Southern Garrett High School, Oakland MD

Original Research by School Decision on Southern Garrett High School

Southern Garrett High School sits in Oakland, the county seat of Garrett County, a small historic town in western Maryland with a Victorian-era downtown, a prominent courthouse, and a restored B&O Railroad station that serves as a community gathering place. The town is near Deep Creek Lake and the Wisp Ski Resort, and an Amish community has long been part of the area. Oakland's population has been declining in recent years, and its growth trajectory appears stable to shrinking. Housing in the area is less expensive than in many parts of the state and the country, reflecting its rural setting and modest economic base.

The school itself serves grades seven through twelve, making it a combined middle and high school. It is a regular public school within Garrett County Public Schools, the county's only district, so there are no peer districts within the county against which to compare its performance. The student body is predominantly white, with small numbers of Hispanic, Black, Asian, and multiracial students. More than half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a substantial share of families with lower incomes. No data was available on students with disabilities or English learners, so a full picture of student support needs is not possible from the information on hand.

Academic performance data is limited to state assessments in grades seven and eight. The Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program results for the 2024-25 school year show that in math, about a quarter of seventh graders and roughly three in ten eighth graders scored proficient or above. In English language arts, proficiency rates were somewhat higher, with nearly half of seventh graders and more than a third of eighth graders meeting the bar. Science and social studies assessments for eighth graders show that about one in four and roughly three in eight students, respectively, reached proficiency. These figures represent only one year of data, so no trend can be assessed. Because the school includes high school grades but no high school assessment results are reported here, a parent would need to inquire directly about performance in those upper grades. Similarly, no graduation rate is available in the data, which is an important measure for any school serving twelfth grade.

The school environment data, including discipline, attendance, staffing, and course access, was not provided. Without this information, it is difficult to evaluate the daily conditions or the breadth of academic pathways available, such as Advanced Placement, dual enrollment, or career and technical programs. A parent or resident curious about those aspects would need to seek them from the school or district directly.

Southern Garrett High School offers a setting that families familiar with rural western Maryland will recognize: a single school covering a wide grade span, a student body that is overwhelmingly white and economically diverse, and academic results on middle school tests that are moderate, with English language arts stronger than math. The community of Oakland provides a small-town historic character with limited local employment and a declining population, though tourism from nearby Deep Creek Lake adds some seasonal activity. The school's outcomes in the upper grades, its graduation rate, and its program offerings remain open questions that the available data does not answer.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

85-89%Cohort of 169 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

244 schools plotted. 22 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 724%

School 24% · district not reported

▲ 11 pts above state median

Grade 830%

School 30% · district not reported

▲ 24 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 744%

School 44% · district not reported

▼ 4 pts below state median

Grade 838%

School 38% · district not reported

▼ 6 pts below state median

Science

Grade 827%

School 27% · district not reported

even with state median

Social studies

Grade 837%

School 37% · District 39% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 6 pts above state median

This schoolGarrett County Public Schools, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.