Original Research by School Decision on Great Mills High
Great Mills High is a comprehensive public high school serving the bedroom community of Great Mills, a primarily residential suburb that houses many personnel from the nearby Patuxent River Naval Air Station. The school sits along Great Mills Road, the community’s main corridor, with a park and public swimming pool adjacent. According to public accounts, it is the oldest high school in Southern Maryland and now operates as one of the county’s regular high schools for grades nine through twelve.
Academically, the most recent state assessment data comes from a single year and paints a mixed picture. In English language arts, proficiency was above half, a solid result. In mathematics, the story is more complicated. Among students who took Algebra 2, proficiency was strong, suggesting that those who reach that level perform well. But in Algebra 1 and Geometry, proficiency was low, and overall math proficiency across all tested courses was also low. A parent will want to understand how the school supports students in foundational math courses and what pathways are available for those who struggle. Science assessment data was suppressed and unavailable, and the available data is limited to one year, so no trend can be assessed.
No graduation rate was provided in the data. This is a notable gap for a high school, and a family considering Great Mills High should ask the school directly for its four-year graduation rate and how it tracks student completion. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were also missing, as were figures on chronic absenteeism and discipline. Without these, it is difficult to gauge the school’s support systems for diverse learners.
The student body is diverse, with a substantial share of Black and white students, along with notable Hispanic and multiracial populations. More than half of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, indicating a community with significant economic diversity. Information on specific academic programs, such as advanced placement or career and technical education pathways, was not available in the provided data; families may want to inquire about course offerings directly.
The community of Great Mills itself is car-dependent, with no walkable downtown and little public transit. Housing values have seen modest appreciation, and rents have been essentially flat. The area is growing, driven by commuters to the naval air station and Lexington Park, while traditional farming, fishing, and crabbing communities remain under economic pressure. The school is part of St. Mary’s County Public Schools, which did not report any recent major changes in publicly available information.
For a family, the solid ELA results and strong Algebra 2 performance are positives. The low proficiency in Algebra 1 and Geometry, the missing graduation rate, and the lack of data on special programs and student support are areas that merit direct follow-up with the school to get a complete picture of what Great Mills High offers.
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