Arundel High School

1001 Annapolis Road

School District

Anne Arundel County Public Schools
Grade

9-12
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:18
Type

public

School Map for Anne Arundel County Public Schools

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on July 31, 2024

We moved here from Rockville because we were attracted to the rankings of this school and its feeder schools, as well as the reasonable commute to DC. My first impression of Arundel was that the building is incredibly old and in dire need of a replacement. I was shocked, considering how affluent of an area this is and the fact that you're paying a premium for a house zoned to this school. Still, this is one of the best high schools in both Anne Arundel County and Maryland. The academics are wonderful, the students are pretty driven and motivated for the most part, and the course offerings/extra curriculars are very extensive. I think that the principal who just left the school was overly relaxed. There is a stereotype that students at Arundel "run" the school, and I have found that to be quite true--for both the better and worse. I hope that the new principal can figure out a way to maintain the aspects of student freedom that are beneficial, while eliminating the aspects that cause issues for the teachers and students who do the right thing.
Submitted by student on July 23, 2024

Arundel High School is a good school but sadly I feel it lacks in many categories, mainly the quality of the actual learning environment feels old and dirty, the actual building is so old it doesn't have the modern features of newer high schools. In addition, while the academics are good, teachers are experienced, and student participation is high, there are still the occasional students who cause problems and create an unwelcoming environment for the more respectful students. Staff have had to put up with these students on multiple occasions and sometimes look depressed which is the fault of the lack of proper disciplinary support needed to maintain a well-functioning school. As a high achieving student, I feel the school was able to provide the adequate classes needed to keep me interested and learning more, but I feel many students are put into classes that are not an ideal fit for them given their educational level and competency and I am consistently surprised and shocked with the number of kids who need to retake stuff for a good grade when what they really need is reeducation of what they've learned. There are many clubs which is a bonus of this school, however, some clubs lack support and funding which causes issues with interested students not being able to pursue their interests and taking their hopes elsewhere.
Submitted by parent on July 13, 2024

This is the 4th best high school in the county. It is extremely overcrowded. If your child is not motivated they will get passed along regardless of grade points average. There is a range of backgrounds in this school. There is equity placement at the school so there are physical altercations daily. There are also good teachers that are overwhelmed. The administration is mostly concerned about their bonuses which are tied to a graduation and behavioral rates so they are less concerned about learning and safety for the kids and greatly concerned about appearances and themselves. If I had to do it again I wouldn’t put my kids in this school.
Submitted by other on April 09, 2024

the teachers/admin only care about you unless you play a sport or a kid who is loud and obnoxious because they don't get enough attention at home. Diversity is the only good thing about this school. So glad to be out of that place.
Submitted by student on March 23, 2023

So far my experience at Arundle has been great but the the overall sanitation needs to be better. I have found roaches and mice in corner of rules there's even a roach in a camera. The bathroom are often out of soap and paper towels and the feminine hygiene product dispensers are often empty. But they do have them in the School store, you don't have to pay for them. The teachers I have experienced are nice and understanding and interact with the class often and actively try to help students when they are struggling with their grades.
Submitted by parent on February 09, 2023

I grew up in a small town in PA and had a great high school experience. I was worried my kids would be anonymous at this big suburban school but I have been really pleased with the community this school fosters. The school spirit is great! There is a diversity of opportunities from AP classes to technical training that allows every kid to forge their own path to a productive future. There are so many sports and clubs that pretty much any kid can find their niche. We have been pleased and look forward to many more years at the school for our kids.
Submitted by parent on August 16, 2022

really good school, would highly recommend for new people
Submitted by parent on July 10, 2022

Arundel is a great high school. When we moved to the area for our jobs in Fort Meade many years ago, the Arundel HS feeder system was on the very short list of feeders in Anne Arundel County that we included in our house search, which was mostly focused on Howard County. We are extremely happy that we ended up in the Arundel feeder. Our oldest child graduated from Arundel in 2017 and is now in a PhD program after graduating from a very prestigious university last year, and our middle child just graduated from Arundel this year and will be attending UMD in the fall. Our youngest goes to Broadneck High School for the PVA program (which is also an amazing school), but their friends from middle school who go to Arundel High are also doing great. There's plenty of AP classes, clubs, sports, and other activities at Arundel. The teachers are caring and great at doing their jobs. Being located near Washington DC and a hub of government jobs in Fort Meade, Arundel is very diverse, which is something the school prides itself on. Most of the students at Arundel seem to love their school and the school spirit is very strong.
Submitted by parent on April 05, 2022

Arundel High is a great high school. AP classes, strong curriculum and good kids. Please don't let the downplayed ratings fool you. I don't know what the source is for the negative reviews but my son attended and was later zoned for the new Crofton Area High school. South Odenton/Crofton is booming! Great area to live in and the same people that own these expensive houses around here also send their kids to Arundel High. The teachers are responsive, involved and they care. High schoolers are high schoolers but the learning opportunities are vast! My son wishes he could go back to this school. He loves the new building that Crofton has to offer but the school is not necessarily better... not bad...just not better. I moved to Crofton area years ago for the schools and was later zoned for the new Crofton High after my son had already attended Arundel. Now, I am planing to move to Odenton as we write just to get him back to that school. Enjoy your time in beautiful south Odenton if you are fortunate to afford to live there. You won't be able to buy there soon with the cost of housing and you certainly won't regret sending your kids to this school if you are able.
Submitted by parent on July 03, 2021

Prospective parents, beware of the rating. It is lower than it should be because GreatSchools wrongly put that this school (and all other AACPS high schools) have a <1% AP participation rate (Arundel has a 53% AP participation rate), and this lead to a drop in the ratings for Anne Arundel County’s high schools due to false data. Look at the MSDE Report Card for more accurate AP data. This website is a joke and isn’t correcting false data.
Submitted by parent on June 09, 2021

Arundel is an ethnically diverse school and one of the best high schools in Anne Arundel County. If you look at test score breakdowns for each different ethnicity at this school, you’ll see that Arundel’s students surpass the students at all the other AACPS schools besides Severna Park and South River (who they tie with) on exams and college metrics. We moved here from MoCo a few years ago because we we didn’t want to pay $900,000 to be in a townhome anymore and we liked the diversity and academics of Arundel HS on paper. I was a little nervous about leaving our top-rated schools in Bethesda for AACPS, but this school surpassed our expectations. The teachers are top-notch, the students are hard-working and motivated, and there is a lot of school pride. That all being said, there are some complaints I have about this school. The facility is very outdated, and it especially looks embarrassing next to the new HS in Crofton. The administration also disproportionately targets female students with their dress code policy even though an equal number of male students violate the dress code policy. Racial diversity is higher than other schools in the county, but socio-economic diversity in the area is still quite low and there is a problem with snobbery among a number of students and their parents. Not as much as where we came from or even as much as nearby Severna Park, but it’s still a problem.
Submitted by parent on May 20, 2019

My daughter goes to this school. If it wasn't for sharing custody with my ex, I would have pulled my daughter out a long time ago. She would be in a better school that allows young women to respect themselves and ive them the tools to uplift themselves.
Submitted by parent on September 21, 2018

Overall, a great experience. Highlights would be the teachers and the principal. They do a good job of running advanced courses and preparing students for AP exams. Curriculum is good and covers lots of wide ranging subjects.
Submitted by student on February 27, 2018

I have been to many schools in my life, this definitely has been the worst. The teachers are awful and never want to help students. There is at least one fight a day, sometimes even more. When there is a fight the teachers very slowly walk up to the students fighting and ask them to stop fighting. Obviously that doesn't work, so they let them finish there fight and then send them to the office. It has gotten to a point that i'm scared to go to school because this place is so scary. Please listen to me and never put your kids through this.
Submitted by other on January 04, 2017

My daughter attends AHS and I have nothing but love for this school, she is taking AP course in the 10th grade, she is challenged by her teachers and also participates in the cosmetology program through the CAT NORTH. The principle is very progressive when it comes to life after high school, her students will have the option of working in their trade or transitioning to college!
Submitted by parent on October 21, 2015

There is a new critical low in the education process at this high school and other AACPS high schools. In Oct 2015 the students were notified by the school staff that AACPS district administrators will no longer support the historical practice of school staff providing letters of recommendations for the students’ admission to good public and private universities (post-secondary education). This only affects the students who are placed in disadvantage with other students from across the nation in their college admission process.
Submitted by other on June 29, 2015

Great school! I still hear positive stories about Arundel years after I graduated. From the students, to the faculty, and the athletic staff -- Arundel gives all those who walk through its halls the tools to succeed. It's always a great day to be a Wildcat!
Submitted by other on August 07, 2014

My cousin just graduated from Arundel and most of my family went there, including my father. I just recently moved to an Anne Arundel County high school (Severna Park) from A Montgomery County high school. All of my family loved this school and say everything about it is amazing. It has a very good reputation too. Its known as one of the best high schools in the area. At my current high school (Severna Park), this high school is noted as a good school too. Keep up the good work, Arundel!
Submitted by parent on March 27, 2014

The school does not care about the students the parents do not pay any attention to the teachers at all please do not be like other parents and not get involved.
Submitted by parent on March 06, 2014

Our experience with our High School aged children was difficult. The school does not offer any TAG or MAGNET type programs to challenge children with higher IQ's. Every time we had a meeting at the school you had to get through students they had working at the administrative desks to try and attend those meetings. If I had it to do over again I would have paid for private schooling. I was shocked to see that this school has a 9 rating, which makes me question other places.