Walt Whitman High

Walt Whitman High, an expansive senior high in Bethesda, Maryland, operated by Montgomery County Public Schools, caters to 2,056 students, covering grades 9 through 12. That puts it 74% above the typical public school in Maryland, which averages around 1,185 students.

Montgomery County Public Schools runs 208 schools in total, collectively educating 159,181 students. Walt Whitman High is one of those campuses.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Walt Whitman High shows that 57% of the student body identifies as White; the rest comes out to 16% Asian, 13% Hispanic, 9% multiracial, 6% Black. The wider county runs roughly 42% White, putting the school's mix visibly more White than the area baseline.

In terms of school funding signals, Walt Whitman High logs 115 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 17.9:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 15.3:1, putting Walt Whitman High higher than the state norm the norm. An estimated 7% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. By comparison, Montgomery County runs at roughly 40%, so the school's eligibility rate is meaningfully below the surrounding baseline.

With demographic context factored in, Walt Whitman High is in the bottom 10% of Maryland public schools. The BeatsExpectations model predicts schools with this FRL share to land around 70.1%; Walt Whitman High posts 56.8%, -13.3 points below that line.

In the broader community, Montgomery County reports that median household earnings sit near $132,450, 61% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 5% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Walt Whitman High is one of 211 public schools in Montgomery County (combined enrollment of about 159,181 students).

Thomas W. Pyle Middle is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.5 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Walt Whitman High. On composite proficiency, Walt Whitman High comes 9th of 9 in the immediate cluster, behind the nearby-schools average of 76.2%.

The school occupies a downtown site.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Walt Whitman High has held roughly steady, going from 2,085 students in 2018 to 2,056 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 67% to 57% across the same window.

On this page, the feed for Walt Whitman High typically covers school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.