Maryland's Best High Schools Ranked In New Analysis

Several Maryland schools are among the best high schools in the country, according to a ranking released Monday by Niche.

For its 2027 Best Schools and Districts in America rankings, Niche analyzed 93,000 public schools, 30,000 private schools and 11,000 school districts nationwide.

The best public high schools in Maryland, including traditional, charter and magnet schools, ranked in order are:

1. Poolesville High School
2. Winston Churchill High School
3. River Hill High School
4. Marriotts Ridge High School
5. Walt Whitman High School
6. Eastern Technical High School
7. Centennial High School
8. Walter Johnson High School
9. Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
10. Academy of Health Sciences at PGCC
11. Urbana High School
12. Western School of Technology and Environmental Science
13. Mount Hebron High School
14. Glenelg High School
15. Baltimore Polytechnic Institute
16. Thomas S. Wootton High School
17. Crofton High School
18. Montgomery Blair High School
19. Richard Montgomery High School
20. Severna Park High School
21. George W. Carver Center for Arts and Technology
22. Atholton High School
23. Northwest High School
24. Howard High School
25. Oakdale High School

The best private high schools in Maryland are:

1. The Bryn Mawr School
2. Georgetown Preparatory School
3. Gilman School
4. Holton-Arms School
5. Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart
6. Rochambeau The French International School
7. Saint James School
8. Bryn Mawr Online School
9. Washington Waldorf School
10. Glenelg Country School
11. Key School
12. St. Timothy's School
13. Landon School
14. Garrison Forest School
15. St. Andrew's Episcopal School
16. Our Lady of Good Counsel High School
17. Sandy Spring Friends School
18. Bullis School
19. McDonogh School
20. Barrie School
21. Roland Park Country School
22. The Calverton School
23. The Park School of Baltimore
24. Friends School of Baltimore
25. Oldfields School

Niche’s rankings combine federal and state data, school statistics, and over 3 million reviews from students, parents, and teachers to evaluate schools beyond test scores.

This year's updates feature methodology improvements and new standalone rankings for public and private schools. To offer clearer comparisons, Niche separated public and private lists for Best Schools for the Arts, Most Diverse Schools, Best College Prep Schools, and Best Teachers. Two rankings also received purpose-built methodologies for the first time. Best Boarding High Schools and Best Private Online High Schools both now include factors specific to their school type.

“Families deserve a complete view of their options, whether they’re evaluating schools in their area or exploring what’s available elsewhere,"” Luke Skurman, founder and CEO of Niche, said in a news release. “This year’s rankings give families more ways to find the right fit, with updates designed to help them find schools where their children will thrive.”

Niche also provides rankings by state, metro area, STEM and arts programs, K-8 schools, and more, giving families the flexibility to compare schools based on what matters most to them.