Best Schools in Ellicott City (Baltimore: real estate, apartment, how much)

[bredred]

My husband and I may be moving to the Baltimore area this Summer. We have an almost-five year old and an almost-two year old, so top schools is our number one priority. We've heard great things about Ellicott City and were planning on looking there. Anyone know which schools in Ellicott City are considered to be the best ones? We'd like to be able to narrow down our search to houses which feed into great schools. We've also heard good things about Howard County Schools, but because the district is so large, we're having a difficult time narrowing down our search. (Where we're from in NY, the districts are much smaller, making it a bit easier to look in a smaller geographic area.) Thanks in advance!

[Gabrielle]

I know that it's not going to be an issue for you for some years yet, but the best high school in Ellicott City is Centennial. If you can find housing in that district you'll have a great school experience.

[bredred]

Thanks so much for your response. I noticed that was the only school mentioned specifically in real estate ads, so I was thinking that was probably the best one. Do you know if all the elementary schools which feed into it are equally as good?

[newhart]

Hi bredred! The county's size and rapid growth can make it interesting trying to decipher the feeder system for the schools, because there really isn't one. The opening of new schools and overcrowding results in pretty frequent boundary line changes and it's not uncommon for a single elementary school to feed into multiple middle schools, and it's the same from middle to high school. So you can't say for sure what high school a particular elementary school will feed into. That said, yes, there are some very good schools in the county. Are you willing to do some reading? One thing you could do is go to the school system website Howard County Public School System and look at the test score information under Quick Links. There are AP and SAT test results for all of the high schools, and standardized test scores for other schools.

Since you mentioned Ellicott City, I'd say most of the schools there are good and feed into good high schools. Historically, the northern and western parts of the county have always had schools with a good reputation. The only reservation I have is that Veterans Elementary is a new school that opened just this year and I don't know anyone there. I do know that it opened at overcapacity, the largest school in the county, and seemed to receive a lot of the apartment dwellers from other schools. I just haven't heard any comments about it, good or bad. That school serves an area near Rts. 29 and Rt. 40. Some of the EC elementary schools that have a good reputation and feed into excellent high schools are Northfield, Centennial Lane, Waverly, Manor Woods and others to the west, and Ilchester, Rockburn and Worthington on the east side.

Here's an article from last week's Howard County Times on the results of standardized science tests for elementary and middle schools in the county. There are names of schools mentioned as doing well, and doing not so well. Howard County Times

[bredred]

Thanks so much for the clarification. The information you provided will be really helpful in making our decision and thanks for the link to the article!

[TuborgP]

Originally Posted by bredred

Thanks so much for the clarification. The information you provided will be really helpful in making our decision and thanks for the link to the article!

Remember the top 10 percent at every Howard County school are doing better then 85 % of students in the county. A top student gets the same education everywhere. Some schools have a greater percentage of lower performing students and that decreases their scores. A 1500 on the SAT is a 1500 regardless of how much you paid for your home. All schools have students with top scores. Some have more that bring the average down. If you want to pay a premium to attend school because of other kids scores thats fine. But if you think that premium is going to boost your kids scores well ok. Just ask the parents at the schools with the highest scores if their kids 950 SAT score got a boost because of his neighbors 1500? Every school has kids going to the community college and every school has kids going Ivy League. You may find your money better spend being invested for grad school tuition. Then again you may have it already covered beyond the masters.

[Army Boy 34]

My neighbors and I all agree that Ellicott City schools in general are all exceptional, and it is big part of why we moved to our new beautiful Trinity Homes community, which is districted for Centennial High.

[ciscovpn]

Originally Posted by Army Boy 34

My neighbors and I all agree that Ellicott City schools in general are all exceptional, and it is big part of why we moved to our new beautiful Trinity Homes community, which is districted for Centennial High.

The Trinity Homes community is also districted to Veterans Elementary. Do you have any comment regarding this school?

[Burgh21]

Just another POV. Howard County schools are better than the vast majority, but if you run into any significant problems with teachers or principals, chances are that you will not get any satisfaction (they go into CYA mode). You also can get redistricted (happens every three years) where they project school population and move students from one school to an adjacent one. So if you're heart is set on Centennial HS, then make sure you don't live on the outer boundaries of the school district. The HoCo Schools site has info and you can see the current and projected districting maps. If you are considering a top notch private school, I would look at Glenelg Country School. We've found it to be more challenging than the public schools which we feel is a benefit for our kid when he goes to college plus their administration works with parents. I'm sure you'll be fine either way.