These Are The Best School Districts In MD, New Ranking Says

MARYLAND — The Howard County Public School System has been ranked as Maryland’s best school district in Niche’s 2025 Best Schools and Districts rankings released Monday.

Howard County schools were also ranked No. 323 nationwide among the 11,000 school districts evaluated by Niche.

Niche gave Howard County schools a letter grade of A. Grades in specific categories were:

• Academics: A
• Teachers: A-
• Clubs and activities: A
• Sports: A
• Resources and facilities: B+
• Diversity: A
• College prep: A+
• Administration: B+
• Food: C

The school district, which has 57,676 students in 78 buildings, received high marks from students, parents and teachers.

Reviewers applauded Howard County's modern facilities and quality educators, who have an average salary of $84,390. The student-teacher ratio of 13:1 is better than the national average of 17:1.

"Howard County Public Schools has students who excel, and celebrations for students who do achieve excellence, even in elementary school. From a young age, students learn to become proud of their achievements," one student review said.

"Very welcoming staff and students! Environment really focuses on student needs and support and the community is very inclusive," posted a senior.

The county has a graduation rate of 94%. About 58% of students are proficient in reading, while 42% are proficient in math.

Niche users in Howard County reported having an average SAT score of 1290, and an average ACT score of 29.

For more information, read the full report on the Howard County Public School System.

The top school districts in Maryland and the letter grades assigned by Niche are:

1. Howard County Public Schools, A
2. Montgomery County Public Schools, A
3. Worcester County Public Schools, A
4. Calvert County Public Schools, A-
5. Frederick County Public Schools, A-
6. Carroll County Public Schools, A-
7. Harford County Public Schools, A-
8. Washington County Public Schools, A-
9. Queen Anne's County Public Schools, A-
10. St. Mary's County Public Schools, A-
11. Anne Arundel County Public Schools, B+
12. Charles County Public Schools, B+
13. Baltimore County Public Schools, B
14. Wicomico County Public Schools, B
15. Talbot County Public Schools, B
16. Allegany County Public Schools, B
17. Caroline County Public Schools, B

The Maryland rankings only extended to No. 17. The letter grades for the unranked districts were:

• Cecil County Public Schools, B-
• Garrett County Public Schools, B-
• Kent County Public Schools, B-
• Baltimore City Public Schools, C+
• Dorchester County Public Schools, C+
• Prince George's County Public Schools, C+
• Somerset County Public Schools, C

The top five school districts nationwide are concentrated in two states, Illinois and New York. They are:

1. Adlai E. Stevenson High School District 125 (Illinois)
2. Glenbrook High School District 225 (Illinois)
3. Evanston Township High School District 202 (Illinois)
4. East Williston Union Free School District (New York)
5. Syosset Central School District (New York)

The rankings differ from others that rely almost exclusively on test scores and academic performance in that it also includes input from students, alumni and parents, as well as quantitative data from sources such as the U.S. Department of Education to evaluate teachers, resources and facilities.