The quality of Maryland public schools slightly improved last school year, according to the latest star ratings the state released on Tuesday.

It’s the fifth year the Maryland State Department of Education is rating schools on a 5-star scale for what’s known as the Maryland School Report Card. Schools are awarded ratings based on their students’ academic achievement, progress in achieving English language proficiency, graduation rates and more.

Geoff Sanderson, deputy state superintendent of accountability, said 83% of schools earned 3 stars or more based on data from the 2023-24 school year, up from 80% the school year prior. He said a rise in student achievement likely drove the improvement.

A Baltimore Banner analysis showed Howard County schools have the highest average star rating in the Baltimore region for the second year in a row. Baltimore County has the most schools with 5 stars, though it also has more schools than any other district in the region.

One-star schools in Baltimore dropped by nine while 3-star schools went up by 10. In Baltimore County, there were 10 fewer schools with 2-star ratings and 16 more schools with 4 stars.

Rated for the first time this year are 32 primary schools that serve only kindergarten through second grade students. The state education department hadn’t rated them in prior years because children don’t take Maryland’s standardized tests — a big part of the rating system — until third grade.

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The U.S. Department of Education recently directed the state to add those schools anyway. Those schools share a rating with the elementary school their students typically attend starting in third grade.

See how your school performed on the Maryland School Report Card with this searchable database. Click on the headers to sort the lists by school district, star rating and more.

About the Education Hub

This reporting is part of The Banner’s Education Hub, community-funded journalism that provides parents with resources they need to make decisions about how their children learn. Read more.