Niche, a national rankings and review site that analyzes schools and neighborhoods across the country, has released its 2026 list of the top public high schools in Maryland (top 25 available below).
The rankings are widely referenced each year by students, parents, and educators and are based on a combination of factors including academics, college readiness, graduation rates, teacher quality, and student and parent reviews.
Niche’s methodology blends data from the U.S. Department of Education with millions of self-reported reviews from families and students, aiming to provide both quantitative measures and community perspectives. As with any ranking, however, the results should be viewed as one resource among many. School rankings are not definitive measures of quality and may not fully capture the unique strengths, culture, or opportunities available at individual schools.
The top 25 public high schools in the state can be seen below:
25. Howard High School (Howard County)
24. Clarksburg High School (Montgomery County)
23. George W. Carver Center for the Arta (Baltimore County)
22. Quince Orchard High School (Montgomery County)
21. Severna Park High School (Anne Arundel County)
20. Atholton High School (Howard County)
19. Baltimore Polytechnic Institute (Baltimore City)
18. Glenelg High School (Howard County)
17. Western School of Technology & Environmental Science (Baltimore County)
16. Academy of Health Sciences at PGCC (Prince George’s County)
15. Urbana High School (Frederick County)
14. Northwest High School (Montgomery County)
13. Mount Hebron High School (Howard County)
12. Montgomery Blair High School (Montgomery County)
11. Eastern Technical High School (Baltimore County)
10. Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School (Montgomery County)
9. Centennial High School (Howard County)
8. Thomas S. Wootton High School (Montgomery County)
7. Walter Johnson High School (Montgomery County)
6. Richard Montgomery High School (Montgomery County)
5. Marriotts Ridge High School (Howard County)
4. Walt Whitman High School (Montgomery County)
3. River Hill High School (Howard County)
2. Winston Churchill High School (Montgomery County)
1. Poolesville High School (Montgomery County)
The full list from niche can be found here.
