Enrollment
1,558
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 240012000487
Towson High — Towson, MD
Federal NCES profile for Towson High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 55/100.
👥 Class size 27
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 37
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 →
School address
District: Baltimore 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)
92.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.2:1
vs 14.4:1 Maryland avg
+26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
22.7%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
-54% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Towson 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
Towson High reports 1,558 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 92.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 26% 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 15.9:1, it is 14% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 22.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 54% below the Maryland average and 56% below the national baseline. The school offers 32 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 283 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 25.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Baltimore County Public Schools spends $18,242 per pupil district-wide, below the Maryland average of $22,498 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 47.3% from local sources (property taxes), 40.7% from the state, and 12.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (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 Towson 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 | 18.2:1 | ▲ 26% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.7% | ▼ 54% | 49.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,558 | top 95% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 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
22.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 54% 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
18.2:1
students per teacher
— 26% above state mean
Top 94% in Maryland — lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
25.4%
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
$18,242
per pupil, district-wide
— below Maryland avg of $22,498
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors5.5 FTE
Per 283 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 55 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 5 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,558 Top 95% in Maryland — larger than 5% of 1,383 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 92.0
Students per teacher 18.2:1 +26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 22.7% -54% vs state
NCES ID 240012000487
Student demographics
White 52.6%
African American 25.7%
Asian 9.0%
Hispanic or Latino 7.1%
Two or More 5.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 52.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 32
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 5.5
Students per counselor 283:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 25.4%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 55
Expulsions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Baltimore County Public Schools, which includes Towson High.
$18,242
Per student
-19%
vs Maryland
Avg $22,498
-6%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 47.3%
State 40.7%
Federal 12.0%
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
- 2,087
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,012
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,922
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,900
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,889
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
Similar high schools in Towson
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
George W. Carver Center for Arts & Technology
Vocational / career-technical school
1,017 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Bcdc Educational Center
Alternative education program
52 students
Southwest Edlp at Woodlawn High School
Alternative education program
4 students
Southeast Edlp at Dundalk High School
Alternative education program
2 students
Northeast Edlp at Parkville High School
Alternative education program
1 students
Northwest Edlp at Milford Mill Academy
Alternative education program
1 students
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.
Frequently asked questions about Towson High
How many students attend Towson High?
Towson High has 1,558 students enrolled. It is a high school in Towson, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Towson High?
The student-teacher ratio at Towson High is 18.2:1, which is 26% higher than the Maryland average of 14.4:1 and 14% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Towson High?
22.7% of students at Towson High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Towson High?
The largest demographic group at Towson High is White at 52.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Towson, MD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Towson High?
Towson High has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (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.