Maryland Education Statistics 2026: Schools, Enrollment & Spending
Maryland's 25 public education agencies reported 891,525 students across 1,408 schools in school year 2024-25. The agency count includes 24 local school systems and the statewide SEED School of Maryland.
Fiscal year 2024 Census data place Maryland's current public school spending at $20,208 per pupil. Enrollment and finance figures use separate federal collections and reporting periods.
Maryland Public Education Snapshot
Enrollment and school totals are calculated from the complete NCES Maryland agency listing for 2024-25.
Largest Maryland School Systems by Enrollment
The chart displays the 10 largest agencies by 2024-25 student membership. All 25 agencies remain available in the full table.
The five largest systems enroll 563,164 students, or 63.2% of enrollment represented in the NCES agency list.
Chart analysis
- Montgomery County has the largest enrollment at 159,181 students.
- Prince George's County follows with 132,123 students.
- Montgomery and Prince George's counties together account for 291,304 students.
- The three largest systems each enroll more than 100,000 students.
- The 10 largest agencies account for 740,756 students, or 83.1% of the listed total.
Full Maryland Public Education Agency Table
Agencies are ranked by 2024-25 NCES student membership. Students per school is a calculated system-scale measure and is not a class-size measure.
| Rank | Education agency | Enrollment | Schools | Students per school | Agency type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montgomery County Public Schools | 159,181 | 211 | 754 | Local system |
| 2 | Prince George's County Public Schools | 132,123 | 199 | 664 | Local system |
| 3 | Baltimore County Public Schools | 110,024 | 178 | 618 | Local system |
| 4 | Anne Arundel County Public Schools | 85,029 | 128 | 664 | Local system |
| 5 | Baltimore City Public Schools | 76,807 | 151 | 509 | Local system |
| 6 | Howard County Public Schools | 57,565 | 78 | 738 | Local system |
| 7 | Frederick County Public Schools | 48,054 | 69 | 696 | Local system |
| 8 | Harford County Public Schools | 37,771 | 55 | 687 | Local system |
| 9 | Charles County Public Schools | 28,162 | 40 | 704 | Local system |
| 10 | Carroll County Public Schools | 26,141 | 44 | 594 | Local system |
| 11 | Washington County Public Schools | 22,772 | 43 | 530 | Local system |
| 12 | St. Mary's County Public Schools | 16,905 | 27 | 626 | Local system |
| 13 | Wicomico County Public Schools | 15,582 | 25 | 623 | Local system |
| 14 | Cecil County Public Schools | 14,853 | 29 | 512 | Local system |
| 15 | Calvert County Public Schools | 14,849 | 25 | 594 | Local system |
| 16 | Allegany County Public Schools | 8,113 | 22 | 369 | Local system |
| 17 | Queen Anne's County Public Schools | 7,478 | 14 | 534 | Local system |
| 18 | Worcester County Public Schools | 7,002 | 14 | 500 | Local system |
| 19 | Caroline County Public Schools | 5,648 | 10 | 565 | Local system |
| 20 | Dorchester County Public Schools | 4,586 | 13 | 353 | Local system |
| 21 | Talbot County Public Schools | 4,485 | 8 | 561 | Local system |
| 22 | Garrett County Public Schools | 3,405 | 11 | 310 | Local system |
| 23 | Somerset County Public Schools | 2,901 | 8 | 363 | Local system |
| 24 | Kent County Public Schools | 1,694 | 5 | 339 | Local system |
| 25 | SEED School of Maryland | 395 | 1 | 395 | Statewide LEA |
Table analysis
- The 25 agencies report a combined 891,525 students and 1,408 schools.
- The 24 local systems account for 891,130 students and 1,407 schools.
- The median agency enrollment is 15,582 students.
- Five agencies enroll more than 75,000 students.
- Ten agencies enroll fewer than 10,000 students.
- The enrollment difference between the largest and smallest agencies is 158,786 students.
- Montgomery County also reports the largest school count, with 211 schools.
- The students-per-school calculation describes system scale; it does not measure classroom size, staffing, or building capacity.
Maryland Public School Spending
Census finance values use fiscal year 2024 and nominal dollars. Current spending excludes capital outlay, debt service, and non-elementary-secondary programs.
Current Spending per Pupil Comparison
Maryland compared with the United States and the Census South region in FY2024.
Maryland's $20,208 current-spending value is $2,589 above the national figure and $6,055 above the South regional figure.
Chart analysis
- Maryland spent $20,208 per pupil on current operations.
- The corresponding U.S. value was $17,619.
- Maryland's value was 14.7% above the national value.
- The Census South region reported a weighted value of $14,153.
- Amounts are not adjusted for inflation or regional price differences.
Revenue per Pupil by Source
Federal, state, and local public school revenue reported for Maryland in FY2024.
State and local revenue supplied $21,894 of Maryland's $24,140 in total revenue per pupil.
Chart analysis
- Local revenue was the largest source at $11,318 per pupil.
- State revenue supplied $10,576 per pupil.
- Federal revenue supplied $2,246 per pupil.
- Local, state, and federal shares were approximately 46.9%, 43.8%, and 9.3%.
- Revenue and expenditure values describe different sides of school-system finances and should not be treated as interchangeable.
Maryland Finance Indicators
Per-pupil values come from the Census FY2024 school finance release.
| Finance measure | Per pupil | Category | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending | $20,208 | Operating expenditure | FY2024 |
| Total expenditure | $22,642 | Current and other expenditure | FY2024 |
| Total revenue | $24,140 | All revenue sources | FY2024 |
| Federal revenue | $2,246 | Federal source | FY2024 |
| State revenue | $10,576 | State source | FY2024 |
| Local revenue | $11,318 | Local source | FY2024 |
Table analysis
- Total expenditure exceeded current spending by $2,434 per pupil.
- Total revenue exceeded total expenditure by $1,498 per pupil when comparing the rounded per-pupil measures.
- Local revenue exceeded state revenue by $742 per pupil.
- State and local sources supplied 90.7% of reported revenue per pupil.
- Rounded per-pupil values cannot reproduce audited statewide totals exactly.
What the Maryland Data Shows
The figures describe system size and reported finances without adjusting for every local operating condition.
Enrollment concentration
The five largest agencies hold 63.2% of enrollment represented in the NCES list. Agency totals therefore vary widely across Maryland.
School-system structure
Maryland primarily organizes public education through 24 county or city systems. The NCES list separately includes the SEED School of Maryland as a statewide agency.
Finance comparison
Maryland's FY2024 current spending per pupil is above both the national value and the Census South regional value. The comparison uses nominal dollars.
Different reporting periods
Enrollment uses school year 2024-25, while spending uses fiscal year 2024. The two collections should not be combined to estimate an exact statewide expenditure total.
Source and Methodology
Agency rank is based only on reported 2024-25 student membership. Students per school equals agency enrollment divided by its listed school count and is rounded to the nearest whole student. Finance comparisons use Census definitions and rounded per-pupil amounts. Totals may differ from Maryland reports that use another collection date, student definition, agency universe, or accounting basis.
The 2026 title identifies the publication context, not a uniform data year. Enrollment figures are from school year 2024-25, while finance figures are from fiscal year 2024. Spending amounts are not adjusted for inflation, regional prices, student needs, facility costs, or differences in accounting practice. Enrollment rank measures agency size only.