National Directory / MD
Catholic high schools in Maryland
28 Roman Catholic high schools serve students across 21 Maryland cities — from Baltimore City and Baltimore County to the Washington, DC suburbs of Montgomery and Prince George's counties. Most families choose within one metro: the Archdiocese of Baltimore's high schools around Baltimore, or the Archdiocese of Washington's Maryland schools in the DC suburbs.
Families applying in Maryland can take the free HSPT practice test first, then use the city lists below to compare schools that actually require the exam.
Maryland's Catholic high schools split into two diocesan worlds. The Archdiocese of Baltimore — which covers Baltimore City and the counties of Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, Harford, Howard, and Washington — runs the state's largest cluster: by the archdiocese's own count, roughly 18 high schools (6 archdiocesan, 12 independent), including Calvert Hall, Loyola Blakefield, Notre Dame Prep, Mount Saint Joseph, Mercy, The Catholic High School of Baltimore, and Archbishop Curley. The Archdiocese of Washington's Maryland schools — DeMatha, Georgetown Prep, Our Lady of Good Counsel, Stone Ridge, Elizabeth Seton, and neighbors in Montgomery and Prince George's counties — are the options DC-suburb families actually commute to. A handful of schools in Western and Southern Maryland (St. John's Catholic Prep, St. Maria Goretti, Bishop Walsh, St. Mary's Ryken, Chesterton Academy) round out the state.
There is no official statewide ranking of Maryland's Catholic high schools — Niche and Private School Review publish lists that reshuffle yearly and often mix elementary and high school. What families actually compare is fit: metro and commute, single-gender versus coed (Maryland has a notable all-boys and all-girls set), school size, academics and athletics, and how tuition and aid work. The shortlists below show the schools Maryland families most often weigh, region by region, and the directory keeps every school visible so you can build a list on fit.
Best Catholic high schools in Maryland
There is no official ranking — Niche and Private School Review lists reshuffle yearly and often mix elementary and high school. These are the schools that consistently surface in live search results and family discussions for Maryland, grouped the way families actually choose: by region and by single-gender versus coed.
How we ranked these schools
- Metro and commute — Baltimore-area families weigh Baltimore City and Baltimore County (Towson, Lutherville, Essex); DC-suburb families weigh Montgomery and Prince George's counties.
- Single-gender versus coed — Maryland has a strong single-gender set: Calvert Hall, Loyola Blakefield, Mount Saint Joseph, Archbishop Curley, and Georgetown Prep (all-boys); The Catholic High School of Baltimore, Mercy, Notre Dame Prep, Mount de Sales, Maryvale, Stone Ridge, Elizabeth Seton, and Academy of the Holy Cross (all-girls).
- School size and grade structure — standalone 9-12 high schools versus K-12 systems; enrollments range from a few hundred to Calvert Hall at roughly 1,250 students (NCES).
- Academics, programs, and outcomes — AP and IB offerings (Good Counsel runs a strong IB program), arts, athletics, and college placement; ask each school for its own profile.
- Faith environment — Jesuit, Lasallian, Xaverian, Franciscan, Trinitarian, and Sacred Heart charisms shape daily life.
- Tuition and financial aid — tuition varies by school, most run aid, and HSPT scores sometimes factor into merit scholarship consideration.
Baltimore's most shortlisted
The schools Google, Niche, and Private School Review surface most for Baltimore Catholic high school searches — split the way families split them, by gender.
Washington, DC suburb standouts
Montgomery and Prince George's county schools — the Archdiocese of Washington's Maryland footprint — are the options DC-area families shortlist.
Annapolis and Anne Arundel County
The two Anne Arundel options anchor Maryland's capital region.
Cristo Rey Jesuit High School — a Jesuit, college-prep, coed school on Baltimore's east side with a corporate work-study program — is a notable Baltimore option that has not yet been added to the NCES-based directory; its admissions site is cristoreybalt.org.
Maryland Catholic high schools at a glance
- Schools
- 28 serving high-school grades
- Cities
- 21 across Maryland
- Students listed
- 16,095 across 28 schools reporting enrollment
- Average enrollment
- 575 students among schools with published NCES enrollment
- Grade span
- 21 schools serve grades 9–12 only; 7 also span lower grades
- Verified HSPT guides
- 14
Find schools by city
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Looking for Catholic schools near you?
If your search was for catholic schools near me, start with our Catholic schools near me guide — it turns the search into a local shortlist: find your state, narrow to your metro, then compare the real schools in your commute on HSPT requirements, scholarships, cost, and fit. For Maryland specifically, pick a city above for the local list, then open each school page to confirm HSPT dates and admissions deadlines.
Baltimore City
Seven of Maryland's Catholic high schools sit inside Baltimore City: the all-boys set (Mount Saint Joseph, Archbishop Curley), the all-girls set (The Catholic High School of Baltimore, Mercy, Mount de Sales), and St. Frances Academy. Calvert Hall also carries a Baltimore City listing in the NCES data, though its campus sits in Towson on La Salle Road.
Baltimore County
Towson, Lutherville, and Essex hold the Baltimore County cluster: Loyola Blakefield (all-boys), Notre Dame Prep and Maryvale (all-girls), and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Essex. Calvert Hall's Towson campus is a fourth all-boys option nearby, listed under Baltimore City above.
Harford County
The John Carroll School in Bel Air is Harford County's Catholic high school.
Anne Arundel County
Annapolis and Severn hold Anne Arundel's two schools: St. Mary's High School and Archbishop Spalding.
Montgomery County (DC suburbs)
The county's six schools — Georgetown Prep, Stone Ridge, Avalon, Academy of the Holy Cross, Our Lady of Good Counsel, and Don Bosco Cristo Rey — are the DC-suburb options families most often weigh.
Prince George's County (DC suburbs)
DeMatha in Hyattsville, Elizabeth Seton in Bladensburg, and St. Vincent Pallotti in Laurel anchor the Prince George's side of the DC suburbs.
Western Maryland
St. John's Catholic Prep (Buckeystown/Frederick County), St. Maria Goretti (Hagerstown/Washington County), and Bishop Walsh (Cumberland/Allegany County) serve Western Maryland.
Southern Maryland
St. Mary's Ryken in Leonardtown and Chesterton Academy in Mechanicsville serve St. Mary's County and Southern Maryland.
Catholic school resources for Maryland families
How to compare Maryland Catholic high schools
Start with the metro, then the gender mix, then the school: size, charism, programs, and aid. Two schools can both be "great Catholic high schools" and serve completely different families.
- Metro and commute (Baltimore vs DC suburbs)
- Single-gender versus coed
- School size and grade structure
- AP/IB and athletics offerings
- HSPT policy and test dates
- Tuition and financial aid
Best Catholic schools: how to choose — Maryland families often compare a Baltimore County school against a city school, or two DC-suburb schools in different counties.
Maryland Catholic high school admissions, step by step
Admissions timelines run fall to winter for the following school year, with HSPT dates typically October through January.
Build a shortlist on fit first, then plan around dates.
Typical timeline
- Fall: research schools, visit campuses, confirm HSPT dates and application deadlines
- Fall/winter: take the HSPT at your first-choice school (or its accepted alternative)
- Winter: submit applications, transcripts, recommendations, and aid forms
- Spring: admission decisions and aid awards; re-enrollment deadlines
HSPT prep for Maryland Catholic high schools
Most Maryland Catholic high schools use the HSPT for admissions. Plan prep around the earliest test date among your shortlisted schools.
A note on test policies
HSPT requirements vary by school and year. Our verified HSPT records are marked on the school pages below; always confirm with the admissions office.
Maryland schools with verified HSPT information
Get ready for the HSPT
Free daily practice questions and a full practice test built for the HSPT.
What is the HSPT?
The sections, timing, and scoring of the exam most Catholic high schools use for admissions.
HSPT vs ISEE vs SSAT
Which entrance exam your target schools use, how they differ, and why it matters for prep.
When to start HSPT prep
How far ahead to start, based on your test date, school list, and how much prep your child can sustain.
How Catholic high schools use HSPT scores
Admissions, placement, scholarships, and why the same percentile can carry different weight at different schools.
Average HSPT scores and scholarships
What the average score means for admissions and how schools use scores for merit aid.
Scholarships and financial aid
Most Maryland Catholic high schools run financial aid; HSPT scores sometimes factor into merit scholarship decisions. Ask each school for its aid process.
Catholic high school questions from Maryland families
How many Catholic high schools are in Maryland?
NCES lists 28 Roman Catholic schools serving high-school grades across 21 Maryland cities. The Archdiocese of Baltimore counts roughly 18 high schools of its own — 6 archdiocesan and 12 independent, per archbalt.org — and the Archdiocese of Washington runs the Maryland schools in Montgomery and Prince George's counties.
What are the best Catholic high schools in Maryland?
There is no official ranking. The names that recur most in live search results and family discussions are Calvert Hall, Loyola Blakefield, Mount Saint Joseph, and Notre Dame Prep around Baltimore, and Georgetown Prep, DeMatha, and Our Lady of Good Counsel in the DC suburbs. Choose on fit: metro, single-gender versus coed, size, programs, and aid.
Are there all-boys and all-girls Catholic high schools in Maryland?
Yes. All-boys options include Calvert Hall, Loyola Blakefield, Mount Saint Joseph, Archbishop Curley, and Georgetown Prep. All-girls options include The Catholic High School of Baltimore, Mercy, Notre Dame Prep, Mount de Sales, Maryvale, Stone Ridge, Elizabeth Seton, and Academy of the Holy Cross.
Do Catholic high schools in Maryland require the HSPT?
Requirements differ by school and application year. Our directory marks schools with source-reviewed HSPT information; families should confirm the current test policy directly with each school.
What is the difference between Archdiocese of Baltimore and Archdiocese of Washington schools?
The Archdiocese of Baltimore covers Baltimore City and the counties of Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, Harford, Howard, and Washington — the Baltimore-area schools. The Archdiocese of Washington covers Montgomery and Prince George's counties, plus Washington, DC and Southern Maryland — which is where DeMatha, Georgetown Prep, Good Counsel, and Stone Ridge sit.
Which Catholic high schools are in Baltimore County and Montgomery County?
Baltimore County: Loyola Blakefield, Notre Dame Prep, and Maryvale (Towson and Lutherville), plus Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (Essex). Calvert Hall's campus is also in Towson, though NCES lists it under Baltimore City. Montgomery County: Georgetown Prep, Stone Ridge, Avalon, Academy of the Holy Cross, and Good Counsel (North Bethesda/Bethesda/Silver Spring/Kensington/Olney), plus Don Bosco Cristo Rey (Takoma Park).
Start HSPT prep with a free practice test
See where your child stands before you pick schools — the practice test mirrors the real HSPT.
3 days free · cancel anytime
Source: NCES Private School Locator 2023-24, plus school-verified directory additions (August 2026). The Archdiocese of Baltimore school counts come from archbalt.org. Enrollment figures come from NCES and may not reflect current-year numbers; confirm admissions, tuition, and testing details directly with each school. Read the methodology.