Montgomery County doubled its number of 5-star schools. Here’s where to find them.

Montgomery County doubled its number of top-rated schools, bringing the district closer to the superintendent’s pledge that every campus will score the equivalent of a four- or five-star rating by 2035.

The latest results on the Maryland School Report Card show 36 of the 207 rated Montgomery County Public Schools earned five stars, up from 18 campuses the year prior. Two-thirds of the district’s schools now sit in the highest two tiers, a big jump from last year, when roughly 54% of its campuses held either four or five stars.

New ratings were released Thursday, providing parents and community members a fresh sense of how their local campuses are performing on a scale of one to five stars.

Scores are calculated annually, factoring in standardized test scores, attendance, student surveys and graduation rates, among other measures.

Five-star schools

Most of Montgomery County’s top-rated campuses are elementary schools, but two middle schools and one high school also made the list:

• Herbert Hoover Middle
• Thomas W. Pyle Middle
• Poolesville High

Two of the district’s five-star elementary campuses, Beverly Farms and Travilah, were recently named Maryland Blue Ribbon Schools, an award that recognizes schools with high achievement on state and national tests, or those that are successful in closing achievement gaps between student groups.

• Poolesville Elementary
• Lois P. Rockwell Elementary
• Rachel Carson Elementary
• Beall Elementary
• Lakewood Elementary
• Travilah Elementary
• Farmland Elementary
• Beverly Farms Elementary
• Ritchie Park Elementary
• Fallsmead Elementary
• Wayside Elementary
• Cold Spring Elementary
• Wilson Wims Elementary
• Cabin Branch Elementary
• Bethesda Elementary
• Chevy Chase Elementary
• Westbrook Elementary
• Bradley Hills Elementary
• Wood Acres Elementary
• Bannockburn Elementary
• Wyngate Elementary
• Sherwood Elementary
• Cashell Elementary
• Greenwood Elementary
• Belmont Elementary
• Diamond Elementary
• Potomac Elementary
• Seven Locks Elementary
• Carderock Springs Elementary
• Bells Mill Elementary
• Monocacy Elementary
• Stone Mill Elementary
• Kensington Parkwood Elementary

Rising star schools

Last year, MCPS had three schools stuck at the lowest level. Two of them have since moved up a rung.

The John L. Gildner Regional Institute for Children and Adolescents and the Carl Sandburg Learning Center, both of which serve children with disabilities, rose from earning one star to two stars.

Longview School, which also serves students with severe disabilities, is now the district’s only one-star campus.

MCPS also has nine additional schools earning four stars, and the vast majority of MCPS schools received three or more stars. Of the 207 rated campuses, just seven scored one or two stars.

District leaders are expected to celebrate the results Thursday morning at Gaithersburg Middle School, a campus that rose from two to three stars.

How does MCPS stack up?

Montgomery County, the state’s largest school district, also had the most five-star campuses of any system in Maryland.

Nearly 97% of its schools earned one of the top three ratings; statewide, roughly 89% of campuses did so. The district consistently outperforms the state in English language arts and math on annual standardized tests, a major factor influencing school ratings.

Maryland is in the process of redesigning its school rating system to put even more emphasis on academics.