What is the average SAT score in Maryland?

1001 for the class of 2025 -- 513 Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and 488 Math -- across 45,405 public high school graduates who took the SAT, per the Maryland State Department of Education's Report Card. MSDE reports each graduate's highest scores.

Which Maryland county has the highest SAT scores?

Howard County, with a class of 2025 average of 1235 across 2,823 test-takers -- about 64% of its graduates. Carroll (1142), Calvert (1132), Washington (1127), and Harford (1125) follow, though Washington and Harford had far lower participation.

Which Maryland high school has the highest average SAT score?

Among public high schools with at least 100 test-takers, River Hill High in Howard County, at 1336 for the class of 2025, followed by Walt Whitman High in Montgomery County at 1319 and Marriotts Ridge High in Howard County at 1310.

Why are some Maryland county SAT averages misleading?

Because participation varies widely. In Washington County only about 23% of 2025 graduates took the SAT, against 81% in Montgomery and 87% in Frederick. When only a small share of students test, they tend to be the ones planning on selective colleges, which pushes the average up. Compare a county's average alongside its participation rate, not on its own.

Maryland SAT Scores by County and High School, Class of 2025: Howard Leads at 1235

The average SAT score in Maryland for the class of 2025 was 1001 (513 reading and writing, 488 math), across 45,405 public high school graduates who took the test, per the Maryland State Department of Education's (MSDE) Report Card. Howard County led every county at 1235, and River Hill High led every school at 1336. But a county's SAT average says as much about who took the test as how well they did: participation ran from 23% of graduates in one county to 93% in another.

A note on the numbers: MSDE reports each graduate's highest scores, similar to how colleges superscore, so these averages run higher than single-sitting averages would. The participation rates are our calculation -- SAT takers divided by MSDE's count of 2025 high school completers for the same county or school.

Maryland SAT scores by county, class of 2025

County	Graduates	SAT takers	Participation	SAT average	AP exams scored 3+	In college 12 months later (class of 2024)
Howard	4,402	2,823	64%	1235	79.3%	85.7%
Carroll	1,980	853	43%	1142	60.5%	71.4%
Calvert	1,204	559	46%	1132	64.3%	65.7%
Washington	1,785	417	23%	1127	55.0%	79.6%
Harford	2,781	1,079	39%	1125	60.3%	70.9%
Allegany	537	137	26%	1110	62.3%	60.1%
Garrett	240	72	30%	1103	63.5%	69.1%
Montgomery	12,233	9,909	81%	1066	71.4%	69.4%
St. Mary's	1,349	752	56%	1062	62.6%	57.3%
Frederick	3,684	3,213	87%	1016	65.6%	77.9%
Charles	2,346	832	35%	1013	46.1%	63.2%
Maryland	64,866	45,405	70%	1001	63.6%	65.6%
Somerset	158	56	35%	988	32.4%	43.8%
Anne Arundel	6,154	5,236	85%	979	60.4%	67.4%
Worcester	520	486	93%	977	65.3%	67.2%
Kent	122	49	40%	966	47.0%	43.6%
Queen Anne's	569	487	86%	960	64.5%	61.3%
Baltimore County	7,953	6,238	78%	952	63.1%	63.5%
Cecil	1,093	850	78%	948	49.8%	49.6%
Talbot	355	257	72%	941	64.2%	53.2%
Caroline	414	248	60%	934	39.7%	47.1%
Dorchester	300	82	27%	930	29.0%	43.6%
Wicomico	1,034	823	80%	912	47.0%	57.5%
Prince George's	9,058	6,451	71%	893	36.4%	55.3%
Baltimore City	4,545	3,482	77%	856	35.0%	49.7%

The college-enrollment column is the latest MSDE has published: the class of 2024, measured by the National Student Clearinghouse as enrollment at any US college within 12 months of graduation. The other columns are the class of 2025.

Why participation changes the ranking

Look at the counties right behind Howard. Washington County posts a 1127 average, fourth in the state, but only about 23% of its graduates took the SAT. Allegany (26%) and Garrett (30%) are similar. Montgomery, meanwhile, had 9,909 test-takers -- 81% of its graduates -- and averaged 1066; Frederick tested 87% and averaged 1016.

When only a quarter of a class takes the SAT, the takers tend to be students aiming for colleges that want scores, which pushes the average up. When most of a class tests, the average reflects the whole range of students. So a county at 1066 with 81% participation isn't necessarily weaker than one at 1127 with 23%; they're measuring different groups.

Howard is the exception that holds up: it has both the highest average and a solid 64% participation rate, and it also leads on the two measures that don't depend on who chose to test. Its AP exams scored 3 or higher 79.3% of the time, and 85.7% of its class of 2024 was in college within a year. Both are the highest of any county.

Top Maryland high schools by SAT average

Public high schools with at least 100 SAT takers in the class of 2025:

High school	County	SAT takers	Participation	SAT average	AP exams scored 3+
River Hill High	Howard	318	86%	1336	85.9%
Walt Whitman High	Montgomery	376	73%	1319	87.0%
Marriotts Ridge High	Howard	339	82%	1310	87.3%
Poolesville High	Montgomery	304	94%	1298	84.6%
Centennial High	Howard	244	81%	1297	83.6%
Mount Hebron High	Howard	275	70%	1266	80.3%
Winston Churchill High	Montgomery	444	84%	1262	81.3%
Thomas S. Wootton High	Montgomery	386	81%	1258	86.3%
Glenelg High	Howard	256	72%	1254	85.3%
Atholton High	Howard	225	63%	1211	77.7%
Walter Johnson High	Montgomery	603	82%	1211	85.5%
Reservoir High	Howard	262	59%	1202	73.2%
Eastern Technical High School	Baltimore County	320	100%	1201	71.8%
Howard High	Howard	298	72%	1197	74.4%
Urbana High	Frederick	435	92%	1177	71.7%

All fifteen are in four counties, and thirteen are in Howard or Montgomery. Eastern Technical High School stands out: every one of its 320 graduates took the SAT, and it still averaged 1201. Poolesville (94%) and Urbana (92%) also combine near-universal testing with high averages, which makes their numbers some of the most representative on the list.

AP results and college-going rates

Statewide, Maryland's class of 2025 took 121,010 AP exams, and 63.6% scored 3 or higher. The county range is wide: from 79.3% in Howard and 71.4% in Montgomery down to 35.0% in Baltimore City and 29.0% in Dorchester.

College enrollment follows a similar pattern. 65.6% of Maryland's class of 2024 enrolled in college within 12 months. Howard (85.7%), Washington (79.6%), and Frederick (77.9%) were highest; Somerset (43.8%), Dorchester (43.6%), and Kent (43.6%) were lowest. At the school level, MSDE reports the very highest rates only as "95% or above" -- Marriotts Ridge, Eastern Technical, and Western School of Technology are among the schools in that band -- with River Hill just behind at 94.5%.

What this means for you

Read every SAT average next to its participation rate. A county or school where most students test is giving you a more representative number than one where few do. (D.C. sidesteps this by counting every senior, tested or not -- see how D.C. high schools compare on SAT college readiness.)
Use school-level AP pass rates as a second signal. They don't depend on who chose to take the SAT, and they track course rigor directly.
For Maryland juniors aiming at National Merit, the bar is far above these averages. Maryland's class of 2027 Semifinalist cutoff is 221 on the PSAT Selection Index, among the highest in the country, and scores at the very top are rare everywhere -- see how many students actually score 1500+.
Planning to stay in state? Browse every Maryland college on College Intel, and see Maryland's March 1 state aid deadline for the grants that come with staying.