Maryland · NCES CCD 2024-25

Best Public Schools in Maryland

Top 50 schools ranked by resource quality score, based on student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance.

Compiled from official source data by .
66/100
Top score
B-
Top grade
59/100
Avg score (top 50)
50
Schools ranked

The ranking in one line

Centerville Elementary in Frederick is Maryland's top-resourced public school, scoring 66/100 on the NCES resource index.

66/100
top score (grade B-)
3
schools at the top grade (B-)
59/100
average across the top 50
# School GradeScore
1 Centerville Elementary Frederick B- 66
2 Friendsville Elementary Friendsville B- 66
3 Deale Elementary Deale B- 65
4 Academy of Health Sciences at Pgcc Largo C+ 64
5 Monocacy Elementary Dickerson C+ 64
6 City Neighbors Hamilton Baltimore C+ 62
7 Norrisville Elementary White Hall C+ 62
8 Thomas W. Pyle Middle Bethesda C+ 61
9 Cabin John Middle Potomac C+ 61
10 Ellicott Mills Middle Ellicott City C+ 61
11 Dufief Elementary Gaithersburg C+ 61
12 West Annapolis Elementary Annapolis C+ 61
13 Herbert Hoover Middle Potomac C+ 60
14 Silver Creek Middle Kensington C+ 60
15 Deer Crossing Elementary New Market C+ 60
16 North Chevy Chase Elementary Chevy Chase C+ 60
17 The Crossroads School Baltimore C+ 60
18 Route 40 Elementary Frostburg C+ 60
19 Takoma Park Middle Silver Spring C 59
20 Sligo Middle Silver Spring C 59
21 Gov. Thomas Johnson Middle Frederick C 59
22 Excel Academy Public Charter Landover C 59
23 Carderock Springs Elementary Bethesda C 59
24 Burleigh Manor Middle School Ellicott City C 58
25 Wiley H. Bates Middle Annapolis C 58
26 Spring Ridge Elementary Frederick C 58
27 Southern Middle School Oakland C 58
28 Capitol Heights Elementary Capitol Heights C 58
29 Sabillasville Environmental School Sabillasville C 58
30 Walt Whitman High Bethesda C 57
31 Julius West Middle Rockville C 57
32 North Bethesda Middle Bethesda C 57
33 Eastern Middle Silver Spring C 57
34 Hallie Wells Middle Clarksburg C 57
35 William H. Farquhar Middle Olney C 57
36 Glenwood Middle Glenwood C 57
37 West Friendship Elementary West Friendship C 57
38 Shipley's Choice Elementary Millersville C 57
39 Belmont Elementary Olney C 57
40 Carroll Creek Montessori Public Charter Frederick C 57
41 Chatsworth School Reisterstown C 57
42 Wolfe Street Academy Baltimore C 57
43 Parkside Elementary Lavale C 57
44 Bel Air Elementary Cumberland C 57
45 Gaithersburg High Gaithersburg C 56
46 Lakelands Park Middle Gaithersburg C 56
47 Mount View Middle Marriottsville C 56
48 Briggs Chaney Middle Silver Spring C 56
49 Benjamin Banneker Middle Burtonsville C 56
50 Dora Kennedy French Immersion Greenbelt C 56

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best public schools in Maryland? ▼

The top-rated school in Maryland is Centerville Elementary in Frederick with a quality score of 66/100 (grade B-). Rankings are based on student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, gifted programs, and attendance rates from NCES data.

How are school quality scores calculated? ▼

Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES data across 4 metrics: student-teacher ratio (lower is better, national avg ~16:1), counselor availability (ASCA recommends 250:1), gifted program availability, and chronic absenteeism rate (lower is better). This measures school resources, not test scores.

Explore More for Maryland

All Schools → Largest Schools → Absenteeism Data → Highest Spending → National Ranking →

Methodology

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. Schools must have at least 50 students and data for one or more metrics. This measures resource quality, not test scores. Higher scores indicate smaller class sizes, better counselor access, and lower absenteeism.

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