Total enrollment
57,565
+272 (+0%) vs SY 2020-21
78 schools in Howard County Public Schools
Maryland · 57,565 students · 14 cities
Howard County Public Schools runs 78 public K-12 schools per the latest NCES data, with combined enrollment near 57,565 and an average school size of 738.
4-year change in Howard County Public Schools
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25School count
77
+1 (+1%) vs SY 2020-21
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
How Howard County Public Schools ranks
Among districts| Measure | This district | In Maryland | In the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 54.2% | #3 of 24 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 57,565 | #6 of 24 | #69 of 9,234 |
| Number of schools ranked most first | 77 | #6 of 24 | N/A |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.6:1 | #9 of 24 | #3,873 of 9,044 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch share ranked highest first | 27.5% | #24 of 24 | #6,843 of 8,164 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 76.8% | #1 of 23 | #26 of 6,853 |
Districts need at least 2 schools and 500 students to be ranked. Test proficiency is ranked within the state only, since each state gives a different test. Each rank links to the full list.
Inside Howard County Public Schools
State test results across the district's 75 scored schools run from Pointers Run Elementary at 85.5% proficient to Thomas Viaduct Middle at 28.6%, a gap of 56.9 points. That is the 6th widest gap among 24 Maryland districts with four or more scored schools.
Since 2017-18, the 75 district schools that reported both years went from 56,784 to 55,472 students (down 2%) and from 4,227 to 4,070 full-time teachers (down 4%), as of 2024-25.
Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across each school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25; schools with fewer than 100 students and schools serving specialized populations are left out. Staffing figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data and count only schools that reported students and teachers in both years.
About Howard County Public Schools
Howard County Public Schools is a wide-reaching public-school district in Maryland. The district operates 78 schools and teaches approximately 57,565 students.
Looking at the level breakdown, Howard County Public Schools is made up of 42 elementary, 20 middle, 15 high schools, and 1 combined or other.
On a per-school basis, Howard County Public Schools runs about 738 students per school, 15% noticeably above the state mean of roughly 643.
Five-year track record. Total public-school enrollment in Howard County Public Schools has held roughly steady since SY 2020-21, moving from about 57,293 students to 57,565. The school count climbed from 76 to 77 across the same 4-year window.
In the discussion threads here, the community for Howard County Public Schools discusses enrollment trends, district policy changes, and bus-route updates. Anyone with firsthand knowledge of these schools is welcome to weigh in.