MCPS High Schools Lead Maryland in U.S. News Report Ranking for 2026

Five (MCPS) have been recognized as some of the top public high schools in Maryland, according to the latest rankings released by U.S. News & World Report. The U.S. News rankings reviewed nearly 27,000 public high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia. In addition to traditional high schools, the rankings encompass charter; magnet; and science, technology, engineering and math-focused schools.
 

Poolesville High School earned second place in the state, just behind Baltimore’s Eastern Technical High School. Winston Churchill earned third place in Maryland. Walt Whitman High School, Thomas S. Wootton High School, and Richard Montgomery High School were in the top seven schools in Maryland.
 

Overall, 8 MCPS high schools ranked in Maryland’s top 20, and all 25 county high schools earned a placement on the national list. 
MCPS schools ranked in Maryland’s top 20 include:

• Poolesville High School (#2 in Maryland; #135 in National Rankings)
• Winston Churchill High School (#3 in Maryland; #172 in National Rankings)
• Walt Whitman High School (#4 in Maryland; #188 in National Rankings)
• Thomas S. Wootton High School (#5 in Maryland; #259 in National Rankings)
• Richard Montgomery High School (#7 in Maryland; #291 in National Rankings)
• Walter Johnson High School (#14 in Maryland; #579 in National Rankings)
• Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School (#17 in Maryland; #681 in National Rankings)
• Montgomery Blair High School (#20 in Maryland; #748 in National Rankings)

U.S. News evaluates schools based on a variety of metrics, including college readiness, state assessment performance, underserved student performance, and graduation rate.  The complete rankings are available here.