Anne Arundel County Public Schools School District

Anne Arundel County Public Schools serves 84,346 students across 126 schools along Maryland's western shore. With 123 ranked schools averaging 6.6 out of 10, the district sits in a competitive tier for a system of its size. That average, however, understates what families can find at the top of the distribution.

Elementary performance is where the district pulls ahead. Riviera Beach Elementary leads all 126 schools with a 9.5 out of 10 — the district's highest score and a mark that places it among Maryland's strongest elementary programs. Hillsmere Elementary follows at 9.4, and Central Elementary holds a 9.0. Severna Park Elementary and South Shore Elementary both earn 8.9, rounding out a cluster of five high-performing elementary schools that give families in those attendance zones a clear academic advantage. Parents comparing options should weigh school-level scores carefully, since performance varies considerably across the district's footprint.

The 6.6 district average reflects the full range — from those standout elementaries down to schools still working to close gaps. Families researching within Anne Arundel should look past the district figure and drill into individual school scores, grade-level data, and enrollment trends. The gap between the 9.5 at the top and schools near the district mean is wide enough to matter in a school-choice decision.

At 84,346 students, Anne Arundel County Public Schools is one of Maryland's larger districts, which means real differences in resources, programming, and outcomes across schools. Size brings variety — magnet options, specialized programs, and a range of extracurricular offerings that smaller districts cannot match. Parents new to the district should cross-reference attendance-zone assignments with school ratings early in their housing search. The concentration of high-scoring elementaries in specific areas makes location a meaningful factor. Use individual school pages on MySchoolScout to compare scores, enrollment figures, and performance trends before making a final decision.