State district guide
Maryland public school districts
Compare district systems across Maryland by enrollment scale, school count, county context, generated guide coverage, and the parent checks that matter before choosing where to live.
Direct answer for parents
What this district ranking can and cannot tell you
If you are searching for the best school districts in Maryland, start with the largest and most data-rich district systems below, then verify the specific school assigned to each address. SchoolsByCounty orders districts by reported enrollment and school count because those fields are consistent in NCES. It does not convert district size into a quality rating.
Start with scale
Montgomery County Public Schools
160,554 reported students
Check county context
Worcester County
92/100 county score
Verify locally
Address fit
Attendance boundaries and transfers are not in NCES
District table
Largest public school districts in Maryland
The first 60 rows show the largest district systems by reported enrollment. Open district guides where available, or use the county profile when a detailed district page is not generated yet.
25 districts in state file
| Rank | District | County context | Students | Schools | Parent lens |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montgomery County 69/100 county score | 160,554 | 210 | Elementary, middle, and high school records No charter, magnet, or virtual flags reported Open district guide | |
| 2 | Prince George's County 49/100 county score | 131,133 | 199 | Elementary, middle, and high school records 9 charter Open district guide | |
| 3 | Baltimore County 65/100 county score | 111,082 | 178 | Elementary, middle, and high school records 1 charter Open district guide | |
| 4 | Anne Arundel County 66/100 county score | 84,452 | 126 | Elementary, middle, and high school records 2 charter, 1 virtual Open district guide | |
| 5 | Baltimore city 48/100 county score | 75,995 | 154 | Elementary, middle, and high school records 31 charter Open district guide | |
| 6 | Howard County 85/100 county score | 57,676 | 77 | Elementary, middle, and high school records No charter, magnet, or virtual flags reported Open district guide | |
| 7 | Frederick County 75/100 county score | 46,899 | 69 | Elementary, middle, and high school records 4 charter, 1 virtual Open district guide | |
| 8 | Harford County 66/100 county score | 38,037 | 55 | Elementary, middle, and high school records No charter, magnet, or virtual flags reported Open district guide | |
| 9 | Charles County 83/100 county score | 27,598 | 39 | Elementary, middle, and high school records No charter, magnet, or virtual flags reported Open district guide | |
| 10 | Carroll County 90/100 county score | 25,787 | 44 | Elementary, middle, and high school records No charter, magnet, or virtual flags reported Open district guide | |
| 11 | Washington County 73/100 county score | 22,297 | 44 | Elementary, middle, and high school records No charter, magnet, or virtual flags reported Open district guide | |
| 12 | St. Mary's County 73/100 county score | 17,493 | 28 | Elementary, middle, and high school records 1 charter Open district guide | |
| 13 | Calvert County 82/100 county score | 15,461 | 25 | Elementary, middle, and high school records No charter, magnet, or virtual flags reported Open district guide | |
| 14 | Cecil County 82/100 county score | 15,047 | 29 | Elementary, middle, and high school records No charter, magnet, or virtual flags reported Open district guide | |
| 15 | Wicomico County 55/100 county score | 14,900 | 25 | Elementary, middle, and high school records No charter, magnet, or virtual flags reported Open district guide | |
| 16 | Allegany County 79/100 county score | 8,181 | 22 | Elementary, middle, and high school records No charter, magnet, or virtual flags reported Open district guide | |
| 17 | Queen Anne's County 88/100 county score | 7,387 | 14 | Elementary, middle, and high school records No charter, magnet, or virtual flags reported Open district guide | |
| 18 | Worcester County 92/100 county score | 6,841 | 14 | Elementary, middle, and high school records No charter, magnet, or virtual flags reported Open district guide | |
| 19 | Caroline County 63/100 county score | 5,667 | 10 | Elementary, middle, and high school records No charter, magnet, or virtual flags reported Open district guide | |
| 20 | Dorchester County 51/100 county score | 4,523 | 13 | Elementary, middle, and high school records No charter, magnet, or virtual flags reported Open district guide | |
| 21 | Talbot County 90/100 county score | 4,523 | 8 | Elementary, middle, and high school records No charter, magnet, or virtual flags reported Open district guide | |
| 22 | Garrett County 75/100 county score | 3,500 | 12 | Elementary, middle, and high school records No charter, magnet, or virtual flags reported Open district guide | |
| 23 | Somerset County 54/100 county score | 2,773 | 9 | Elementary, middle, and high school records No charter, magnet, or virtual flags reported Detailed guide not generated yet | |
| 24 | Kent County 79/100 county score | 1,751 | 5 | Elementary, middle, and high school records No charter, magnet, or virtual flags reported Detailed guide not generated yet | |
| 25 | Baltimore city 48/100 county score | 403 | 1 | high school records No charter, magnet, or virtual flags reported Detailed guide not generated yet |
— = enrollment not reported in the district record. District rows are informational and must be paired with local assignment tools before a housing decision.
Methodology
How to use district rankings without overreading them
District-level data is useful because it shows the operating system around a public school search: how many schools exist, which county record anchors the district, how much enrollment is reported, and whether a detailed district guide is available. It is not enough to decide where a student should enroll.
Rows are ordered by reported enrollment, then school count. The method favors broad, data-rich systems because those are the districts parents most often need to research before relocation.
Each district is attached to a primary county record when available. County school scores are context signals, not district ratings, and nearby counties can still matter for commute and housing decisions.
Elementary, middle, and high school counts help parents spot whether a district looks like a full K-12 pathway or a narrower operating unit. Feeder patterns still require local verification.
The final decision happens at the address level. Confirm attendance zones, open-enrollment rules, magnet admissions, charter lotteries, and transfer windows with official district sources.
County context
Districts anchored in higher-scoring county contexts
These rows pair district records with the county-level SchoolsByCounty score. Treat this as a shortlist for deeper research, not a district quality ranking.
Parent checklist before relying on a district ranking
Use this page to narrow the field, then answer these local questions before treating any district as a fit for a specific home.
Use the district address lookup and confirm edge cases near attendance-zone borders.
A strong elementary fit can split into several middle or high school paths.
Magnet, charter, virtual, and transfer options can involve lotteries, applications, or deadlines.
Pair school research with taxes, commute, home prices, and safety before choosing where to live.
Frequently Asked Questions About Maryland School Districts
What are the best school districts in Maryland?
How are Maryland districts ranked here?
Why do only 22 Maryland districts have district guide links?
Do these district pages show attendance boundaries?
Does a large district mean better schools?
How many districts are included for Maryland?
Data Sources
Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.
Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.