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U.S. News & World Report ranks MD elementary, middle schools
Ocean City Elementary was ranked No. 1 in the state for all elementary schools in the 2027 U.S. News & World Report rankings. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
Reuters Connect//October 21, 2026//
U.S. News & World Report has released its 2027 Best Elementary and Middle Schools rankings, evaluating thousands of public schools across the country based largely on student performance on state assessments.
Rather than producing one national list, U.S. News ranks elementary and middle schools within each state and also produces district and charter school rankings where enough schools qualify.
The rankings consider student achievement in mathematics and reading or language arts, as well as how schools perform compared with expectations based on students’ socioeconomic backgrounds.
U.S. News ranked 46,713 elementary schools and 24,756 middle schools for 2027.
How U.S. News ranks elementary and middle schools
U.S. News incorporated publicly available data collected directly from state education agencies by RTI International, along with data from the U.S. Department of Education. It evaluates student performance across proficiency levels on math and reading or language arts assessments.
Half of a school’s score reflects student proficiency, while the other half measures performance compared with expectations based on students’ socioeconomic characteristics. Math and reading proficiency each account for 25% of the overall score. Math and reading performance, also weighted at 25% each, compare schools’ results with predicted performance based largely on the percentage of economically disadvantaged students and students from historically underserved ethnic groups.
The four indicators produce an overall score from 0 to 100 showing a school’s percentile within its state. Because states use different assessments and proficiency standards, results are not comparable across state lines.
For more of the methodology and how U.S. News ranked the schools, visit usnews.com/education/k12.
Top 10 elementary schools in Maryland
• Ocean City Elementary, Ocean City
• Pinewood Elementary, Timonium
• Benfield Elementary, Severna Park
• Glenarden Woods Elementary, Lanham
• Bradley Hills Elementary, Bethesda
• West Towson Elementary, Towson
• Bannockburn Elementary, Bethesda
• Seven Locks Elementary, Bethesda
• Westbrook Elementary, Bethesda
• Cold Spring Elementary, Potomac
Top 10 middle schools in Maryland
• Clarksville Middle, Clarksville
• Folly Quarter Middle, Ellicott City
• Thomas W. Pyle Middle, Bethesda
• Mount View Middle, Marriottsville
• Burleigh Manor Middle, Ellicott City
• Robert Frost Middle, Rockville
• Frederick Classical Charter, Frederick
• Chesapeake Science Point, Hanover
• Urbana Middle, Ijamsville
• Severna Park Middle, Severna Park
Reporting by Keith Demko and Monique Calello, Salisbury Daily Times / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect.
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