Patterson Mill High School

Patterson Mill High School, a modestly sized senior high in Bel Air, Maryland, one of the schools within Harford County Public Schools, teaches 839 students, covering grades 9 through 12. That puts it 29% below the typical public school in Maryland, which averages around 1,185 students.

Across the 55 schools in Harford County Public Schools (37,771 students total), Patterson Mill High School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

In terms of who attends, Patterson Mill High School logs that White students make up the majority at 68%. The remainder is composed of 9% Hispanic, 8% Black, 7% multiracial, 7% Asian.

Looking at school resources, The school lists 49 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 17.0:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 15.3:1 average. About 24% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. Set against Harford County (around 39%), the school's rate is somewhat below typical.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, On a poverty-adjusted basis, Patterson Mill High School sits in the bottom 10% statewide. Predicted proficiency from the FRL regression is roughly 60.2%; actual is 42.4%, a gap of -17.8 points.

In the area at large, the surrounding county (Harford County) logs that median household income runs about $112,265, 40% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 5%. In all, Harford County runs 55 public schools (combined enrollment of about 37,771 students), of which Patterson Mill High School is one.

Nearest neighbor: Patterson Mill Middle School, around 0.0 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Patterson Mill High School comes 9th of 9 in the immediate cluster, beneath the nearby-schools average of 59.4%.

The school occupies a commuter-belt site.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Patterson Mill High School has held roughly steady, going from 840 students in 2018 to 839 in 2025. The White share of enrollment shrank from 76% to 68% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio loosened from 14.9:1 in 2018 to 17.0:1 today.

Within the allk12 community for this school, posts here usually surface around open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.