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BCPS improves MCAP scores for the second consecutive year
More than a dozen schools achieved double-digit increases on state assessments
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The Maryland State Department of Education released data on August 26 showing that BCPS students have made performance gains for the second year in a row on the English language arts (ELA) and mathematics state assessments (known as MCAP).
Eighty BCPS schools achieved increases in the percentage of students scoring proficient in both ELA and math. BCPS students made gains on 14 of 16 English and math assessment data points. In less than three years, BCPS has shown the greatest gain in ELA achievement since 2019. The BCPS rate of improvement in ELA for 2025 (3.1 percent) exceeds the statewide improvement percentage (2.4 percent).
More details about BCPS progress can be found in a community message in English and Spanish.
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U.S. News & World Report ranks BCPS high schools among best in state
Eastern Tech, Western Tech ranked first, fifth best in Maryland
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Baltimore County’s public high schools placed well in the annual U.S. News & World Report’s Best High Schools list released in mid-August, with two placing in the state’s top five high schools, six placing within the top 50, and three among the state’s top 12 school programs focused on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
Repeating their success from 2024, Eastern Technical High School and Western School of Technology led the way for BCPS, ranking first and fifth respectively among all public high schools in Maryland. Both schools also ranked first and fifth among Maryland schools for their STEM instruction, a new category for the U.S. News survey. Dulaney High School also made the list of the top 12 Maryland STEM education schools.
In addition to Eastern and Western, four other BCPS schools ranked among the top 50 in Maryland – George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology and Hereford, Dulaney, and Towson high schools. New Town and Overlea high schools and Milford Mill Academy made the best Maryland high schools list for the first time.
More details can be found in a BCPS news release.
| | Families gather at annual BCPS Curriculum Night | | |
On September 16, BCPS families gathered at Pikesville High School for this year's Curriculum Night. The evening began with presentations from Superintendent Dr. Myriam Rogers and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Jennifer Mullenax.
Then, the event transitioned to an open-house style format as families and students viewed curricular and instructional materials, spoke one-on-one with content area experts, and engaged with representatives from county government agencies and nonprofit partners.
Photos from the event are available in a BCPS Flickr album.
| | Join us for Community Conversations on a new BCPS Strategic Plan | | BCPS Superintendent Dr. Myriam Rogers invites students, families, staff, and stakeholders to participate in Community Conversations focused on the development of a new strategic plan for the school system. The strategic plan will outline goals, initiatives, and strategies to advance student achievement. | | |
BCPS receives nearly $9,500 "Nourishing Our Youth" donation from Giant Food
Funds will be used to address childhood hunger
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BCPS has earned $9,448.19 to support its food programs through Giant Food's "Nourishing Our Youth" initiative.
Through this year’s program, Giant customers and associates raised more than $292,894 to address the issue of childhood hunger throughout public school districts in the communities Giant serves.
The funds BCPS received will be used to feed students in ways such as launching food pantries, purchasing kitchen/cafeteria equipment, or sending home weekend meals.
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Woodholme Elementary students earn 2nd place in Ripken Foundation National STEM Challenge
Three Grade 5 students from Woodholme Elementary School earned second place in the Ripken Foundation National STEM Challenge. The students – Paige Augustine, Carsyn Grier, and Samirah Torres – also known as Team "Wavy Girl," competed against 80 teams of students in Grades 4-6 from across the country.
The challenge tasked teams with designing and presenting a device to combat land, air, or water pollution.
| |  | BCPS Purchasing Office earns national honor | |
The BCPS Purchasing Office, led by Purchasing Director Melanie L. Webster, has been awarded the prestigious 2025 Annual Achievement of Excellence in Procurement® from the National Procurement Institute, Inc. The award is earned by agencies that demonstrate a commitment to procurement excellence. This annual program recognizes procurement organizations that embrace innovation, professionalism, productivity, leadership, and e-procurement.
For 2025, there were 216 successful applicants including 85 cities, 48 counties, 23 special districts, 26 school districts, 15 higher education agencies, seven state or provincial agencies, and 12 others.
| | 11 BCPS students named National Merit Semifinalists | | Eleven BCPS students have been named semifinalists in the 71st annual National Merit Scholarship Program coordinated by the National Merit Scholarship Corp. The honored students represent Catonsville, Dulaney, Hereford, Perry Hall, Pikesville, and Towson high schools and George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology. These 11 students are part of a national pool of more than 16,000 semifinalists. Most semifinalists advance to the finalist level (based on their academic records, recommendations, and SAT or ACT scores) and compete for 6,930 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million. | | American Heart Association honors BCPS for fundraising | |
BCPS was recognized by the American Heart Association as its top performer in the eastern United States. BCPS ranked 10th nationwide for its fundraising efforts through the Kids Heart Challenge and the American Heart Challenge.
According to the American Heart Association, 33 BCPS schools participated during the 2024-25 school year. Together, the schools raised $321,421 in lifesaving donations, with more than 3,180 students and families engaged in the programs.
More information can be found in a recent news release.
| BCPS Superintendent Dr. Myriam Rogers; Kate Poole of the American Heart Association; and BCPS Chief of Staff Mildred Charley-Greene | | | Carver Center junior wins Baltimore County data analysis contest | |
Bryan Chen, a junior at George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology, won a data analysis contest sponsored by BCSTAT, Baltimore County government's data-driven performance management program. The contest challenged county high school students to practice their data analysis skills and propose solutions regarding issues that affect county residents.
Bryan used census data to study Baltimore County residents with bachelor's degrees. He analyzed age and gender trends in relation to different fields of study.
| | It's tee time! Announcing the 11th Annual Tee Off for Team BCPS Golf Classic | | 51 BCPS elementary schools receive U.S.D.A. Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Grants | | The U.S.D.A. Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Grant Program has been awarded to 51 BCPS elementary schools for the 2025-2026 school year! This exciting program provides tastings and hand-on learning experiences for young learners to increase exposure and excitement for fresh fruits and vegetables. It is a favorite among BCPS students and continues to be a huge success! | | |
Summer Roundup
While the Partnership Spotlight Newsletter was on its summer hiatus, partnerships continued to enhance the school system. Here are a few examples.
| | BCPSfest 2025 attracts more than 2,000 attendees and 70 vendors | | |
BCPSfest 2025, the school system's annual back-to-school festival, was the best ever – drawing more than 2,000 students and family members to New Town High School on August 16. Participants enjoyed an Imagination Playground, registered to vote, dug for fossils, had their faces painted, rode bikes to blend healthy smoothies, rode other bikes to make spin art, took their turns before the camera, launched straw rockets, played word games, learned Double-Dutch jump roping, met a bicycling champion, and much more.
The event featured more than 70 vendors and a Baltimore County Department of Health vaccine clinic and allowed families to connect with BCPS and community services and resources.
More photos from the event can be found in a Flickr album and a video can be found on Vimeo.
| | Partners provide speakers for Annual Safe Schools Conference | | |
The 28th Annual Safe Schools Conference was held on June 17 at George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology. More than 500 administrators, athletic directors, and support staff participated.
In addition to several BCPS staff members, speakers represented the Baltimore County Health Department, Baltimore County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Baltimore County Police Department, Harford County Sheriff’s Department, State’s Attorney's Office for Baltimore County, and TurnAround, Inc.
More photos of the event can be found on Flickr.
| | Baltimore County Public Library recommends books for summer | | More than 90 organizations participate in 2025 Partnership Fair | | BCPS welcomed more than 90 organizations to its 2025 Partnership Fair, held on July 17 at Pikesville High School. At the event, current and potential partners met with more than 350 school representatives to discuss new opportunities to contribute to school and student success. BCPS partnerships augment staff capacity, enable innovative learning opportunities, and connect students to authentic learning and development through mentoring, volunteering, student work experiences, service learning, and scholarships. Photos from the event can be found in a Flickr album. | | July episode of "The CTE Show" highlights partnerships | | The July episode of "The CTE Show" highlights partnerships with Arts for Learning Maryland and Northwest Hospital.. | | FFFCU welcomes high school students for Student Professional Discovery Days | | Over the summer, First Financial Federal Credit Union (FFFCU) invited groups of students to its headquarters for Student Professional Discovery Days. For four hours, the students meet with representatives from the institution’s human resources, innovation and strategy, lending, accounting, risk management, information technology, and information security offices, among others. A Summer Stories blog post reveals more of the story. | | A message from Dr. Rogers | | |
Dear Reader:
The 2025-2026 school year is off to a great start, full of inspired instruction, academic achievement, and student learning and growth.
It is amazing to witness the transformation as empty buildings become full and as teachers and students get back into the mode of instruction and learning.
Recently released state assessment data highlights the academic progress BCPS students and schools are making. We believe our system is attaining these positive results and seeing increases in performance at a rate faster than the state average thanks to the tremendous efforts of Team BCPS educators, administrators, and students and the strategic investments in key focus areas that are fast forwarding system progress and keeping student achievement at the forefront.
For all of us, the start of a new school year is always a great opportunity for recommitment. I look forward to working closely with the stakeholders of Team BCPS to make 2025-2026 the best school year ever.
I encourage you to contribute to the success of BCPS in whatever way you can – whether that is by expanding your partnership with our school system or beginning one. We are always happy to work with partners and potential partners. We know that the success of our students and our schools depend on full community engagement.
Regards,
Myriam Rogers, Ed.D.
Superintendent
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PTA Council of Baltimore County | | |
Dear Reader:
PTA Council of Baltimore County, the official parent-group partner of BCPS, is happy to have the opportunity to contribute to the BCPS Partnership Spotlight Newsletter again this school year!
Our all-volunteer board works year-round to support about 140 local PTA and PTSA units in BCPS. Much of our time is spent talking to and meeting with unit officers, principals, and community school facilitators to strengthen existing units, restart dormant units, or start new ones.
We try to be as visible in the community as possible. We were thrilled to take part this summer in the BCPS Partnership Fair and BCPSFest – both outstanding events!
We’re excited that monthly meetings between unit presidents, PTA Council, and the BCPS leadership team, facilitated by the BCPS Office of Family and Community Engagement, will carry on this year. These sessions are amazing opportunities for PTA leaders to hear about what’s happening in the school system and to take part in open-format roundtable discussions.
We encourage everyone to join their local PTA/PTSA unit and consider volunteering for the unit. Family and community engagement is critical for the success of our schools and students! The work we do to better our school system is guided by the PTA motto and mission:
Every Child. One Voice. PTA's mission is to make every child's potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children.
Leslie Weber
President
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BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Engage. Empower. Excel.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Dept. of Communications & Community Outreach, 443-809-5908
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