Maryland · NCES CCD 2024-25

Best-Resourced 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, Education-data publisher · August 11, 2026

The ranking in one line

Garrett County Public Schools in Oakland leads Maryland's districts with an average school quality score of 54.2/100 across 12 schools.

54.2/100
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 SchoolsOakland	C-	3,500	12	13.9:1	$19,520	54.2
2	Kent County Public SchoolsRock Hall	D	1,751	5	10.9:1	$22,237	49
3	Talbot County Public SchoolsEaston	D	4,523	8	13.5:1	$16,056	48.9
4	Howard County Public SchoolsEllicott City	D	57,676	76	13.1:1	$19,256	47.1
5	Montgomery County Public SchoolsRockville	D	160,554	208	13.7:1	$19,456	46.4
6	Anne Arundel County Public SchoolsAnnapolis	D	84,452	123	13.8:1	$17,624	46.3
7	Frederick County Public SchoolsFrederick	D	46,899	67	16.7:1	$16,233	45.7
8	Carroll County Public SchoolsWestminster	D	25,787	43	14:1	$16,548	43
9	Baltimore County Public SchoolsTowson	D	111,082	175	14.7:1	$18,666	42.4
10	Prince George's County Public SchoolsUpper Marlboro	D	131,133	196	14.5:1	$19,789	41.7
11	Harford County Public SchoolsBel Air	D	38,037	55	14.1:1	$17,493	41.2
12	Washington County Public SchoolsHagerstown	D	22,297	43	15.5:1	$17,937	40.6
13	St. Mary's County Public SchoolsLeonardtown	D	17,493	26	15.8:1	$17,088	40.2
14	Allegany County Public SchoolsCumberland	D	8,181	22	13.6:1	$18,290	40
15	Dorchester County Public SchoolsCambridge	F	4,523	11	14.5:1	$21,340	39.6
16	Calvert County Public SchoolsPrince Frederick	F	15,461	24	15:1	$14,606	39.6
17	Wicomico County Public SchoolsSalisbury	F	14,900	25	13:1	$18,486	39.6
18	Cecil County Public SchoolsElkton	F	15,047	28	14.5:1	$16,748	38.5
19	Queen Anne's County Public SchoolsCentreville	F	7,387	14	14.5:1	$17,540	38.1
20	Charles County Public SchoolsLa Plata	F	27,598	37	16:1	$17,415	37.2
21	Somerset County Public SchoolsWestover	F	2,773	8	12.8:1	$24,750	36.5
22	Caroline County Public SchoolsDenton	F	5,667	9	13.8:1	$17,385	36.3
23	Baltimore City Public SchoolsBaltimore	F	75,995	154	15.6:1	$22,977	36.3
24	Worcester County Public SchoolsNewark	F	6,841	13	11.6:1	$22,643	36.1

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: 54.2/100. 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 14.5:1.

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.