Here's How Harford County Public Schools Rank: Niche

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — Harford County has one of the top school districts in Maryland for the 2019–2020 school year, according to Niche.com. Data analysts from the rankings-and-reviews site evaluated U.S. Department of Education information plus feedback from those on Niche.com.

Harford County Public Schools came in at No. 7 among the state's 24 school districts. It was ranked second-best school district in the Baltimore metro area, after Howard County.

The top-ranked district in Maryland is the Howard County Public School System, according to Niche.

The analysis factors in observations about things like extracurricular activities, diversity and programs for gifted and special needs students, with comments from current students, alumni and parents.

Harford County Public Schools received its top mark in sports, for which it got an A grade. Its lowest mark was in food, where the school district was graded a C+, despite one student's plug for nacho grande Thursdays.

Here are the grades for Harford County Public Schools, according to Niche:

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

"Parents and students need more than test-score data," Luke Skurman, CEO at Niche, said in a news release with the rankings. "They need to understand what it's really like to attend a school."

Here are some of the comments from Niche users about Harford County Public Schools:

"The school district keeps making cuts due to some money issues. They give students a say in fighting against the board's decisions and really take it into consideration. The food isn’t the best but nacho grande on Thursdays are always something I look forward too. The teachers are good, some better than others but overall they care about teaching and making sure their students really understand what they’re learning!" one senior wrote.

"I loved how Harford County Public Schools made you feel like you had a place to be and learn. I loved the clubs and sports and involvement with everyone," one alumnus wrote.

"I think there should be more technical schools and the schools need some updating and better staff all around. The curriculum needs to be changed and the grading policies are not very good. The sports are pretty good, but funding is not as the county does not have a lot of money," a junior said.

"In my experience, HCPS has been a good provider of education throughout the years. They have very good teachers and the sports activities are very fun and exciting," a freshman wrote.

These are the 2019-2020 rankings, according to Niche, accompanied by overall letter grade:

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

These school systems received 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-

See more about the methodology behind the Niche rankings.

According to Niche, the Jericho Union Free School District in Jericho, New York, is the best school district in the country overall. With an overall Niche grade of A+, the district received a grade of A+ in academics, teachers, clubs and activities, college prep and health and safety. In the category of diversity, Niche awarded the school district a B+.

RELATED:

• Maryland's Best School Districts 2019–2020: New Rankings Released
• Maryland's Best School Districts 2018: New Rankings Released

— By Patch editors Deb Belt and Elizabeth Janney