Public schools in Maryland

The NCES directory lists 1,408 public schools operating in Maryland in 2024-25; 1,370 of them reported 881,476 students, averaging 14.1 students per teacher, tied for 22nd with Iowa of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts (the mean of its schools' ratios); Tennessee did not. Its largest district is Montgomery County Public Schools, with 158,537 students in 2024-25.

NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23 · method

Schools1,370881 elementary, 224 middle, 230 high, 35 other
Students881,4761.8% of U.S. public-school students
Students per teacher14.1U.S. 15.3

Maryland has fewer students per teacher than the U.S. average

Maryland ranks 22nd of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts, counting from the most students per teacher; below, it is shown with the states ranked just above and below it. The full ranking of all 51 is on the states page.

  1. Minnesota14.2
  2. Wisconsin14.2
  3. Iowa14.1
  4. Maryland14.1
  5. Mississippi14.0
  6. Georgia13.9
  7. Hawaii13.9

Eight in ten larger Maryland districts spent between $16,233 and $22,237 per student

Among the 24 Maryland districts with at least 1,000 students, one in ten spent less than $16,233 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 and one in ten spent more than $22,237; the median was $18,114. Each tick below is one district: the spread shows how far apart the state's districts are, which a statewide average hides.

Current spending per student, Maryland districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-2324 values from $14,606 to $24,750; ; state median $18,114.$16,233$22,237the middle eight in ten$10k$15k$20k$25kcurrent spending per studentstate median $18,114
Current spending per student, Maryland districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-2324 values from $14,606 to $24,750; ; state median $18,114.$16,233$22,237the middle eight in ten$10k$15k$20k$25kcurrent spending per studentstate median $18,114
Current spending per student, Maryland districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-2324 values from $14,606 to $24,750; ; state median $18,114.$16,233$22,237the middle eight in ten$10k$15k$20k$25kcurrent spending per studentstate median $18,114
Current spending per student, Maryland districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-2324 values from $14,606 to $24,750; ; state median $18,114.$16,233$22,237the middle eight in ten$10k$15k$20k$25kcurrent spending per studentstate median $18,114

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: mean of school ratios from 3 to 99, schools open that year; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures over fall membership, districts with at least 1,000 students.

State test results, 2022-23

In 2022-23, 47.6% of the Maryland students tested met the state's reading standard and 27.1% its math standard. Maryland writes its own tests and sets its own standard, so these compare Maryland's districts and schools with each other, not with other states; each district and school page gives its own results beside these. Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 85.8% of 67,829 students.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2022-23 and four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students.

In the Maryland almanac

  1. 01Every school district

    Directory, 2024-25

  2. 02Largest schools

    Largest: Montgomery Blair High, 3,266 students (By 2024-25 enrollment)

  3. 03Fewest students per teacher

    Fewest: Rosedale Center, 3.3 students per teacher (Schools, 2024-25)

  4. 04Highest-spending districts

    Highest: Somerset County Public Schools, $24,750 per student (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  5. 05Teacher salary spending by district

    Highest: Calvert County Public Schools, $96,902 of salary spending per teacher (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  6. 06Chronic absenteeism

    Lowest: James Hubert Blake High, 1.4% chronically absent (EDFacts 2022-23)

  7. 07Schools by resource index

    Highest index: Academy of Health Sciences at PGCC, 65 of 100 (CCD and CRDC)

  8. 08Districts by resource index

    Highest index: Garrett County Public Schools, 56.4 of 100 on average (CCD and CRDC)

Largest districts in Maryland

  1. Montgomery County Public Schools158,537
  2. Prince George's County Public Schools128,144
  3. Baltimore County Public Schools108,744
  4. Anne Arundel County Public Schools82,859
  5. Baltimore City Public Schools76,292
  6. Howard County Public School System56,347
  7. Frederick County Public Schools48,054
  8. Harford County Public Schools37,771

Every Maryland school district, with a find box →

Source: Largest districts: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25, students in the district's schools open that year.

Cities with the most public schools

  1. Baltimore150,807 students268 schools
  2. Silver Spring42,287 students52 schools
  3. Rockville24,186 students35 schools
  4. Frederick22,938 students30 schools
  5. Gaithersburg20,676 students29 schools
  6. Columbia15,428 students23 schools
  7. Hagerstown13,119 students22 schools
  8. Glen Burnie13,634 students21 schools
  9. Ellicott City16,166 students21 schools
  10. Waldorf16,901 students20 schools
  11. Germantown14,731 students20 schools
  12. Laurel14,034 students19 schools

All cities →

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: a school counts under the city in its mailing address, so a large city's count takes in suburbs that share its postal name.

Questions about Maryland's public schools

  1. How many public schools are in Maryland?
    The NCES directory lists 1,408 operating in 2024-25; 1,370 of them reported students: 881 elementary, 224 middle, 230 high and 35 other, enrolling 881,476 students (NCES Common Core of Data).
  2. What is the average student-teacher ratio in Maryland?
    14.1 students per full-time teacher in 2024-25, against 15.3 for the U.S.; the mean of school ratios for schools open that year.
  3. What is the largest school district in Maryland?
    Montgomery County Public Schools, with 158,537 students in its schools in 2024-25 (NCES Common Core of Data).
  4. How much does Maryland spend per public-school student?
    $18,887 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, summed over its districts (NCES F-33).

Sources

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership and staff files · 2024-25

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District membership and spending · FY 2022-23

Compiled from official source data by .