Anne Arundel County Public Schools is the public school district serving all of Anne Arundel County, Maryland. With over 85,000 students and 126 schools,[2] the AACPS school system is the 4th largest in Maryland and the 39th largest in the United States. The district has over 5,000 teachers[2] supporting a comprehensive curriculum from Pre-K through 12th grade.
AACPS primarily consists of 79 elementary schools (Pre-K or K, through grade 5), 20 middle schools (grades 6–8), and 15 high schools (grades 9–12).[2] AACPS maintains 2 centers of applied technology, 3 charter schools, 3 special education centers, 1 alternative high school, 1 middle school learning center, and 1 center for emotionally impaired students known as the Phoenix Center.
Many AACPS schools have garnered recognition for their academic programs, with appointment as National Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence and Maryland Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence.[3][4] These schools are marked below with symbols representing their National-level () and Maryland-level () awards.
AACPS elementary schools serve students from Kindergarten to 5th grade. Some schools[5] also offer a Pre-Kindergarten program for younger students who are "economically disadvantaged or homeless".[6] Among AACPS's elementary schools are:
Chesapeake Science Point (CSP) is a magnet school for math and science. The school was founded in 2003 by the volunteer non-profit Chesapeake Lighthouse Foundation (CLF), after the Charter School Law (Bill 75) was put into effect in July 2003, authorizing the establishment of charter schools in the state of Maryland. Admission to CSP is via an application and lottery basis.
Monarch Academy Glen Burnie (MAGB) is another charter school in Anne Arundel County. Monarch Academy serves students in Kindergarten through eighth grade. It employs Expeditionary Learning, a project based learning model, and is located in Glen Burnie.
Monarch Global Academy (MGA) is a contract school in Anne Arundel County. Monarch Global Academy serves students in Kindergarten through eighth grades. It employs the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program in K–6 and a project based learning model in grades 6–8. It is located in Laurel, Maryland.
AACPS headquarters are in the Parolecensus-designated place, near Annapolis.[8][9] The Carol S. Parham Building houses the board of education,[10] school support departments, professional support facilities,[11] and meeting spaces.
The school system is governed by an eight-member board of education.[10] Seven members of the board (representing each of the county's council districts) are elected to four-year terms (before 2018, these positions were appointed by the state governor),[12] and one student member is voted to a one-year term by students in Magnet Programs or The AVID Program.[10]
The board appoints a superintendent of schools to administer the school system. The current superintendent is Dr. Mark Bedell, who has served in this capacity since 2022.[13] Previous superintendents include:
Dr. George Arlotto (2014–2022)
Mamie J. Perkins, interim superintendent (2013–2014)[14]
Dr. Kevin M. Maxwell, 11th superintendent (2006–2013)[15][16]
Anne Arundel County Public Schools made headlines in March 2013 when school officials suspended 7-year-old Josh Welch for chewing a Pop-Tart pastry into a shape they thought resembled a gun and pretending to shoot his classmates. This was not the first time AACPS had dealt with this situation in that way, as 2 years earlier, a similarly aged student by the name of Sean House was suspended for the same reason. The Welch family, represented by attorney Robin Ficker, subsequently appealed to the district to have the two-day suspension removed from Josh's record, but the appeal was denied. The Welch family appealed the decision to the county school board,which upheld the suspension after a 2014 hearing.[22] The Maryland State Board of Education also ruled to uphold the suspension.[23] The suspension was again upheld in county circuit court in 2016, with an 11-page ruling that cited "the student’s past history of escalating behavioral issues" and confirmed that "a suspension was appropriately used as a corrective tool".[22][23] Shortly after this ruling, the parents' suit was closed by mediation in the Maryland Court of Special Appeals with an "undisclosed settlement".[24] Officials at the school and the county maintained that "the case was never about a pastry or a gun, but rather an ongoing behavioral problem. They said that the boy disrupted the classroom repeatedly and that the suspension was a last resort."
Sex Education Curriculum
Sex education in AACPS had made headlines significant controversy, particularly regarding the inclusion of lessons on LGBTQ+ issues, gender identity, and sexual orientation. In response for LGBTQ+ rights, AACPS has made efforts to include more inclusive content in its sex education curriculum. However, this shift has faced resistance from some parents and community groups who argue that discussions on topics such as gender identity and same-sex relationships are inappropriate for children, particularly at the elementary and middle school levels. These parents contend that such lessons conflict with their personal or religious beliefs about sexuality. [25]
↑ "Ruth Parker Eason School". Anne Arundel County Public Schools. Archived from the original on February 10, 2014. Retrieved February 10, 2014. Ruth Parker Eason is a public, separate day school located in Millersville, Maryland in Anne Arundel County. Our school provides a full day special education program for students ages 3 through 21 with moderate to severe disabilities.
↑ Fast Facts 1395/57 (Rev. 5/12)(PDF), Annapolis, MD: Anne Arundel County Public Schools, May 2012, archived from the original(PDF) on October 21, 2013, retrieved October 6, 2012
↑ "Mamie J. Perkins – Interim Superintendent". Anne Arundel County Public Schools. Archived from the original on November 12, 2013. Retrieved November 4, 2013. Mamie Johns Perkins was appointed as interim superintendent of Anne Arundel County Public Schools on July 23, 2013. Her term ran from August 1, 2013, to June 30, 2014.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Hutzell, Rick (July 13, 2013). "Remembering Anne Arundel's 11th superintendent". Annapolis Capital. Archived from the original on January 23, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2019. Who was George Fox? No, not the Fantastic Mr. Fox nor the original Quaker. Fox was the first Anne Arundel County Public Schools superintendent. From 1916 to 1946, he brought the county school system out of the 19th century and is credited with allowing the creation of the first network of schools for African-American students.
↑ Anonymous (March 9, 2011). "Dr. Carol Sheffey Parham". What's Up? Magazine. What's Up? Media. Archived from the original on October 20, 2014. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
Anne Arundel County, also notated as AA or A.A. County, is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 588,261, an increase of just under 10% since 2010. Its county seat is Annapolis, which is also the capital of the state. The county is named for Anne Arundell, Lady Baltimore, a member of the ancient family of Arundells in Cornwall, England, and the wife of Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore (1605–1675), founder and first lord proprietor of the colony Province of Maryland. The county is part of the Central Maryland region of the state.
Interstate 97 (I-97) is a north-south Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. It runs entirely within Anne Arundel County, Maryland, for 17.62 miles (28.36 km) from U.S. Route 50/U.S. Route 301 (US 50/US 301) in Parole near Annapolis north to I-695 and I-895B in Brooklyn Park near Baltimore. The interstate is the primary highway between Baltimore and Annapolis. I‑97 connects Annapolis with Baltimore/Washington International Airport and links the northern Anne Arundel County communities of Crownsville, Millersville, Severna Park, Glen Burnie, and Ferndale. It is currently the second shortest primary Interstate Highway in the country after the unfinished I-87 in North Carolina.
Arnold, a census-designated place (CDP) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States, located just outside of the state's capital, Annapolis. It is located 18.78 miles south of Baltimore, and 29.97 miles east of Washington, D.C. The population was 23,106 at the 2010 census. Neighborhoods straddle College Parkway and Maryland Route 2. Arnold is located on the scenic Broadneck Peninsula. The ZIP code is 21012. It is bordered by Severna Park to the northwest, Cape Saint Claire to the southeast, Annapolis to the southwest, and Lake Shore to the northeast.
Crofton is a census-designated place and planned community in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States, located 9.8 miles (15.8 km) west of the state capital Annapolis, 24 miles (39 km) south of Baltimore, and 24 miles (39 km) east-northeast of Washington, D.C. The community was established in 1964 and as of the 2020 census, it had a population of 29,136.
Fort Meade is a census-designated place (CDP) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. The population was 9,327 at the 2010 census. It is the home to the National Security Agency, Central Security Service, United States Cyber Command and the Defense Information Systems Agency, which are located on the U.S. Army post Fort George G. Meade.
Glen Burnie is an unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. It is a suburb of Baltimore. The population was 72,891 at the 2020 census.
Odenton is a census-designated place (CDP) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States, located approximately 10–20 minutes from the state capital, Annapolis. The population was 37,132 at the 2010 census, up from 20,534 at the 2000 census. The town's population growth rate of 80.8% between 2000 and 2010 was the greatest of any town in western Anne Arundel County. Odenton is located west of Annapolis, south of Baltimore, and northeast of Washington, D.C..
Severn is a census-designated place (CDP) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. According to the 2020 U.S. census, the population of Severn is 57,118, a 22.6% increase from 44,231 in 2010. The zip code is 21144.
Severna Park is a census-designated place (CDP) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. Severna Park is part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area, and is located approximately 8 miles (13 km) north of Annapolis, 17 miles (27 km) south of Baltimore and 39 miles (63 km) east of Washington, D.C. Severna Park's population was 39,933 at the 2020 census.
Maryland Route 648 is a collection of state highways in the U.S. state of Maryland. These nine highways are current or former sections of the Baltimore–Annapolis Boulevard between Annapolis and Baltimore via Glen Burnie. There are five signed mainline segments of MD 648 through Arnold, Severna Park, Pasadena, Glen Burnie, Ferndale, and Pumphrey in northern Anne Arundel County; Baltimore Highlands in southern Baltimore County; and the independent city of Baltimore. MD 648 mainly serves local traffic along its meandering route, with long-distance traffic intended to use the parallel and straighter MD 2 south of Glen Burnie and freeway-grade Interstate 97 (I-97), I-695, and MD 295 between Glen Burnie and Baltimore.
Old Mill High School is a public high school in Millersville, Maryland, serving students in grades 9 through 12. It was occupied in 1975 and is administered by Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS). The school was built to alleviate overcrowding at Arundel and Severna Park High Schools. The school has no walls or ceilings in some classrooms, only partitions to separate classrooms. Along with Annapolis High School and Meade Senior High School, Old Mill Senior High is one of the three IB World Schools in America. The school mascot is, "The Patriots".
Gambrills refers to two neighboring places in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States, located in the Annapolis metro area: the unincorporated community of Gambrills, and the Gambrills census-designated place (CDP). The area was named after Augustine Gambrill, plantation owner. The CDP covers an expansive range that falls within the communities of Crofton, Waugh Chapel, and Odenton. It also borders Davidsonville, Crownsville, Millersville, and Prince George's County, Maryland.
The Baltimore & Annapolis Trail is a 13.3-mile (21.4 km) rail trail in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. The trail starts at Boulter's Way in Arnold and ends near Baltimore Light Rail's Glen Burnie station in Glen Burnie. Starting near Annapolis at Jonas Green Park, the trail passes (northward) through Arnold, Severna Park, Millersville, Pasadena, and Glen Burnie. The Baltimore & Annapolis Trail follows the route of the Baltimore & Annapolis Railroad from which it derives its name. Proposed in 1972 by Jim Hague, it opened on Oct 7, 1990 as the second rail trail in Maryland.
Severna Park High School is a public high school located in the suburban CDP of Severna Park, Maryland, United States. It is part of the Anne Arundel County Public Schools system.
Broadneck High School is a school in the United States, located in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, on Green Holly Drive, on the border between Arnold and Cape St. Claire, suburbs of Annapolis. The Bruin is the school's mascot. Broadneck is part of the Anne Arundel County Public Schools system and known for the breadth of its Advanced Placement program, among its higher-level courses such as Linear Algebra. It has been the test school for courses such as Calculus III and offers options to take classes at the nearby Anne Arundel Community College and CAT-South schools. The current BHS feeder middle schools are Severn River Middle School and Magothy River Middle School.
Steven R. Schuh is a former County Executive of Anne Arundel County, Maryland, and a former member of the Maryland House of Delegates, serving two terms in the Maryland General Assembly representing District 31. Beginning in 2018, Schuh served as the Executive Director for the State of Maryland's Opioid Operational Command Center before assuming the role of Deputy Secretary for Health Care Financing and Medicaid in 2021. Schuh also played an instrumental role in the State's response to the pandemic serving as Section Chief for the Governor's COVID-19 Task Force.
Glen Burnie High School is a large public high school located in the Baltimore suburb of Glen Burnie, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1923, the school is part of the Anne Arundel County Public Schools system.
South River High School is a public high school located in Edgewater, Maryland, United States, a suburb of the state capital, Annapolis. It lies directly next to Central Middle School. It was built in 1978 due to overcrowding at Arundel High School and Southern High School. It is the primary school for high school students from Edgewater, Mayo, Davidsonville, Riva, and a small portion of Harwood.
Crofton High School is a high school located in the suburban community of Gambrills, Maryland, United States, a suburb of Washington DC and Baltimore located within Anne Arundel County. It serves students from the greater Crofton area, and it is part of the Anne Arundel County Public Schools district.
Anne Arundel County Public Library (AACPL) is a public library system located in central Maryland. Established in 1921 as the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Public Library, Inc, the system now includes 16 locations throughout Anne Arundel County, Maryland.
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