Maryland's Best High Schools Ranked In New Analysis

Several Maryland schools are among the best high schools in the country, according to a ranking released Monday by Niche.

For its 2027 Best Schools and Districts in America rankings, Niche analyzed 93,000 public schools, 30,000 private schools and 11,000 school districts nationwide.

The best public high schools in Maryland, including traditional, charter and magnet schools, ranked in order are:

1. Poolesville High School, Poolesville
2. Winston Churchill High School, Potomac
3. River Hill High School, Clarksville
4. Marriotts Ridge High School, Marriottsville
5. Walt Whitman High School, Bethesda
6. Eastern Technical High School, Essex
7. Centennial High School, Ellicott City
8. Walter Johnson High School, Bethesda
9. Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, Bethesda
10. Academy of Health Sciences at PGCC, Largo
11. Urbana High School, Ijamsville
12. Western School of Technology and Environmental Science, Catonsville
13. Mount Hebron High School, Ellicott City
14. Glenelg High School, Glenelg
15. Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, Baltimore
16. Thomas S. Wootton High School, Rockville
17. Crofton High School, Gambrills
18. Montgomery Blair High School, Silver Spring
19. Richard Montgomery High School, Rockville
20. Severna Park High School, Severna Park
21. George W. Carver Center for Arts and Technology, Towson
22. Atholton High School, Columbia
23. Northwest High School, Germantown
24. Howard High School, Ellicott City
25. Oakdale High School, Ijamsville

The best private high schools in Maryland are:

1. The Bryn Mawr School, Baltimore
2. Georgetown Preparatory School, North Bethesda
3. Gilman School, Baltimore
4. Holton-Arms School, Bethesda
5. Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, Bethesda
6. Rochambeau The French International School, Bethesda
7. Saint James School, Hagerstown
8. Bryn Mawr Online School, Baltimore
9. Washington Waldorf School, Bethesda
10. Glenelg Country School, Ellicott City
11. Key School, Annapolis
12. St. Timothy's School, Stevenson
13. Landon School, Bethesda
14. Garrison Forest School, Owings Mills
15. St. Andrew's Episcopal School, Potomac
16. Our Lady of Good Counsel High School, Olney
17. Sandy Spring Friends School, Sandy Spring
18. Bullis School, Potomac
19. McDonogh School, Owings Mills
20. Barrie School, Silver Spring
21. Roland Park Country School, Baltimore
22. The Calverton School, Huntingtown
23. The Park School of Baltimore, Baltimore
24. Friends School of Baltimore, Baltimore
25. Oldfields School, Sparks Glencoe

Niche’s rankings combine federal and state data, school statistics, and over 3 million reviews from students, parents, and teachers to evaluate schools beyond test scores.

This year's updates feature methodology improvements and new standalone rankings for public and private schools. To offer clearer comparisons, Niche separated public and private lists for Best Schools for the Arts, Most Diverse Schools, Best College Prep Schools, and Best Teachers. Two rankings also received purpose-built methodologies for the first time. Best Boarding High Schools and Best Private Online High Schools both now include factors specific to their school type.

“Families deserve a complete view of their options, whether they’re evaluating schools in their area or exploring what’s available elsewhere,"” Luke Skurman, founder and CEO of Niche, said in a news release. “This year’s rankings give families more ways to find the right fit, with updates designed to help them find schools where their children will thrive.”

Niche also provides rankings by state, metro area, STEM and arts programs, K-8 schools, and more, giving families the flexibility to compare schools based on what matters most to them.