MD's Best Middle Schools Ranked In New Analysis

Clarksville Middle in Howard County is the best public middle school in Maryland, according to a new ranking from U.S. News & World Report.

U.S. News researchers based the 2026 ranking of the nation’s best public middle schools on publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education. The researchers ranked more than 23,000 middle schools in their 2026 report, which was released Tuesday.

Howard County dominated with seven middle schools in the state's top 25. Montgomery County had six.

The top 25 public middle schools in Maryland are:

1. Clarksville Middle (Howard County)
2. Folly Quarter Middle (Howard County)
3. Thomas W. Pyle Middle (Montgomery County)
4. Mount View Middle (Howard County)
5. Burleigh Manor Middle (Howard County)
6. Robert Frost Middle School (Montgomery County)
7. Frederick Classical Charter (Frederick County)
8. Chesapeake Science Point (Anne Arundel County)
9. Urbana Middle (Frederick County)
10. Severna Park Middle (Anne Arundel County)
11. Stephen Decatur Middle (Worcester County)
12. Cabin John Middle (Montgomery County)
13. Herbert Hoover Middle (Montgomery County)
14. Takoma Park Middle (Montgomery County)
15. Lime Kiln Middle (Howard County)
16. Hampstead Hill Academy (Baltimore City)
17. Chesapeake Charter School (St. Mary's County)
18. North Bethesda Middle (Montgomery County)
19. Glenwood Middle (Howard County)
20. Robert Goddard Montessori (Prince George's County)
21. Berlin Intermediate (Worcester County)
22. Dora Kennedy French Immersion (Prince George's County)
23. Smithsburg Middle (Washington County)
24. Ellicott Mills Middle (Howard County)
25. Tunbridge Public Charter School (Baltimore City)

The full rankings are available here.

• RELATED: These Are The Top Elementary Schools In MD, U.S. News Says In New Ranking

The ranking methodology considered student proficiency in math and reading/language arts state assessments, adjusting for student backgrounds and core subject achievements. In cases of ties, student-teacher ratios were used as a deciding factor.

The rankings are intended as an evaluation tool to give families a snapshot of how well schools provide a high-quality education and prepare students for a successful future, LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News, said in a press release.