Baltimore County Public Schools' four-year high school graduation rate has dropped to 84.3% for the Class of 2025, the district’s lowest mark in 14 years. The slide comes even as district spending and total staffing have climbed over the past decade. A vocal school board member running for re-election argues the numbers show BCPS has prioritized adults over students.
The rate fell from a high of 89.2% in 2018 to 84.3% in 2025, while BCPS' general fund grew to $1.99 billion in 2025 from $1.21 billion in 2011. FOX Baltimore also reports the district added roughly 250 total employees over five school years even as classroom teacher headcount declined from about 7,821 in 2021 to roughly 7,341 in 2025.
Statewide context
The Maryland State Department of Education released statewide graduation data on Jan. 27, showing a four-year cohort rate of 86.4% and identifying multilingual learners as the group with the largest decline. According to the Maryland State Department of Education, state board officials warned that heightened political tensions and fears about immigration enforcement can erode students’ sense of safety and disrupt pathways to graduation.
District response and who was hit hardest
BCPS told Project Baltimore that the local drop was concentrated among Hispanic students, down about 4.9%, and multilingual learners, down about 6.3%, and that the district is grateful for advocates who favor stronger policies to protect students' rights, according to FOX Baltimore. Board member Maggie Domanowski told Project Baltimore, "the majority of the adults on the board in the school system make decisions that are in the best interest of adults," and said, "We're not preparing these students to be productive adults."
Board makeup and the campaign calendar
The Baltimore County Board of Education is a 12-member body, with seven elected members, four gubernatorial appointees and one student member, according to the Maryland Manual. The school board races will be part of the broader June primary cycle; the Maryland State Board of Elections lists the 2026 primary with early voting June 11–18 and primary day on June 23.
Advocates and candidates say the 2025 numbers will sharpen scrutiny of staffing, spending and protections for immigrant families as the county heads into a contested election season. Officials have signaled the report will be reviewed in upcoming board meetings and that targeted interventions for the groups most affected will be a priority this spring.
