Enrollment
2,300
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Germantown, MD
Northwest High
Federal NCES profile for Northwest High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 56/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 240048001040
👥 Class size 31
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 56
📋 Attendance 22
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
The verdict
Northwest High earns a C Resource Investment Index (56/100), with class sizes larger than 88% of Maryland schools.
- C
- Resource Index · 56/100
- 17.3:1
- large classes for Maryland
- 33.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 2,300
- students enrolled
Northwest High has class sizes larger than 88% of Maryland schools. Computed live against every Maryland school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Montgomery County Public Schools · Maryland
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
144.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.3:1
vs 14.4:1 Maryland avg
+20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.5%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
-32% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Northwest High compares with Maryland and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Northwest High reports 2,300 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 144.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 20% above the Maryland state mean of 14.4:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.7:1, it is 10% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 33.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 32% below the Maryland average and 35% below the national baseline. The school offers 22 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 219 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 31.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Montgomery County Public Schools spends $18,101 per pupil district-wide, below the Maryland average of $20,446 and above the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 66.0% from local sources (property taxes), 23.7% from the state, and 10.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (C), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Northwest High compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Maryland state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Maryland | Maryland avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.3:1 | ▲ 20% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.5% | ▼ 32% | 49.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 2,300 | top 99% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
17 smaller classes than 29% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
2,300 larger than 99% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
33.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 32% 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
17.3:1
students per teacher
— 20% above state mean
Top 88% in Maryland — lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
31.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$18,101
per pupil, district-wide
— below Maryland avg of $20,446
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors10.5 FTE
Per 219 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 33 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 2,300 Top 99% in Maryland — larger than 1% of 1,383 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 144.0
Students per teacher 17.3:1 +20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 33.5% -32% vs state
NCES ID 240048001040
Student demographics
African American 26.3%
Hispanic or Latino 26.2%
White 21.0%
Asian 20.6%
Two or More 5.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 26.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 22
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 10.5
Students per counselor 219:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 31.2%
In-school suspensions 10
Out-of-school suspensions 33
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Montgomery County Public Schools, which includes Northwest 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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,266
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Enrollment
- 3,016
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Enrollment
- 2,794
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Enrollment
- 2,441
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Enrollment
- 2,409
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
Similar high schools in Germantown
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Before you act on this record
Treat this page as the federal baseline — then verify locally.
- Compare Northwest High side-by-side with another school you're considering on the same NCES measures. Compare schools
- Read the district context — spending per pupil, staffing, and equity ranking are district-level decisions that shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment windows, programs, and boundaries with the school directly — federal data lags the current school year. Choosing guide
Figures are the school's reported federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) — coverage varies by entity type, and PlainSchools does not rate or rank schools.
Frequently asked questions about Northwest High
How many students attend Northwest High?
Northwest High has 2,300 students enrolled. It is a high school in Germantown, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Northwest High?
The student-teacher ratio at Northwest High is 17.3:1, which is 20% higher than the Maryland average of 14.4:1 and 10% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Northwest High?
33.5% of students at Northwest High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Northwest High?
The largest demographic group at Northwest High is African American at 26.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Germantown, MD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Northwest High?
Northwest High has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (C) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.
Is Northwest High a good school?
Northwest High earns a C Resource Investment Index (56/100), with class sizes larger than 88% of Maryland schools. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.