Question 1

How are middle schools in Baltimore City Public Schools ranked?

Accepted Answer

Rankings use a composite score weighted across neighborhood opportunity score (35%), student-teacher ratio (30%), and per-pupil expenditure (20%) — with free lunch rate (15%) as a final signal. Each metric is sourced from federal data and normalized against national benchmarks so scores are comparable nationwide, not just within this district.

Question 2

How many middle schools are in Baltimore City Public Schools?

Accepted Answer

There are 8 middle schools in Baltimore City Public Schools with enough data to rank.

Question 3

What is the top-ranked middle school in Baltimore City Public Schools?

Accepted Answer

The Crossroads School ranks #1 among middle schools in Baltimore City Public Schools with a composite score of 59/100. Student-teacher ratio: 12.0:1. Opportunity score: 52/100.

Question 4

Are there charter middle schools in Baltimore City Public Schools?

Accepted Answer

Yes — 3 of the 8 ranked middle schools in Baltimore City Public Schools are charter schools. Charter schools are publicly funded but operate with more autonomy than traditional district schools. Charter status does not affect a school's ranking — all schools are scored on the same signals.

Question 5

Why are test scores not included?

Accepted Answer

School-level test score data is not published as consistent open federal data across all states, which would make cross-district comparisons unreliable. The signals used here — opportunity score, class sizes, and per-student investment — are uniformly available from NCES and the Opportunity Atlas across all US public schools.

Question 6

What does the opportunity score mean?

Accepted Answer

The opportunity score comes from the Harvard Opportunity Atlas, which measures the economic outcomes of children who grew up in a given neighborhood. A higher score means children from that area historically achieved stronger economic mobility as adults. It reflects the broader environment around a school, not the school itself.

Question 7

How is per-pupil spending calculated?

Accepted Answer

Per-pupil expenditure comes from the NCES F-33 Finance Survey and is a district-level figure — total district spending divided by enrollment. All schools in the same district share this value, so it reflects overall resource investment in the district rather than per-school allocation.

Question 8

Should I rely only on this ranking?

Accepted Answer

No. These rankings capture resource inputs and neighborhood context from federal data — not classroom culture, teacher quality, extracurriculars, or school community. Visit the school, speak with current parents, and check the school's own published information before making any decision. This page is a starting point, not a verdict.

Best Middle Schools
in Baltimore City Public Schools

Middle Schools Rankings

Best Middle Schoolsin Baltimore City Public Schools

Middle Schools Rankings

Best Middle Schools
in Baltimore City Public Schools