HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Dozens of public high schools in Maryland and several public high schools in Howard County are among the best in the country, according to a new ranking released Tuesday from U.S. News & World Report.
In the list, Maryland ranks fourth among U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Among the 210 ranked schools in Maryland, 16 are in the top 5 percent nationally, 82 were in the top 25 percent.
Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda was the highest ranked Maryland public school in the nation, placing No. 147 on the national list.
Top public high schools in Howard County are:
- River Hill High School, Clarksville, Howard County Public Schools, #9 in Maryland Rankings, #476 in National Rankings
- Centennial High School, Ellicott City, Howard County Public Schools, #17 in Maryland Rankings, #890 in National Rankings
- Marriotts Ridge High School, Marriottsville, Howard County Public Schools, #19 in Maryland Rankings, #1,012 in National Rankings
- Mount Hebron High School, Ellicott City, Howard County Public Schools, #42 in Maryland Rankings, #2,247 in National Rankings
- Glenelg High School, Glenelg, Howard County Public Schools, #52 in Maryland Rankings, #2,685 in National Rankings
- Atholton High School, Columbia, Howard County Public Schools, #55 in Maryland Rankings, #2,889 in National Rankings
- Howard High School, Ellicott City, Howard County Public Schools, #71 in Maryland Rankings, #3,965 in National Rankings
- Reservoir High School, Fulton, Howard County Public Schools, #117 in Maryland Rankings, #6,511 in National Rankings
- Oakland Mills High School, Columbia, Howard County Public Schools, #135 in Maryland Rankings, #7,963 in National Rankings
- Wilde Lake High School, Columbia, Howard County Public Schools, #147 in Maryland Rankings, #9,156 in National Rankings
- Hammond High School, Columbia, Howard County Public Schools, #159 in Maryland Rankings, #10,428 in National Rankings
- Long Reach High School, Columbia, Howard County Public Schools, #163 in Maryland Rankings, #10,928 in National Rankings
State-by-state performance is based solely on which states have the largest proportion of schools in the top 25 percent. Massachusetts once again leads in the ranking, followed by Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland and Florida, respectively.
The top high schools have students who score exceptionally high on math, reading and science assessments, as well strong performance among under-served students. High school graduation rates and college readiness among graduates are also measured.