Number Of AACPS Five-Star Schools Jumps 36% On Latest State Report Card

The number of Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) to earn five stars on the Maryland Report Card rose 36% in the 2024-2025 school year, with an AACPS record 15 schools now holding the state’s highest rating, according to data released by the Maryland State Department of Education in November.

Ninety-five percent of AACPS schools earned three or more stars, compared to 86% across the state, and 53% have four or more stars, compared to 43% across the state.

“This is tremendous news for our entire district because not only do we have more five-star schools than ever before; we’re seeing progression in schools moving from level to level and growth in the number of points earned within a level,” Superintendent of Schools Mark Bedell said. “These results are a testament, first and foremost, to the quality of work that is going on inside our classrooms and schools, but also to the high-quality instructional materials we are infusing in our district and the work of every single staff member to support teachers and students.”

The list of five-star schools includes the district’s first comprehensive high school – Severna Park High School – under the current star system. Other five-star schools are Arnold, Belvedere, Benfield, Central, Crofton Woods, Davidsonville, Folger McKinsey, Hillsmere, Jones, Millersville, Severna Park, West Annapolis, and Windsor Farm elementary schools, and Chesapeake Science Point Public Charter School.

Overall, 18 schools – including four middle schools – gained a star in the latest report card.

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 school performance and calculates them into a final score to arrive at a rating of one to five stars.

The complete AACPS 2024-2025 report card results can be found at www.aacps.org/starratings.