Here's How Anne Arundel County Public Schools Rank: Niche

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — Anne Arundel County has many quality, top-ranked schools according to new grades and rankings released by Niche. More than 94,000 public schools, 4,100 private schools and nearly 11,000 school districts were surveyed across the country. The rankings are meant to help parents and students find schools that best fit their needs.

"Unlike traditional school rankings, which rely almost exclusively on test scores and academic performance, Niche's rankings provide a real-life view of what it's like to attend a given school," the company said in a news release.

Niche gave Anne Arundel County Public Schools the following grades:

• Academics - B+
• Teachers - C+
• Clubs and Activities - B
• Administration - C
• Food - C-
• Diversity - A-
• College Prep - C-
• Health and Safety - C
• Sports - A
• Resources and Facilities - C+

Comments from current students, alumni, and parents are included in the analysis, as well as observations about things like campus life, extracurricular activities, sports options, diversity and programs for gifted and special needs students.

"Parents and students need more than test-score data," Luke Skurman, CEO at Niche, said in the news release. "They need to understand what it's really like to attend a school before they start the application or registration process."

The top-ranked school district in Maryland is Howard County Public School. Niche gave the school system an A or an A+ in all categories except for health and safety (A-). Last year, Howard County was also No. 1. (See last year's list as a comparison: Maryland's Best School Districts: New Rankings Released)

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

Not ranked by Niche.com but given an overall letter grade by Niche:

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