Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) scored high marks in the 2025 Best High Schools list published annually by U.S. News and World Report.
Bethesda’s Walt Whitman was ranked No. 2 in the state and No. 130 nationally. Every one of the 25 county high schools earned a place on the list. Four ranked among the top 500 nationally, while eight can be found in the top 25 in the state of Maryland.
Other MCPS high schools on the list include:
- Thomas S. Wootton High School (No. 191 in national rankings; No. 3 in Maryland)
- Poolesville High School (No. 272 in national rankings; No. 4 in Maryland)
- Winston Churchill High School (No. 402 in national rankings; No. 8 in Maryland)
- Richard Montgomery High School (No. 640 in national rankings; No. 11 in Maryland)
- Walter Johnson High School (No. 820 in national rankings; No. 14 in Maryland)
- Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School (No. 917 in national rankings; No. 20 in Maryland)
- Northwest High School (No. 925 in national rankings; No. 21 in Maryland)
U.S. News uses the following six key criteria to evaluate the schools: college readiness, college curriculum breadth, math, science and reading scores, performance of students from underserved communities on state tests, and graduation rates.
