Schools · Columbia

Columbia, MD schools

Columbia’s public schools score well above Maryland’s averages: 49% of students are proficient in reading against 35.5% statewide, and 93% of high schoolers graduate on time against 86.7%. Kids attend one of 16 elementary schools through grade 5, then one of 5 middle schools and one of 7 high schools.

Grades, test scores, graduation, spending and every school, from U.S. Department of Education data.

ASchool Grade #29Best schools in MD (of 235)#30Highest graduation rate in MD (of 258)

TownTapestry School GradeNew

A

Columbia’s School Grade: A

The public schools Columbia’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, outperform 92% of Maryland’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the top.

A+Test scoresB+Graduation

Maryland school districts we grade (25)Better than 92%

Lower resultsHigher results

Maryland towns with similar household incomes (181)Better than 94%

High confidence. Built on 29,274 tested students and a graduating class of 4,520; ordinary year-to-year swings are unlikely to change the grade.

How the School Grade works

Results, not inputs. Math and reading proficiency on Maryland’s state tests, each against the state average, plus the four-year graduation rate. Spending and class size are shown below but don’t count toward the grade. Tests: 2020–21; graduation: class of 2020.
The whole path. A town’s grade follows its kids: every district that serves it, weighted by the number of students tested in each. Tests count 60% and graduation 40%.
Graded within the state. Each state writes its own tests, so districts are lined up against the rest of Maryland only. A+ top 5%A next 10%A- next 10%B B+ to B−, next 30%C C+ to C−, next 30%D D and D−, bottom 15%
Individual schools are graded the same way on their own test results, against every public school in Maryland with 25+ students. Private schools aren’t graded: they don’t take the state tests.
What a grade can’t tell you. Test results track family income closely, so a high grade partly reflects who lives in a town. That’s why we also compare towns with similar incomes. Visit, ask other parents, and read neighbor reviews. It’s our own summary of U.S. Department of Education data, not an official rating.

School path

Where Columbia kids go to school

Grades PK–5

16 elementary schoolsDepends on your address · see the list Howard County Public Schools

Grades 6–8

5 middle schoolsDepends on your address · see the list Howard County Public Schools

Grades 9–12

7 high schoolsDepends on your address · see the list Howard County Public Schools

Based on district boundaries from the U.S. Department of Education. Check with the district before you enroll.

Test scores · 2020–21

Well above the state in reading

Reading (grades PK–12, Howard County)49%

State average 35.5%

Math (grades PK–12, Howard County)34%

State average 19.2%

Graduation · class of 2020

93% graduate on time

Graduation rate

93%

MD: 86.7%

Graduating class

4,520

students

The share of students who started ninth grade together and earned a regular diploma within four years. #30 of 258 MD towns →

Districts

The district serving Columbia

Howard County Public SchoolsGrades PK–12 · 78 schools · 57,565 students

$20,296 per studentMD $20,258A

Each district’s own page has its spending, test scores, enrollment and every school.

Colleges

Columbia is home to Howard Community College

Howard Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Columbia6,598on campus

More about Howard Community College →

Every school

All 42 schools in Columbia

Level

All 42 Elementary 25 Middle 5 High 10 Other 2

Type

All 42 Public 30 Private 12

Showing 1–30 of 42 schools

Pointers Run ElementaryElementary · Grades PK–5 · 835 students

Phelps Luck ElementaryElementary · Grades PK–5 · 681 students

Waterloo ElementaryElementary · Grades PK–5 · 666 students

Swansfield ElementaryElementary · Grades PK–5 · 594 students

Clarksville ElementaryElementary · Grades K–5 · 543 students

Atholton ElementaryElementary · Grades PK–5 · 516 students

Clemens Crossing ElementaryElementary · Grades K–5 · 481 students

Talbott Springs ElementaryElementary · Grades PK–5 · 461 students

Thunder Hill ElementaryElementary · Grades K–5 · 459 students

Cradlerock ElementaryElementary · Grades PK–5 · 453 students

Longfellow ElementaryElementary · Grades PK–5 · 446 students

Guilford ElementaryElementary · Grades PK–5 · 437 students

Running Brook ElementaryElementary · Grades PK–5 · 407 students

Jeffers Hill ElementaryElementary · Grades PK–5 · 406 students

Bryant Woods ElementaryElementary · Grades PK–5 · 366 students

Stevens Forest ElementaryElementary · Grades PK–5 · 314 students

St. Louis SchoolElementary · Grades PK–8 · 555 students

Columbia AcademyElementary · Grades K–8 · 173 students

Aya CenterElementary · Grades PK–5 · 172 students

Julia Brown SchoolElementary · Grades PK–3 · 94 students

Northcrest MontessoriElementary · Grades PK–K · 93 students

Journey SchoolElementary · Grades PK–7 · 54 students

The Mandala School IncElementary · Grades K–8 · 51 students

Columbia Montessori SchoolElementary · Grades PK–1 · 48 students

Bryant Woods Montessori Childrens HouseElementary · Grades PK–K · 12 students

Clarksville MiddleMiddle · Grades 6–8 · 679 students

Wilde Lake MiddleMiddle · Grades 6–8 · 643 students

Lake Elkhorn MiddleMiddle · Grades 6–8 · 569 students

Harpers Choice MiddleMiddle · Grades 6–8 · 471 students

Oakland Mills MiddleMiddle · Grades 6–8 · 415 students

School data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES). Ratings are from neighbors on TownTapestry.