors7.0 FTE
Per 213 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 64 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.6 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 34.7%
Asian 28.0%
African American 23.3%
Two or More 7.2%
Hispanic or Latino 6.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 34.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 73.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 73.8, Howard High is more mixed than the Maryland school average of 52.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 25
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Howard County Public Schools, which includes Howard 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 Howard High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marriotts Ridge High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Reservoir High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Atholton High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mount Hebron High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Oakland Mills High | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Howard 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
- 1,540
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- 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 Ellicott City
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 (~1,493 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Howard High's federal record.
- Compare Howard 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 Howard High
How many students attend Howard High?
Howard High has 1,493 students enrolled. It is a high school in Ellicott City, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Howard High?
The student-teacher ratio at Howard High is 13.5:1, which is 7% lower than the Maryland average of 14.5:1 and 14% 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 Howard High?
19.2% of students at Howard High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Howard High?
The largest demographic group at Howard High is White at 34.7% of enrollment, in Ellicott City, MD. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 73.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Howard High?
Howard High has a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (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 Howard High rank among high schools in Ellicott City?
By Resource Investment Index, Howard High ranks #1 of 3 high 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 high schools in Ellicott City on the city page.
Is Howard High a good school?
Howard High earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Maryland median. 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 Howard High, 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.
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.