Best Public Schools in Zip Code 21042

Summary:

The 21042 zip code of Ellicott City, Maryland is home to 12 highly-ranked schools that are part of the Howard County Public Schools district. This diverse set of schools includes 6 elementary, 3 middle, 3 high, and 1 alternative school, all of which have received 4 or 5-star ratings from SchoolDigger.

Several schools stand out as top performers in the area. Centennial High School is ranked 10th out of 146 Maryland high schools, with exceptional test scores, while Waverly Elementary and Burleigh Manor Middle are ranked 26th and 11th in their respective categories, with very high proficiency rates in Math and English Language Arts. Another standout is Folly Quarter Middle, which is ranked 5th out of 328 Maryland middle schools.

While the overall performance of schools in the 21042 zip code is exceptional, there are some notable differences. The alternative Homewood School stands out with lower test scores and a higher percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, highlighting the challenges faced by such institutions. Additionally, there is a gap in Math proficiency between the top-performing and lower-performing schools, suggesting the need to ensure equitable access to high-quality education for all students in the area.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				MCAP Mathematics (2024)							MCAP English Language Arts (2024)								MCAP Algebra I (2024)	MCAP Algebra II (2024)	MCAP Geometry (2024)	MCAP Science (2024)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCAP Mathematics 3rd Grade	MCAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 6th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MCAP Mathematics All Grades	MCAP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 10th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts All Grades	MCAP Algebra I End of Course	MCAP Algebra II End of Course	MCAP Geometry End of Course	MCAP Science 5th Grade	MCAP Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Homewood School	Public	6-12	10914 Clarksville Pike	Ellicott City	21042	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-7081	131	38	3.4	15.3%	41 (31.3%)	56 (42.7%)	17 (13.0%)	5 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (6.9%)	14.1	139^th of 146 public high schools	4.8%					(n/a)														30.8	25.6		5.3
Applications and Research Laboratory	Public	9-12	10920 Clarksville Pike	Ellicott City	21042	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-6698	0	42	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Waverly Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	10220 Wetherburn Rd	Ellicott City	21042	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-2819	868	61	14.3	10.4%	231 (26.6%)	74 (8.5%)	40 (4.6%)	470 (54.1%)	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	48 (5.5%)	96.2	26^th of 859 public elementary schools	97.0%		96.3	25^th of 855 public elementary schools	97.1%	1	76.0	64.2	72.3				70.6	80.6	84.2	77.8					80.8				58.2		$16,596	$769	$15,827
Centennial Lane Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3825 Centennial Ln	Ellicott City	21042	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-2800	742	50	14.8	14.2%	231 (31.1%)	59 (8.0%)	45 (6.1%)	335 (45.1%)	6 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	65 (8.8%)	93.6	50^th of 859 public elementary schools	94.2%		93.3	54^th of 855 public elementary schools	93.7%	4	70.1	62.3	69.4				67.4	77.4	70.8	79.0					75.8				52.9		$15,271	$691	$14,581
Dunloggin Middle	Public	6-8	9129 Northfield Rd	Ellicott City	21042	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-2831	638	43	14.7	26.0%	197 (30.9%)	133 (20.8%)	55 (8.6%)	212 (33.2%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	38 (6.0%)	80.3	50^th of 328 public middle schools	84.8%		77.8	56^th of 322 public middle schools	82.6%	6				40.1	24.8	9.8	42.8				59.8	71.9	62.5		64.8	80.4		73.1		44.8	$16,897	$759	$16,138
Mount Hebron High	Public	9-12	9440 Old Frederick Road	Ellicott City	21042	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-2880	1,518	102	14.8	19.1%	580 (38.2%)	188 (12.4%)	147 (9.7%)	536 (35.3%)	2 (0.1%)	3 (0.2%)	57 (3.8%)	61.9	27^th of 146 public high schools	81.5%		61.9	29^th of 127 public high schools	77.2%	2							25.6							80.5	80.5	23.5	26.8				$17,379	$773	$16,606
Northfield Elementary	Public	K-5	9125 Northfield Rd	Ellicott City	21042	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-2806	749	49	15.4	15.2%	329 (43.9%)	63 (8.4%)	61 (8.1%)	225 (30.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	69 (9.2%)	93.9	48^th of 859 public elementary schools	94.4%		93.6	52^nd of 855 public elementary schools	93.9%	4	74.2	65.9	63.7				68.0	75.2	72.0	77.4					74.9				54.8		$15,784	$650	$15,134
St. Johns Lane Elementary	Public	K-5	2960 Saint Johns Ln	Ellicott City	21042	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-2813	657	45	14.6	21.3%	260 (39.6%)	90 (13.7%)	50 (7.6%)	216 (32.9%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (5.8%)	90.9	70^th of 859 public elementary schools	91.9%		90	82^nd of 855 public elementary schools	90.4%	12	68.8	59.0	63.2				63.5	69.4	74.4	71.0					71.6				45.6		$16,108	$760	$15,349
Triadelphia Ridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	13400 Triadelphia Rd	Ellicott City	21042	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-2560	625	46	13.4	7.8%	250 (40.0%)	50 (8.0%)	33 (5.3%)	249 (39.8%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (6.6%)	95.5	32^nd of 859 public elementary schools	96.3%		95.6	32^nd of 855 public elementary schools	96.3%		83.5	76.7	62.6				73.1	87.6	72.1	80.9					80.1				51.5		$17,230	$766	$16,464
Folly Quarter Middle	Public	6-8	13500 Triadelphia Rd	Ellicott City	21042	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-1506	683	48	14.2	6.9%	325 (47.6%)	63 (9.2%)	37 (5.4%)	216 (31.6%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	37 (5.4%)	96.5	5^th of 328 public middle schools	98.5%		96.6	5^th of 322 public middle schools	98.4%					64.6	36.9	42.9	67.4				83.6	71.8	81.4		79.0	78.9	100.0	99.1		57.0	$16,226	$654	$15,572
Burleigh Manor Middle	Public	6-8	4200 Centennial Lane	Ellicott City	21042	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-2507	776	50	15.4	14.9%	237 (30.5%)	94 (12.1%)	50 (6.4%)	339 (43.7%)	7 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (6.2%)	94.1	11^th of 328 public middle schools	96.6%		97.1	3^rd of 322 public middle schools	99.1%	8				53.5	26.5	38.2	60.7				75.4	80.8	76.1		77.4	91.1	100.0	91.9		54.2	$15,096	$625	$14,472
Manor Woods Elementary	Public	K-5	11575 Frederick Rd	Ellicott City	21042	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-7165	675	49	13.7	12.6%	251 (37.2%)	57 (8.4%)	35 (5.2%)	279 (41.3%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	50 (7.4%)	95.1	37^th of 859 public elementary schools	95.7%		95.2	35^th of 855 public elementary schools	95.9%	2	79.4	68.8	69.0				72.2	79.2	78.6	72.4					76.5				51.0		$16,634	$695	$15,939
Centennial High	Public	9-12	4300 Centennial Ln	Ellicott City	21042	Howard County	Howard County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 313-2856	1,364	86	15.8	17.8%	461 (33.8%)	169 (12.4%)	98 (7.2%)	569 (41.7%)	2 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	58 (4.3%)	77.4	10^th of 146 public high schools	93.2%		76.1	8^th of 127 public high schools	93.7%	2							43.3							86.0	86.0	20.5	52.6				$16,805	$794	$16,011

Cities Near Zip Code 21042

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Ellicott City	0.82 mi	22	38^th
Columbia	3.39 mi	23	146^th
West Friendship	4.56 mi	1	7^th
Marriottsville	4.75 mi	2	11^th
Catonsville	5.1 mi	3	105^th

See the top MD Maryland cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Maryland State Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.