20 Safest School Districts In Maryland

School safety is at the forefront of many parents' concerns after the Feb. 16 school shootings of students and teachers in Florida and social media threats made this week in several Maryland school districts. One data compiler has revealed which Maryland school districts rank highest for safety.

Niche.com recently released its list of the Safest School Districts for 2018, which was created using information from the U.S. Department of Education, the FBI, parent reviews and other data. There might be some surprises for parents and educators, with perennial honorees like Howard County and Montgomery County school systems not in the top five. Instead, the website gives the nod to districts further removed from Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

But, while it ranks low, the city of Baltimore school system isn't ranked in last place, which may also be a surprise to some parents.

To compile the ranking, 50 percent was based on parent and student surveys on health and safety. Student absenteeism, suspensions and expulsions were also factored into the rankings, well as percentage of students referred to law enforcement and school-related arrests.

Click here to learn more about how Niche.com created its list.

Here is a look at the top 20 safest school districts in Maryland, according to Niche.

1. Garrett County Public Schools, Oakland
2. Queen Anne's County Public Schools, Centreville
3. Carroll County Public Schools, Westminster
4. Washington County Public Schools, Hagerstown
5. Talbot County Public Schools, Easton
6. Howard County Public Schools, Ellicott City
7. Frederick County Public Schools, Frederick
8. Harford County Public Schools, Bel Air
9. Charles County Public Schools, LaPlata
10. Montgomery County Public Schools, Rockville
11. Wicomico County Public Schools, Salisbury
12. Worcester County Public Schools, Newark
13. St. Mary's County Public Schools, Leonardtown
14. Baltimore County Public Schools, Baltimore
15. Prince George's County Public Schools, Upper Marlboro
16. Allegany County Public Schools, Cumberland
17. Anne Arundel County Public Schools, Annapolis
18. Calvert County Public Schools, Prince Frederick
19. Cecil County Public Schools, Elkton
20. Baltimore City Public Schools, Baltimore

Click here to see the full list from Niche.com.

SEE ALSO:

These Are The Top 100 Schools In Maryland For 2018, New List

New Ranking Of Maryland's Best Public High Schools

Best Maryland High Schools 2017: U.S. News

Photo via Shutterstock