Page 40 - Garrett County 2021-2022 Visitors Guide

Quality of Life: EDUCATION
Garrett County Schools
FOCUS ON STEM, CAREER READINESS
It takes a lot to succeed in the 21st-century job market, but Garrett County’s public school system is giving students the tools to do just that. Our highly rated schools focus
on science programs, career and technology education, robotics, work ethic, financial literacy and many other skills that employers value. Graduates who want to pursue higher education can choose from a wide variety of in-demand degrees at Garrett College.
The 12 schools that make up Garrett County Public Schools (GCPS, garrettcountyschools.org) serve some 3,800 students. The school system’s graduation rate and SAT scores are
above state average (see Table 1) and all schools have at least a three-star rating
on Maryland’s five-star scale. According to Niche.com, Garrett County classrooms have
a student-teacher ratio of 14 to 1. Of all Maryland counties, Garrett ranks first in the percentage of teachers holding advanced professional certifications, according to the Maryland Department of Education.
Parents who prefer different choices for school enrollment have several faith-based options at their disposal. GCPS provides testing services, curriculum reviews and other support to parents who choose to home-school their children.
Education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is a high priority for GCPS. The school system has collaborated with non-profit GEARS, Inc. to encourage achievement in robotics and other STEM pursuits. Garrett County’s eight youth robotics teams have won more than 50 state, national and world robotics competitions.
Northern and Southern Garrett High Schools field a joint team in the international FIRST Robotics Competition. After the pandemic halted in-classroom instruction, GEARS and GCPS continued to hold virtual coding and design competitions.
Other robotics initiatives include GCPS’ Summer Technology Camps, which teach students in first grade and up the skills
to build working machines out of LEGO components and use computers to control them. In 2020, the camps transitioned to a virtual model to enable students to keep building STEM skills from the safety of their homes.
The county’s public schools also focus on financial literacy. At both Northern Garrett High School and Southern Garrett High
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