Nearly 96 percent of AACPS schools for which scores are recorded earned three or more stars on the latest Maryland Report Card, according to data released by the Maryland State Department of Education today.
In all, 113 of the 118 schools on the report card met that mark, and more than 54 percent of schools earned four or more stars on the five-star scale. Both percentages exceed the state average, according to the data.
Additionally, the number of schools earning two or fewer stars decreased for the third straight year. In that time, AACPS has gone from 13 such schools to five.
The number of points earned by county schools increased at both the middle and high school levels, but dipped slightly at the elementary level. High Point Elementary School in Pasadena showed the biggest improvement among county schools, gaining 11 points on its report card.
Other large gains were made by:
Deale Elementary School, 9.3 points.
Oakwood Elementary School, 9.3 points.
Marley Elementary School, 8.1 points.
Richard Henry Lee Elementary School, 6.8 points.
Severn Run High School, 6.3 points, largest among county high schools.
Southern High School, 5.7 points.
Edgewater Elementary School, 5.6 points.
Belle Grove Elementary School, 5.3 points.
Jessup Elementary School, 5.3 points.
MacArthur Middle School, 5.0 points, largest among county middle schools.
Calculated from data collected during the 2025-2026 school year, the Report Card marks the fourth straight year with consistent criteria to determine star ratings. Compared to the 2022-23 school year, the total number of points earned by county schools has increased by 2.9 points at the elementary level, 3.1 points at the middle school level, and 4.0 points at the high school level.
The Report Card utilizes metrics that are part of Maryland’s accountability system under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). It incorporates multiple indicators of academic and non-academic school performance and calculates them into a final score to arrive at a rating of one to five stars.
Twelve county schools – Arnold, Benfield, Crofton Woods, Folger McKinsey, Jones, Severna Park, Shipley’s Choice, South Shore, West Annapolis, and Windsor Farm elementary schools; Severna Park High School; and Chesapeake Science Point Public Charter School – earned five stars. In addition, 52 schools earned four stars and 49 earned three.
Nine schools – George T. Cromwell, Germantown, Hillsmere, Nantucket, Overlook, and Two Rivers elementary schools; Magothy River Middle School; and Monarch Annapolis and Monarch Global public contract schools – have either three or four stars and are within a single point of earning an additional star.
“There is a lot of good news for our schools in this year’s report card,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mark Bedell said. “My goal is not to have a single two-star school in our county and the fact that we have reduced that number to three is a big deal for us. We are not where we want to be yet but we are moving in that direction and I am proud of the work that is going on in our schools.”
This year’s results also underscore the continued investments in community schools under the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. Of AACPS' 44 community schools rated on the report card, 38 (88.6 percent) maintained or increased their star rating.
Complete results can be found on the Maryland Report Card page at reportcard.msde.maryland.gov. Star ratings for individual county schools can be found at www.aacps.org/starratings.