Baltimore adds another 5-star school but lags behind the state

Just over half of Baltimore City Public Schools earned three or more stars on the state’s five-star scale, a modest improvement over last year’s ratings.

That’s according to this year’s Maryland School Report Card, which evaluates schools annually using factors like state test scores, attendance and graduation rates. The state education department released new ratings Thursday.

Nearly 89% of schools statewide earned one of the top three ratings, a 3 percentage point improvement over 2025, according to a state education department news release. Baltimore’s cohort of three-, four- and five-star schools grew by 4.1 percentage points. It’s the city’s highest proportion on record, up from 25% in 2022, according to a district news release.

Here’s what else to know about how the city’s schools stack up.

Baltimore has two 5-star schools, up from one last year

Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and the Baltimore School for the Arts, two of the city’s competitive high schools, earned the state’s top rating this year. They both picked up one star compared to 2025 and had last topped the district’s ratings together in 2023.

It’s been a big year for the Baltimore School for the Arts, which was the only Baltimore public institution named a 2026 Maryland Blue Ribbon school. The arts-focused school earned top marks while recovering from a disastrous winter flood.

Hampstead Hill Academy, home to the district’s top middle school math scores and the only 5-star school last year, dropped to four stars.

Over 15% of schools improved their ratings

While most of the district’s 145 schools kept the same ratings as last year, 22 of them gained one star.

Nearly two-thirds of improved schools jumped from two stars to three. One of them was Dallas F. Nicholas, Sr., Elementary, a small school in North Baltimore that district CEO Jermaine Dawson recently saved from closure.

“Strong school ratings are only possible when every student, each family, and all of our staff commit to academic excellence,” Dawson said in a Thursday news release. “It will take all of us to build on this strong foundation toward our goal of career ready, future ready, and world ready students.”

Charles Carroll Barrister Elementary in Pigtown was the only school to gain two stars, jumping from one star to three.

Sixteen schools dropped a star, mostly going from three stars to two.

Baltimore remains at the bottom of the pack

Baltimore still has the most 1-star schools in the state, even though it has three fewer than last year. Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties each have two schools rated one star, while Harford and Montgomery have one apiece.

Baltimore also has the lowest number of 5-star schools in the Central Maryland region. A little over 10% of its schools earned four or five stars compared to half of schools statewide.

That’s driven in part by Baltimore students’ scores on state English language arts and math tests, which are the lowest and second-lowest in the state, respectively. Nearly 70% of the district’s students are considered economically disadvantaged, the highest rate in the area.

About the Education Hub

This reporting is part of The Banner’s Education Hub, community-funded journalism that provides parents with resources they need to make decisions about how their children learn. Read more.