Baltimore County Education

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Baltimore County Education
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Education

Baltimore County is one of the most educated communities in the United States. Our universities and secondary schools consistently achieve providing Baltimore County with a well-educated home-grown workforce.

Fast Facts

The Baltimore metropolitan area is home to 25 major colleges and universities, educating 139,000 students each year.
34.6 percent of Baltimore County residents over the age of 25 hold bachelors degrees or higher. The national average is 27.7 percent.
89.2 percent of Baltimore County residents have high school diplomas or higher.
Baltimore County alone awards approximately 7,500 degrees each year.
In the Baltimore-Washington metro region there are approximately 65 accredited institutions of higher learning — many among the best in the nation.

Enrollment in Baltimore County 2006, 2007 and 2008

	2006	%	2007	%	2008	%

Population 3 years and over enrolled in school	205,284	100.0	212,384	100.0	204,689	100.0
Nursery school, preschool	10,447	5.1	13,205	6.2	13,004	6.4
Kindergarten	9,660	4.9	10,209	4.8	7,879	3.8
Elementary School (grades 1-8)	77,578	37.8	72,622	34.2	74,142	36.2
High School (grades 9-12)	44,137	21.5	43,946	20.7	41,745	20.4
College or graduate school	63,462	31.0	72,402	34.1	67,919	33.2

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, American Community Survey 2006, 2007, 2008.

Educational Attainment for Baltimore County 2006, 2007 and 2008.
See detailed demographics

	2006	%	2007	%	2008	%

Population 25 years and over	534,726	100.0	533,890	100.0	533,583	100.0
Less than 9th grade	19,974	3.7	18,658	3.5	20,557	3.9
9th to 12th grade, no diploma	43,757	8.2	42,352	7.9	36,882	6.9
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	149,588	28.0	151,522	28.4	146,411	27.4
Some college, no degree	102,682	19.2	103,583	19.4	112,227	21.0
Associate degree	35,372	6.6	31,896	6.0	33,166	6.2
Bachelor's degree	105,762	20.0	108,110	20.2	109,516	20.5
Graduate or professional degree	77,591	14.5	77,769	14.6	74,824	14.0
Percent high school graduate or higher	88.1%	(X)	88.6%	(X)	89.2	(X)
Percent bachelor's degree or higher	34.5%	(X)	34.8%	(X)	34.5	(X)

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, American Community Survey 2006,2007,2008..

Public Schools

Baltimore County boasts an excellent secondary school system. Over 7,400 students graduate each year from our public schools with an outstanding education. 85 percent of graduates immediately pursue higher education. There are 103,643 total students and over 17,000 staff that enable our schools to produce results. The 103 elementary, 27 middle, 24 high, 1 middle/high, and 4 special education schools in our County make the Baltimore County Public School system one of the largest 26 in the United States. Baltimore County also offers unique and successful magnet school programs in which students are given the opportunity to focus on courses of study in which they are truly interested. Students in 47 magnet programs study Finance, International Studies, Career & Technology, Law & Public Policy, Literary Arts, Math, Science & Computer Science, Pre-Engineering and Environmental Science.

Student Achievement

By the Numbers

3rd largest school system in Maryland
and the 26th largest in the U.S.
103,643 students
172 schools, centers, programs
8,850 teachers
Over 7,400 graduates each year
Ratio of computers-to-students: 3.1 to 1

Average $9,439 per pupil spent annually for instructional costs, student services, transportation, operation and administrative expenses. The system is making significant investments in its learning environments. Since 1999, Baltimore County Public Schools have been engaged in the largest school renovation and major maintenance program in the County’s history. The five-year, half billion dollar program is bringing physical improvements to nearly every one of the County’s 169 public schools.

Newsweek magazine in June 2009, recognized nine Baltimore County high schools as among the top 5% nationwide. Two schools were also recognized as among the nation's best by U.S. News & World Report in
December 2008.
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140 of 163 BCPS schools made Adequate Yearly Progress according to the Maryland State Department of Education.
Dramatic annual increases in both participation and mastery of AP exams continue for all students. As the AP participation rate has climbed, BCPS has maintained a pass rate (now at 70.5 percent for 2007-2008). An average of 17 Advanced Placement courses at each high school.
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The percentage of BCPS students taking the SAT (70.8 percent of the class of 2008) exceeds the national rate and has risen for five consecutive years.
Maryland School Assessment scores in elementary reading and mathematics have risen for the past five years.

Source: Baltimore County Public School website; Maryland State Dept. of Education. 2007-2008 Fact Book

Private Schools

Private schools are an option for an alternate secondary education in Baltimore County. 35,282 students attend various private schools. 199 private schools range from religious to alternative, providing a wide range of options. In 2007, 2,035 students graduated in Baltimore County.

Source: Maryland State Dept. of Education: Nonpublic School Enrollment 9.30.07

Contacts

Baltimore County Public Schools – 410-887-4554
Association of Maryland Independent Schools - 410-761-3700
The Archdiocese of Baltimore: Catholic Schools - 410-547-5391
Baltimore County Public Library - 410-887-6100
Maryland Business Roundtable for Education – 410-727-0448

Revised November 23, 2009