Can I use Worcester County's school score to choose a house?

No. Use the Worcester County school score as a first-pass county screen, then verify the exact district, attendance boundary, transfer rules, and grade pathway for any address you are considering.

Does SchoolsByCounty confirm school attendance boundaries in Worcester County?

No. SchoolsByCounty publishes NCES and Census-backed public-school records. Attendance zones, magnet eligibility, charter lotteries, transportation, and transfer rules must be confirmed with local districts.

How should parents compare public schools in Worcester County?

Start with the 14 listed public schools and 1 district entry, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

Worcester County Schools & Education

Name: Worcester County, Maryland Education Data
Creator: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

Worcester County, Maryland

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

School Score

92/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Higher Signal

Graduation Rate

95.0%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

95.0%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 89.4%

Per-Pupil Spending

$12,869

National avg $13,239

State avg $10,395

School Score

92/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 72/100

State Score Position

of 24 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Worcester County

Measured School Summary

Worcester County has a higher measured school signal with a school score of 92/100 and a graduation rate of 95.0%, based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-score inputs.

Funding Context

With $12,869 per pupil, Worcester County has adequate funding that generally covers core educational needs and some supplemental services.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 27% above the Maryland average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 5.6 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 24% higher than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Worcester County before comparing districts

County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.

Local context that changes the interpretation

14 public schools and 1 district are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.

Overall screen

92/100

Higher measured signal. Ranks #1 of 24 Maryland counties with school score data.

Completion

95.0%

5.6 pts above the state average

Funding context

$12,869

$2,474 above the state average

School coverage

1 district represented in the county school list.

Start with measured county context

This county screens well on the combined school metrics available here. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.

Check the local school mix

Worcester County has 14 public schools across 1 district, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.

Verify local rules

Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.

View Public Schools Compare Counties

Parent decision brief

What Worcester County school data means before you move

County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.

Dominant-district county

Worcester County Public Schools carries most of the listed public-school system, with 14 of 14 schools. Start there, then verify whether your target address sits inside that district slice.

State position

of 24 Maryland counties with school score data. The county score is 20 points above the state average.

Data confidence

Usable

3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.

K-12 continuity check

These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.

Worcester County Public Schools

Elementary to high school visible

6,841 students

Elementary 5Middle 4High 3Other 2

14 listed schools in this county slice.

District reality check

Worcester County Public Schools is the largest listed district slice, with 14 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.

What the data cannot tell you

NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.

Questions to ask before choosing an address

Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Worcester County?

Which attendance zones, transfer rules, and transportation policies apply inside the local district?

What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?

If we need a program not visible in the NCES flags, which district office can confirm current offerings?

Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?

Data Story

Worcester County Per-Pupil Spending Approaches National Average Benchmark

Education data brief for Worcester County, Maryland.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorPublished Jul 7, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Lead metric:Per-pupil spending

Per-pupil expenditure in Worcester County is $12,869, which is significantly higher than the Maryland state average of $10,395 and closely approaches the national average of $13,000. This spending level coincides with a high composite school score of 91.7, exceeding the state average of 72.1 and the national median of 50.0. The county’s graduation rate is 95.0%, which is higher than both the state average of 89.4% and the national rate of 87%. Worcester County Public Schools is the sole district, managing 14 schools with a total enrollment of 6,841 students. The district’s schools are divided evenly between rural and town locales. Stephen Decatur High is the largest school in the system, enrolling 1,431 students. Average school size in the county is 526 students, with no charter schools present in the directory. Interested parties should consult the NCES Common Core of Data for specific school-level records.

Sources

NCES Common Core of Data
U.S. Census Bureau ACS

School Overview

Total Schools

in Worcester County

Reported Enrollment

6,841

14 schools reporting

School Districts

district

Charter Schools

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary5

Middle4

High3

Other2

1 School District in Worcester County

Worcester County Public Schools

Guide

14 schools

6,841 students enrolled

Open district guide

14 Public Schools in Worcester County

Sorted by reported enrollment. Dedicated profile pages are available for 1 high-enrollment school; every NCES public school remains listed here.

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

Search schools

Level

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Showing 14 of 14 matching schools

Public schools in Worcester County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
Stephen Decatur High	Profile	Worcester County Public Schools	Berlin, 21811Town: Distant	9–12	High	1,431
Stephen Decatur Middle	Record	Worcester County Public Schools	Berlin, 21811Rural: Fringe	7–8	Middle	697
Berlin Intermediate	Record	Worcester County Public Schools	Berlin, 21811Town: Distant	5–6	Middle	640
Showell Elementary	Record	Worcester County Public Schools	Berlin, 21811Rural: Fringe	PK–4	Primary	621
Ocean City Elementary	Record	Worcester County Public Schools	Ocean City, 21842Town: Distant	PK–4	Primary	521
Buckingham Elementary	Record	Worcester County Public Schools	Berlin, 21811Town: Distant	PK–4	Primary	515
Pocomoke Middle	Record	Worcester County Public Schools	Pocomoke City, 21851Town: Distant	4–8	Middle	448
Pocomoke Elementary	Record	Worcester County Public Schools	Pocomoke City, 21851Town: Distant	PK–3	Primary	443
Snow Hill Middle	Record	Worcester County Public Schools	Snow Hill, 21863Rural: Distant	4–8	Middle	403
Snow Hill Elementary	Record	Worcester County Public Schools	Snow Hill, 21863Rural: Distant	PK–3	Primary	379
Pocomoke High	Record	Worcester County Public Schools	Pocomoke City, 21851Town: Distant	9–12	High	352
Snow Hill High	Record	Worcester County Public Schools	Snow Hill, 21863Rural: Distant	9–12	High	348
Cedar Chapel Special School	Record	Worcester County Public Schools	Snow Hill, 21863Rural: Distant	KG–12	Special Education	43
Worcester Technical High School	Record	Worcester County Public Schools	Newark, 21841Rural: Distant	UG	Vocational	0

Stephen Decatur High

Worcester County Public Schools

Berlin, 21811 / Town: Distant

Profile9–12High1,431 students

Stephen Decatur Middle

Worcester County Public Schools

Berlin, 21811 / Rural: Fringe

Record7–8Middle697 students

Berlin Intermediate

Worcester County Public Schools

Berlin, 21811 / Town: Distant

Record5–6Middle640 students

Showell Elementary

Worcester County Public Schools

Berlin, 21811 / Rural: Fringe

RecordPK–4Primary621 students

Ocean City Elementary

Worcester County Public Schools

Ocean City, 21842 / Town: Distant

RecordPK–4Primary521 students

Buckingham Elementary

Worcester County Public Schools

Berlin, 21811 / Town: Distant

RecordPK–4Primary515 students

Pocomoke Middle

Worcester County Public Schools

Pocomoke City, 21851 / Town: Distant

Record4–8Middle448 students

Pocomoke Elementary

Worcester County Public Schools

Pocomoke City, 21851 / Town: Distant

RecordPK–3Primary443 students

Snow Hill Middle

Worcester County Public Schools

Snow Hill, 21863 / Rural: Distant

Record4–8Middle403 students

Snow Hill Elementary

Worcester County Public Schools

Snow Hill, 21863 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–3Primary379 students

Pocomoke High

Worcester County Public Schools

Pocomoke City, 21851 / Town: Distant

Record9–12High352 students

Snow Hill High

Worcester County Public Schools

Snow Hill, 21863 / Rural: Distant

Record9–12High348 students

Cedar Chapel Special School

Worcester County Public Schools

Snow Hill, 21863 / Rural: Distant

RecordKG–12Special Education43 students

Worcester Technical High School

Worcester County Public Schools

Newark, 21841 / Rural: Distant

RecordUGVocational0 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$12,869

State avg $10,395

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Worcester County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.

Open Compare

Browse Public Schools

See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.

View Schools

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Maryland counties have the highest graduation rates?

Calvert County (96.0%), Carroll County (96.0%), and Queen Anne's County (96.0%) currently lead Maryland among counties with available NCES four-year adjusted cohort graduation-rate data. This answer is generated from the same dataset used in the county table and can change when federal data refreshes.

What is per-pupil spending like in Maryland?

Across Maryland counties with available NCES district-finance data, average per-pupil spending is $10,395. The highest current county values are Worcester County ($12,869), Somerset County ($11,870), and Baltimore city ($11,733). Compare counties in the table before treating the statewide average as representative of a local district.

How should I read the school score in Worcester County?

Worcester County has a school score of 92/100, which is a higher measured signal in this county-level index. This score is calculated from available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data, with school-level records shown separately below.

What is the graduation rate in Worcester County?

The high school graduation rate in Worcester County is 95.0%, which is above the national average of 87.5%. This figure is based on NCES district-level data for public high schools in the county.

How much does Worcester County spend per student?

Worcester County spends $12,869 per pupil annually on public education, based on NCES district finance data. Current operating spending per fall enrollment, including instruction, support services, administration, transportation, and operations. It excludes capital outlays and debt service in the SchoolsByCounty methodology.

Counties with Similar School Profile

Talbot County

Maryland

-2 pts

90/100

School score

Carroll County

Maryland

-2 pts

90/100

School score

Queen Anne's County

Maryland

-4 pts

88/100

School score

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Jul 7, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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.

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