Maryland · NCES CCD 2024-25

Best School Districts in Maryland

Top 24 districts ranked by average school quality score, based on student-teacher ratios, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance.

Compiled by PlainSchools Editorial, K12 Schools Editorial Team · June 10, 2026

The ranking in one line

Garrett County Public Schools in Oakland leads Maryland's districts with an average school quality score of 55.4/100 across 12 schools.

55.4/100
top district score (grade C): 12
schools in Garrett County Public Schools: 3,500
students in the top district: 42/100
average across the top 24

#	District	Grade	Students	Schools	Avg S:T	Per-Pupil $	Avg Quality
1	Garrett County Public Schools Oakland	C	3,500	12	12.7:1	$27,740	55.4
2	Talbot County Public Schools Easton	D	4,523	8	13.5:1	$14,943	48.8
3	Kent County Public Schools Rock Hall	D	1,751	5	11.1:1	$52,174	48.6
4	Howard County Public Schools Ellicott City	D	57,676	76	13.3:1	$17,971	47.1
5	Montgomery County Public Schools Rockville	D	160,554	208	13.9:1	$18,101	46.2
6	Anne Arundel County Public Schools Annapolis	D	84,452	123	13.9:1	$16,620	45.8
7	Frederick County Public Schools Frederick	D	46,899	67	16.1:1	$14,981	45.7
8	Carroll County Public Schools Westminster	D	25,787	43	13.8:1	$15,757	41.8
9	Prince George's County Public Schools Upper Marlboro	D	131,133	196	14.6:1	$19,234	41.6
10	Baltimore County Public Schools Towson	D	111,082	175	14.6:1	$16,538	41.6
11	Harford County Public Schools Bel Air	D	38,037	55	14:1	$15,192	41
12	Washington County Public Schools Hagerstown	D	22,297	43	15.1:1	$15,838	41
13	Allegany County Public Schools Cumberland	D	8,181	22	13.6:1	$17,465	40.1
14	Dorchester County Public Schools Cambridge	F	4,523	11	14.4:1	$24,096	39.8
15	St. Mary's County Public Schools Leonardtown	F	17,493	26	16.3:1	$16,038	39.7
16	Wicomico County Public Schools Salisbury	F	14,900	25	12.5:1	$17,780	39.3
17	Cecil County Public Schools Elkton	F	15,047	28	14.6:1	$17,169	38.6
18	Queen Anne's County Public Schools Centreville	F	7,387	14	14.1:1	$30,681	38.5
19	Calvert County Public Schools Prince Frederick	F	15,461	24	15.5:1	$21,252	38.3
20	Charles County Public Schools La Plata	F	27,598	37	15.9:1	$16,671	37.3
21	Worcester County Public Schools Newark	F	6,841	13	11.2:1	$21,280	36.7
22	Caroline County Public Schools Denton	F	5,667	9	13.9:1	$18,641	36.3
23	Somerset County Public Schools Westover	F	2,773	8	12:1	$26,262	35.5
24	Baltimore City Public Schools Baltimore	F	75,995	154	15.4:1	$18,272	35

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best school districts in Maryland? ▼

The top-ranked district in Maryland is Garrett County Public Schools in Oakland with 3,500 students across 12 schools. Average quality score: 55.4/100. Rankings are based on average school quality scores from NCES data.

How are district rankings calculated? ▼

Districts are ranked by the average quality score of their schools. Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES data: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, gifted program access, and chronic absenteeism. Districts must have at least 500 students and 2+ schools to be ranked.

How many school districts are in Maryland? ▼

Maryland has 24+ school districts serving 885,796 students. The statewide average student-teacher ratio is 14.4:1.

Explore More for Maryland

All Schools → Best Schools → Highest Spending → Funding Equity → Absenteeism Data →

Methodology

Districts are ranked by the average quality score of their schools. Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 metrics: student-teacher ratio, school counselor availability, gifted program access, and chronic absenteeism rates. Districts must have at least 500 students and 2+ schools to be included. This measures school-level resources, not test scores. Higher average scores indicate districts where schools generally have smaller classes, better counselor access, and lower absenteeism.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.