Best Public Schools in Laurel, MD

The city of Laurel, Maryland is home to 19 schools serving students from elementary through high school, spread across three school districts - Prince George's County Public Schools, Anne Arundel County Public Schools, and Howard County Public Schools. The data reveals a mix of high-performing and low-performing schools, with significant disparities in academic achievement and resource allocation between the districts.

The standout schools in the Laurel area include Chesapeake Math and IT Public Charter, which has impressive test scores and a diverse student population, and the Gorman Crossing Elementary and Hammond Elementary schools in the Howard County district, which consistently rank among the top 25% of Maryland elementary schools. Meanwhile, Laurel High School has shown improvement in its state ranking over the past few years, moving from 158th out of 180 Maryland high schools in 2016-2017 to 120th out of 225 in 2021-2022.

The data also reveals that the Howard County schools generally outperform the Prince George's County schools on standardized tests, suggesting disparities in resources, funding, or other factors that contribute to academic achievement. Additionally, many of the Prince George's County schools have high free/reduced lunch rates, indicating a significant population of economically disadvantaged students, which may present challenges for the schools in providing adequate resources and support.