County Public High Schools Rank Among Best In State, Country

Montgomery County features the top seven public schools in the state of Maryland and three of the top 100 in the country, according to the Best High Schools list by US News & World Report.

"The Best High Schools list, released Tuesday, ranks schools on academic performance and how schools are preparing students for college-level work," MCPS said in a press release. "The magazine evaluated nearly 22,000 high schools from 49 states and the District of Columbia in developing its report."

Potomac's  (No. 57), Bethesda's l (No. 84) and Rockville's  (No. 93) finished with a top-100 ranking.

Churchill, Whitman, and Wootton were joined by Poolesville High School,, , and to round out the top seven in the state.

MCPS Superintendent Joshua Starr said in a press release the rankings, while having limitations, are a good way for the public to compare schools based on similar criteria.

“The Best High Schools ranking is another indicator that, overall, MCPS is doing a great job preparing students for college and careers,” Starr said. "We celebrate the accomplishments of the schools on this list and remain focused on helping all schools improve teaching and learning in order to best serve the needs of our students.” 

Wootton principal Michael Doran said the rankings should help push legislators away from reducing funding for education.

"It does not surprise me about the rankings of our MCPS schools," Doran told Patch in an email. "Our county council and State department need to understand just what an effective program we have here in Montgomery County and to be very careful not to dismantle it in these tough budget times."