Best School Districts in Maryland

Reviewed by PlainSchools Editorial, K12 Schools Editorial Team · June 7, 2026

Top 24 districts ranked by average school quality score. Based on student-teacher ratios, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance. NCES CCD 2022-23.

Districts Ranked

889,557

Students

42/100

Avg Quality Score

State

#	District	Avg Quality	Grade	Students	Schools	Avg S:T	Per-Pupil $
1.	Garrett County Public Schools Oakland	55.4	C	3,500	12	12.7:1	$30,061
2.	Talbot County Public Schools Easton	48.8	D	4,523	8	13.5:1	$17,252
3.	Kent County Public Schools Rock Hall	48.6	D	1,751	5	11.1:1	$53,203
4.	Howard County Public Schools Ellicott City	47.1	D	57,676	76	13.3:1	$20,893
5.	Montgomery County Public Schools Rockville	46.2	D	160,554	208	13.9:1	$20,473
6.	Anne Arundel County Public Schools Annapolis	45.8	D	84,452	123	13.9:1	$19,959
7.	Frederick County Public Schools Frederick	45.7	D	46,899	67	16.1:1	$16,833
8.	Carroll County Public Schools Westminster	41.8	D	25,787	43	13.8:1	$18,751
9.	Prince George's County Public Schools Upper Marlboro	41.6	D	131,133	196	14.6:1	$21,751
10.	Baltimore County Public Schools Towson	41.6	D	111,082	175	14.6:1	$18,242
11.	Harford County Public Schools Bel Air	41	D	38,037	55	14:1	$16,969
12.	Washington County Public Schools Hagerstown	41	D	22,297	43	15.1:1	$17,101
13.	Allegany County Public Schools Cumberland	40.1	D	8,181	22	13.6:1	$18,760
14.	Dorchester County Public Schools Cambridge	39.8	F	4,523	11	14.4:1	$25,193
15.	St. Mary's County Public Schools Leonardtown	39.7	F	17,493	26	16.3:1	$17,616
16.	Wicomico County Public Schools Salisbury	39.3	F	14,900	25	12.5:1	$20,295
17.	Cecil County Public Schools Elkton	38.6	F	15,047	28	14.6:1	$18,173
18.	Queen Anne's County Public Schools Centreville	38.5	F	7,387	14	14.1:1	$31,389
19.	Calvert County Public Schools Prince Frederick	38.3	F	15,461	24	15.5:1	$22,994
20.	Charles County Public Schools La Plata	37.3	F	27,598	37	15.9:1	$19,839
21.	Worcester County Public Schools Newark	36.7	F	6,841	13	11.2:1	$23,159
22.	Caroline County Public Schools Denton	36.3	F	5,667	9	13.9:1	$20,319
23.	Somerset County Public Schools Westover	35.5	F	2,773	8	12:1	$26,863
24.	Baltimore City Public Schools Baltimore	35	F	75,995	154	15.4:1	$23,862

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) 2022-23 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.