20 Best Public High Schools in Maryland – 2025
June 4, 2025
Are you searching for the best public high schools in Maryland? A high school that offers top-notch education and unparalleled opportunities for students? Your search is over! In this blog, we’ll explore the best public high schools in Maryland, highlighting the institutions that stand out for their academic excellence and overall student success. Whether you’re a parent planning a move or a student seeking the ideal learning environment, this blog will provide you with the essential information to make an informed decision. That being said, any “best-of” list is inherently subjective. Given the fact that any of the schools below will offer a world-class education, this list is presented alphabetically.
Best Public High Schools in Maryland
1) Baltimore Design School
- Location: Baltimore (Baltimore City Public Schools)
- Enrollment: 504
- Student/teacher ratio: 15:1
- Average SAT score: 883
As the smallest school on this list, BDS is a bit of an outlier. Not only does it have the best student-teacher ratio on the list (and the best website), but it also has the lowest SAT scores. Don’t let this put you off — this school is for students who have a passion for design. You don’t attend BDS to take those pesky AP tests (less than 20% passed) — you attend BDS because you are an artiste. As a bonus, BDS has the most grammatically coherent acrostic of any school on this list, encouraging their students to be Diligent, Accountable, Respectful, and Enthusiastic.
2) Baltimore Polytechnic Institute
- Location: Baltimore (Baltimore City Public Schools)
- Enrollment: 1,580
- Student/teacher ratio: 20:1
- Average SAT score: 1136
Founded in 1883, BPI (aka “Poly”) was the first public high school in Maryland to racially integrate (in 1952). Poly offers 20+ AP courses as well as a host of specialized programs, including Computer Science, Project Lead the Way, the Ingenuity Project, as well as a competitive marching band and drumline.
3) Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
- Location: Rockville (Montgomery County Public Schools)
- Enrollment: 2,369
- Student/teacher ratio: 18:1
- Average SAT score: 1208
I know what you’re thinking — and no, this high school has no association with that Chevy Chase. You’re also probably wondering if the logo of B-CCHS’s athletics teams doesn’t look a tad too close to the Fighting Irish leprechaun. Yes, but you see, the “Fighting Baron” has a top hat — a nod to his barony and a defense against any accusation of copyright infringement. None of this takes away from B-CCHS’s sterling reputation. As an IB World School, students have unparalleled access to rigorous academics. It also has an amazing student newspaper and is the high school of The Wire creator David Simon.
4) Centennial High School
- Location: Ellicott City (Howard County Public Schools)
- Enrollment: 1,364
- Student/teacher ratio: 17:1
- Average SAT score: 1328
Aside from an extensive list of clubs (100+) and one or two notable alumni (CNN’s Suzanne Malveaux), I couldn’t find much on their website to distinguish CHS from the other great schools on this list. To be sure, CHS offers AP and dual-enrollment, but who doesn’t these days? At the same time, Centennial is involved in (hosts?) something called the Teacher Academy of Maryland (TAM), which is a career and technology education program to address teacher shortage issues in Maryland.
5) Chesapeake Science Point Middle/High School
- Location: Hanover (Anne Arundel County Public Schools)
- Enrollment: 270 (grades 9-12)
- Student/teacher ratio: 15:1 (grades 6-12)
- Average SAT score: 1102
First, a note about the enrollment data at Chesapeake Science Point. The Maryland Department of Education website puts CSP’s total enrollment (grades 6-12) at 889 students. However, if you separate this data into middle and high school enrollment, you get 237 and 270, respectively. I’m no math major, but it seems like about 400 students are unaccounted for. (Perhaps reporting standards are more lax for charter schools.) Furthermore, while CSP might be a successful science magnet, this expertise doesn’t extend to their web copy. Case in point: “Like stripes on a big cat, it’s as easy to lose count of our successes.” Remember, good grammar is crucial – even if you’re one of the best public high schools in Maryland.
6) Eastern Technical High School
- Location: Baltimore (Baltimore County Public Schools)
- Enrollment: 1,276
- Student/teacher ratio: 19:1
- Average SAT score: 1212
No list of the “Best Public High Schools in Maryland” would be complete without Eastern Technical. Though the school is known for its academic rigor, some students find the school to be overly focused on AP and college-preparedness. That being said, ETHS does have a magnet program for career-oriented students.
7) George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology
- Location: Towson (Baltimore County Public Schools)
- Enrollment: 1,015
- Student/teacher ratio: 15:1
- Average SAT score: 1125
As a county-wide magnet school, students qualify for admission to Carver Center by competitive auditions in one of the following areas: Acting, Carpentry, Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, Dance, Design & Production, Digital Instrumental Music, Information Technology/Interactive Media Production, Literary Arts, Visual Arts, and Vocal Music. (You can take a look at their YouTube channel here.)
8) Marriotts Ridge High School
- Location: Marriottsville (Howard County Public Schools)
- Enrollment: 1,701
- Student/teacher ratio: 17:1
- Average SAT score: 1289
I know what you’re thinking — “Shouldn’t there be an apostrophe in ‘Marriotts Ridge’?” Apparently, this issue has already been addressed by none other than The Baltimore Sun. On the other hand, if you’re wondering if the school’s website features an acrostic that mixes both nouns and adjectives in a way that defies traditional notions of grammar — you’re in luck! Relationships Integrity Dynamic Growth Empowered.
9) Northwest High School
- Location: Germantown (Montgomery County Public Schools)
- Enrollment: 2,386
- Student/teacher ratio: 17:1
- Average SAT score: 1043
Northwest High School has so much to recommend it — for example, a YouTube channel that is as awkward as you expect as well as troupe 5998 of the International Thespian Society. What’s more, they offer the “Ulysses Signature Program,” which encourages student-initiated explorations in “areas of strong interest.” (As far as I can tell, this program has no connection to James Joyce’s Ulysses. That being the case, it’s unclear why they chose the Latin version of “Odysseus.”) What’s more, NWHS offers the “Middle College Program,” which allows students to earn a high school diploma and an associate degree at the same time.
10) Poolesville High School
- Location: Poolesville (Montgomery County Public Schools)
- Enrollment: 1,332
- Student/teacher ratio: 18:1
- Average SAT score: 1312
The “Home of the Falcons” is the only whole-school magnet in Montgomery County.” What’s more, it aims to unite “close-knit, rural community values and diverse global perspectives.” Unsurprisingly, there’s to be no shortage of “confidence,” “rigor,” and “meaningful learning experiences.” Interestingly, PHS is one of the first high schools that I’ve seen with visible anti-hazing content on their website. I’m not sure if that attests to the school’s forward-thinking position or to the scale of the problem. In any case, PHS also offers over 100 clubs and activities to help you pad out that resume – just what we’ve come to expect from one of the best public high schools in Maryland.
11) Richard Montgomery High School
- Location: Rockville (Montgomery County Public Schools)
- Enrollment: 2,386
- Student/teacher ratio: 18:1
- Average SAT score: 1208
As a top IB school, RMHS is the hub of the county’s complete IB continuum, comprising IB Primary Years, Middle Years, and Diploma programs. Like every single high school on this list, RMHS offers dual-enrollment and AP courses. At the same time, RMHS’s name has caused some controversy in the past and there is talk of a rebranding.
12) River Hill High School
- Location: Clarksville (Howard County Public Schools)
- Enrollment: 1,462
- Student/teacher ratio: 17:1
- Average SAT score: 1330
Unfortunately, the staff and teachers at RSHS are too busy providing a top-notch education to update their website. While information about the district is plentiful, there’s not much on the school itself. I did find their club list (“reading for liberation” looks cool) as well as RHHS’s full-throated endorsement of the LGBTQIA+ community.
13) Severna Park High School
- Location: Severna Park (Anne Arundel County Public Schools)
- Enrollment: 1,817
- Student/teacher ratio: 19:1
- Average SAT score: 1164
First, I want to give a shout-out to the Anne Arundel County School District for having much better web design than Montgomery County. What’s more, SPHS has one of the more coherent mission statements I’ve read, aiming to be the “educational and cultural focal point of the community…[and to] empower all students to think critically, communicate and solve problems effectively and become lifelong learners.” All that being said, SPHS’s website does feature a mind-bendingly incoherent acrostic: “Engaged Falcons: ReSPectful ReSPonsible, For All Acceptance Leadership Caring Opportunity Nice Service.”
14) Thomas S. Wootton High School
- Location: Rockville (Montgomery County Public Schools)
- Enrollment: 1,875
- Student/teacher ratio: 18:1
- Average SAT score: 1254
In a statement whose significance can only lie in its lack of identifiable content, Wootton’s website asserts that “We have a diverse student body and a staff of trained educators who uphold the values of the school and surrounding community.” (What these values are remain a riddle.) That being said, Wootten HS offers both AP courses and dual-enrollment, as well as a host of special education initiatives. (If you have a minute, do check out Wootton’s YouTube channel, Patriot TV News. The latest episode starts and ends with the dulcet tones of the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way.”)
15) Towson High School Law and Public Policy
- Location: Towson (Baltimore County Public Schools)
- Enrollment: 1,650
- Student/teacher ratio: 18:1
- Average SAT score: 1092
As far as I can tell, while the law and public policy magnet program is located within Towson High School, it operates separately from the rest of the high school. If accepted to the program, students will be introduced to “law in American society and the rights and responsibilities inherent in our judicial system.” The hope is that students will come away with “a practical understanding of the legal system that will be of use in their everyday lives.”
16) Urbana High School
- Location: Ijamsville (Fredrick County Public Schools)
- Enrollment: 2,012
- Student/teacher ratio: 22:1
- Average SAT score: 1166
Located in the unincorporated community of Ijamsville (named after Plummer Ijams, an 18th-century Welsh settler), Urbana High School must surely seem incongruous compared to its rural setting. (Ijamsville only has 7,000 residents.) At the same time, you can’t get much blander than UHS’s mission statement, which reads, “United by high standards, UHS empowers students to achieve their full potential and make a positive difference in their local and global
communities.” Just what we’ve come to expect from one of the best public high schools in Maryland. Additionally, Urbana High School offers the requisite AP courses and dual-enrollment options.
17) Walt Whitman High School
- Location: Bethesda (Montgomery County Public Schools)
- Enrollment: 2,042
- Student/teacher ratio: 17:1
- Average SAT score: 1317
I’ll admit, the juxtaposition of “Walt Whitman” and “Vikings” is weird, but WWHS has its heart in the right place. It leans into diversity, equity, and inclusion, promising a “safe, supportive, and co-constructed environment which cultivates intellectual and social growth.” As befits a high school named for a famous writer, WWHS has its own writing center to help students improve their writing (and avoid ChatGPT).
18) Walter Johnson High School
- Location: Bethesda (Montgomery County Public Schools)
- Enrollment: 2,984
- Student/teacher ratio: 19:1
- Average SAT score: 1208
Walter Johnson HS has the questionable distinction of being the first high school in the nation to be named for an MLB player. (In this case, Walter “the Big Train” Johnson, one of the inaugural members of the Baseball Hall of Fame.) WJHS’s signature offerings include the APEX-Reach Scholars program, which is a rigorous four-year course of study designed for students who want to pursue a challenging curriculum of honors and intensive AP coursework.
19) Western School of Technology and Environmental Science
- Location: Baltimore (Baltimore County Public Schools)
- Enrollment: 953
- Student/teacher ratio: 15:1
- Average SAT score: 1167
When you think “magnet school,” you might think “high-tech” or “Advanced Placement.” Western School of Technology is here to change your mind. Students can apply to WST to study health professions, auto-tech, cosmetology, culinary arts, IT, or plumbing, to name a few. You can check out Western’s dry, but informative, introductory video here. (It begins with the vaguely threatening declaration, “Be a Western Tech Graduate or compete with one!”)
20) Winston Churchill High School
- Location: Potomac (Montgomery County Public Schools)
- Enrollment: 2,203
- Student/teacher ratio: 18:1
- Average SAT score: 1272
Offering the standard mix of AP courses and dual-enrollment opportunities, WCHS promises “a unified community dedicated to ensuring positive learning experiences.” Furthermore, it aims to “cultivate positive relationships, empower underrepresented populations…and promote social-emotional well-being.” I can only imagine that WCHS is full of type-A overachievers. Consequently, the school promotes “health limits,” which encourages students to limit their AP courses each year.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, choosing the right school can significantly impact a student’s future. By focusing on the best public high schools in Maryland, we hope to make it easier for you to make that choice. The best public schools in Maryland offer a diverse range of programs and opportunities, ensuring that every student can thrive. But if you’re not impressed by any of the public schools on this list, or you’re simply looking at all your options, check out the best private high schools in Maryland next!
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