Howard County Schools See Five-Star Count Rise to 18

Howard County Public Schools recorded a sharp increase in its highest tier ratings this year.

The district secured the top average star rating in the Baltimore region on the Maryland School Report Card for the third straight year. State officials released the new data on Thursday, marking the latest iteration of the annual quality review. The report card assigns stars based on a mix of graduation rates, attendance records, and standardized test results.

Eighteen schools in the district now hold five stars, the maximum designation on the scale. This figure represents nearly double the ten schools that achieved the same status in the previous cycle. Consequently, 23% of the district’s 77 total schools earned the top mark. The improvement was driven largely by schools that previously held four stars moving up a tier. Centennial High and Marriotts Ridge High returned to the five-star category after dropping to four stars last year. Conversely, Rockburn Elementary and Lime Kiln Middle fell from five stars to four.

Specific performance metrics explain part of the upward movement. Marriotts Ridge High School saw a 10 percentage point increase in its state English Language Arts exam pass rate. That rate reached 87.8% for the current cohort. Hammond High School recorded a 5 percentage point gain in English proficiency, bringing its score to 72.5%. These test score improvements directly influenced the final star ratings for those institutions.

The district also eliminated its lowest tier schools. Howard County has no one-star schools this year. Cedar Lane Special Center, which serves students with disabilities, moved from one star to two stars. Guilford Park High School, which opened in August 2023, received its first rating of three stars. Sixteen schools in total improved their standing. Among them, Bollman Bridge, Cradlerock, and Elkridge Landing moved from three stars to four. Hammond High, Laurel Woods, and Burleigh Manor Middle also climbed one tier.

State education leaders are currently reviewing the current system and considering potential changes to how stars are calculated. The existing formula weighs multiple factors, but the final adjustments have not been finalized. Until those changes take effect, the current report card remains the primary benchmark for district performance.

Howard County is tied with Calvert County for the second-highest share of five-star schools in the state. Both counties report that 23% of their schools earned the top rating. Worcester County leads the state with a 27% share of five-star schools. In Central Maryland, Howard is the only county without a one-star school. Baltimore City holds the most low-performing schools, with five rated one star. Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties each have two schools in the bottom tier, while Harford and Montgomery counties each have one.