Niche has released its 2027 Best Public High Schools rankings, with nine Montgomery County Public Schools making the top 25 in Maryland, including the top two schools in the state. The full top 25 can be seen below.
Poolesville High School earned the No. 1 ranking in Maryland, followed by Winston Churchill High School at No. 2. Walt Whitman High School came in at No. 5, giving MCPS three of the top five spots statewide.
Walter Johnson High School ranked No. 8 and Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School came in at No. 9, meaning five of Maryland’s nine highest-ranked public high schools are in Montgomery County.
The nine MCPS schools in Maryland’s top 25 are Poolesville (No. 1), Winston Churchill (No. 2), Walt Whitman (No. 5), Walter Johnson (No. 8), Bethesda-Chevy Chase (No. 9), Thomas S. Wootton (No. 16), Montgomery Blair (No. 18), Richard Montgomery (No. 19) and Northwest (No. 23).
Howard County also had a strong presence near the top of the rankings, with River Hill High School at No. 3 and Marriotts Ridge High School at No. 4. The complete top 25 public high schools in Maryland, according to Niche’s 2027 rankings, are:
- Poolesville High School – Montgomery County Public Schools
- Winston Churchill High School – Montgomery County Public Schools
- River Hill High School – Howard County Public School System
- Marriotts Ridge High School – Howard County Public School System
- Walt Whitman High School – Montgomery County Public Schools
- Eastern Technical High School – Baltimore County Public Schools
- Centennial High School – Howard County Public School System
- Walter Johnson High School – Montgomery County Public Schools
- Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School – Montgomery County Public Schools
- Academy of Health Sciences at PGCC – Prince George’s County Public Schools
- Urbana High School – Frederick County Public Schools
- Western School of Technology & Environmental Science – Baltimore County Public Schools
- Mount Hebron High School – Howard County Public School System
- Glenelg High School – Howard County Public School System
- Baltimore Polytechnic Institute – Baltimore City Public Schools
- Thomas S. Wootton High School – Montgomery County Public Schools
- Crofton High School – Anne Arundel County Public Schools
- Montgomery Blair High School – Montgomery County Public Schools
- Richard Montgomery High School – Montgomery County Public Schools
- Severna Park High School – Anne Arundel County Public Schools
- George W. Carver Center for Arts & Technology – Baltimore County Public Schools
- Atholton High School – Howard County Public School System
- Northwest High School – Montgomery County Public Schools
- Howard High School – Howard County Public School System
- Oakdale High School – Frederick County Public Schools
Niche’s 2027 Best Public High Schools ranking is based on an analysis of key statistics and millions of reviews from students and parents, using data from the U.S. Department of Education. Ranking factors include state test scores, college readiness, graduation rates, teacher quality and high school ratings.
SAT and ACT scores were removed from this year’s rankings, according to Niche, to reflect the broader de-emphasis on standardized test scores in the college admissions process. The full Maryland ranking includes 251 public high schools and can be seen here.
