History: Howard County Schools

Probably all of us moved to Autumn Walk at least in part because of the highly-rated Howard County school system. But did you know that this ranking is the direct result of a conscious decision by the Rouse Company 60 years ago, to systematically create a high-performing school system as part of their vision for Columbia?

The Howard County Public School System has a reprint on its site of a Howard County Magazine article from August 2010 that describes the journey of Howard County schools from a ranking of 15th of 24 systems in the state of Maryland, to one that today has a surprisingly international reputation:

"In 1963, James Rouse unveiled his vision for a planned city — Columbia — on 14,000 acres. Crucial to the plan’s success was making education a priority to attract progressive, pioneering residents. Good schools met both of the planners’ “moral and economic ambitions,” according to a Howard Research and Development (HRD) history memo from June 1964, contained at the Columbia Archives."

But it would be an "uphill" climb:

"Howard schools had no kindergarten, art classes or after-school programs, and only “inadequate” athletic facilities. The system enrolled about 10,000 students, employed 418 teachers, and did not keep college entrance data on its graduates."

Read the whole article on the HCPSS site!

• How Howard County Public Schools Earned an International Reputation as an Education Powerhouse, Howard County Magazine, August 2010