Northwest High
Northwest cluster · 13501 Richter Farm Rd, 20874
School website ↗·Northwest HS PTSA ↗
Academics
MCAP proficiency over time.
Data table
| Series | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELA | 56.4% | 67% | 57.6% | 58.7% | 64.3% | 71.6% | 73% |
| Math | 13.1% | 7% | ≤5% | 10.1% | ≤5% | 7.8% | 17.9% |
| Science | 62.8% | 58.6% | 48.5% | 44.1% | 50.4% | 62.1% | — |
Testing paused in 2020. A dashed line in a shaded band means the exact value is suppressed for privacy — it is ≤5%. Science scoring changed twice (2019 pre-MCAP scale; 2021 three bands, two pooled administrations; four bands from 2022), so science points before 2022 aren't comparable to later ones. Science swung sharply statewide between 2023 and 2026 (down, then back up, one grade at a time); those moves likely reflect the state assessment, not school-level change. High-school science isn’t published for 2026 yet. 2019 math reflects the larger PARCC-era Algebra 1 testing population and isn't comparable to later years.
Class size
Average class size by grade band over recent years, with the latest year measured against MCPS's published guideline.
Data table
| Series | 2017-2018 | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | 2020-2021 | 2021-2022 | 2022-2023 | 2023-2024 | 2024-2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | 19.5 * | 17.5 * | 18.6 * | 15.4 * | 18.4 * | 18.1 * | 24.8 | 26.3 |
| Other | 20.6 * | 17.4 * | 20.8 * | 18.2 * | 18.3 * | 19.1 * | 23.8 | 22.5 |
- English26.3target 30 · within guideline
- Other22.5target 33 · within guideline
Source: MCPS School Profiles class-size extract vs. MCPS published class-size guidelines · Updated: 2024-2025
Proficiency by student group
This school's MCAP ELA proficiency by group (latest year). The spread is the opportunity gap.
4 groups not shown — too few students to report (withheld for privacy, not zero).
Special education
Data table
| Series | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inclusion % | 87.7% | 88.7% | 87.1% |
Time in general education (2025): 80%+ of the day 87.1% · 40–79% 11.3% · under 40% ≤5%
Staffing rates are per 100 students with IEPs; staffing is from 2025. Withheld values reflect privacy suppression, not zero.
Source: MCPS School Profiles / unified facts (LRE, staffing, SWD enrollment) · Updated: inclusion 2025, staffing 2025
Staffing
Staff relative to enrollment. The chip compares this school to the typical high school at this level.
Special education & multilingual support
Source: MCPS unified facts — staff FTE per student (support services = instructional support staff)
Programs & services
Special, choice, and support programs offered at this school — from magnet and application programs to career pathways and special-education services.
Local - Application
Academics
CTE
Student Support
Special Education
Source: MCPS Office of Student Affairs program catalog (2025). Find schools by program →
Students
Data table
| Series | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enrollment | 2,598 | 2,519 | 2,484 | 2,386 | 2,300 | 2,208 |
By race / ethnicity (2026).
Climate
Attendance and chronic absenteeism (absent 10%+ of days).
Data table
| Series | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attendance | 92.1% | ≥ 95.0 | 92.9% | 91.6% | 91% | 90.9% |
| Chronic absenteeism | 24.8% | 13.2% | 27.5% | 30.1% | 27.6% | 29.7% |
Enrollment & capacity outlook
A ten-year probabilistic enrollment forecast for this school, checked against its capacity. Part of the countywide capacity outlook, which explains the method and its track record.
Data table
| School year | Actual | Forecast (p10–p90) | MCPS projection |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | 2508 | — | — |
| 2018–19 | 2586 | — | — |
| 2019–20 | 2623 | — | — |
| 2020–21 | 2598 | — | — |
| 2021–22 | 2519 | — | — |
| 2022–23 | 2484 | — | — |
| 2023–24 | 2385 | — | — |
| 2024–25 | 2300 | — | — |
| 2025–26 | 2208 | — | — |
| 2026–27 | — | 2165 (2031–2301) | 2141 |
| 2027–28 | — | 2214 (2001–2429) | 2158 |
| 2028–29 | — | 2194 (1925–2490) | 2114 |
| 2029–30 | — | 2089 (1777–2428) | 2122 |
| 2030–31 | — | 2030 (1670–2440) | 2109 |
| 2031–32 | — | 1966 (1580–2460) | — |
| 2032–33 | — | 1940 (1513–2507) | — |
| 2033–34 | — | 1910 (1430–2570) | — |
| 2034–35 | — | 1852 (1338–2569) | — |
| 2035–36 | — | 1813 (1272–2621) | — |
- Includes the board-adopted boundary change effective SY 2027–28: this school is projected to gain about 61 resident students then. Earlier years use current boundaries.
Source: mc-development forecast model — base year SY 2025–26; boundaries 2024-2025; development snapshot 2026-06-02 · Updated: 2026-07-31T00:00:00Z
Data: MSDE State Report Card (2019–2026), MCPS official Sept 30, 2025 enrollment count (extends the enrollment trend to 2025-26), MCPS School Profiles & unified facts, U.S. Census ACS 2024, MD SDAT. “≥95” / “≤5” and dropped groups are privacy-suppressed for small counts — withheld, not zero. Independent project, not affiliated with MCPS or MSDE.