The reported proficiency rate for Science is 16%.
Original Research by School Decision on North County High
North County High serves a large student body in Glen Burnie, an unincorporated suburb of Baltimore defined by commercial strips, mid-rise office towers, and residential subdivisions spreading from the intersection of Central Avenue and Crain Highway. The school is a regular public high school under the Anne Arundel County Public Schools district, which recently opened Severn Run High School in the western part of the county, a change that redrew some attendance boundaries.
The student body is diverse. White students make up the largest share, followed by sizable Hispanic and Black populations, a smaller Asian cohort, and a modest number of students of two or more races. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a community where many families face economic pressures.
Academic results present a mixed picture and a parent will want to examine them closely. In the most recent year of data, English language arts proficiency stood at a level that was just above the midpoint, a solid result that suggests many students are meeting grade-level expectations in reading and writing. Math proficiency, however, was much lower, and this was a consistent finding across the only available year. In algebra 1, the proficiency rate was also low. These math results signal a significant challenge area, one that may reflect gaps in earlier preparation or in the supports currently available at the school. Science proficiency, from a single year of testing, was similarly low. Because the comparison set contains only one district, the data does not allow a relative ranking against other Anne Arundel County schools; the district-level comparison was not possible.
The school offers the standard high school grade range of nine through twelve. Data on special education identification rates and English learner shares was not provided, so it is unclear how the school serves these populations. Graduation rate data was also absent, leaving a gap that a parent may want to ask the school about directly, because that figure is a core measure of how well a school sees students through to completion.
Housing in the area carries a cost that is below the statewide benchmark but above the national figure, and it has been rising. Rents have increased more sharply in recent years than home values, which have seen modest growth. The area has experienced steady population growth over the decades, though it has slowed more recently as land in this roughly 18-square-mile CDP has largely been built out. The community is car-dependent, with major highways and commercial boulevards, but the Baltimore Light Rail provides two stops in Glen Burnie, and the Baltimore & Annapolis Trail offers a bike and pedestrian route through town. Major nearby employment includes BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport and the University of Maryland Medical System hospital.
For a family considering North County High, the key factors are the school's large and diverse enrollment, the economic needs of many of its families, the solid English proficiency results, and the sharp deficit in math and science. A parent should inquire about the school's math support structures, its graduation rate, and how it serves students with special needs, since the available data does not cover those areas.
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