2024 Best High Schools in Maryland

What High School Paths Does Maryland Provide?

Maryland boasts an impressive 510 high schools, 45 spots better than the national average in terms of per capita. This means that the state has a wide variety of educational options, particularly in and around larger cities. Of those 510 schools, the median rating is a B–, which is slightly below the national average of B–.

Public high schools make up the majority of schools at 51%, though that figure is still 44% below the national average. Of those 260 schools, 230 are traditional public schools. Approximately 58% of those traditional public schools are rated higher than the national average, so it's fair to say that there are still 134 such schools that are considered better than normal.

Drilling down further, there are 9 charter schools throughout Maryland, placing it in the 38th spot in terms of most charter schools per capita vs the average state. Of those charter schools, 44% exceed the national average in quality. Also, of the 21 magnet high schools, 10 earned above average marks in terms of quality.

On the private school side, there are 198 total high schools (roughly 39% of all schools). Maryland actually has 22% more private school options than the average state per capita, so despite a smaller state population there are still numerous private school options. With a median rating of A–, about half (51%) of Maryland's private schools are rated above the national average. About 61% of private high schools in Maryland are religiously affiliated, led primarily by Christian schools which total 92. The state ranks 20th for most religious schools per capita, so it is slightly above the average in terms of religious school influence. There are also 26 all-boys schools in Maryland, which is a whopping 157% (or 2.57 times) more than the typical state (normalizing for population size). There's also a substantial 24 all-girls schools in the state, more than four times the average.

Online options are still relatively sparse in Maryland, with just 2 schools currently offering online instruction (0% of all schools). This actually ranks Maryland in the 41st position in terms of online schools per capita vs. the typical state (it's below the average by a significant 79%).