McDonogh School

McDonogh School is a private, coeducational, PK-12, college-preparatory school founded in Owings Mills, Maryland, United States in 1873. The school is named after John McDonogh, whose estate originally funded the school. The school now enrolls approximately 1,300 students, between 90 and 100 of whom participate in the Upper School's five-day boarding program. McDonogh employs approximately 177 full-time faculty members, more than 80% of whom hold advanced degrees and 20% of whom live on-campus.

McDonogh is regarded as one of the Baltimore region's most prestigious preparatory schools and has been called a "Power School" by Baltimore magazine. The school's students frequently matriculate to Ivy League and other top-ranked colleges and universities. McDonogh's athletic programs have also seen widespread success, particularly in lacrosse, soccer, wrestling, track, and football, where the school's teams have been nationally ranked in recent years.

The school is a member of the Association of Independent Maryland Schools.

History
The school was established outside of Baltimore, Maryland in 1873 and funded by the estate of John McDonogh (1779 - 1850), a former Baltimore resident and enslaver. The McDonogh campus encompasses 800 acres of land and houses more than 15 educational buildings including a new home for the middle school, The Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Building.

McDonogh was established as a semi-military school for orphan boys who worked on the farm in exchange for their tuition, room, and board. Paying students arrived in 1922, and day students in 1927. The first African-American student was admitted in 1959, eight years after Brown v. Board of Education outlawed school segregation. In 1971, the military traditions of the school were discontinued. The school became coeducational in 1975. McDonogh School's annual tuition ranges from $19,900 for Pre-Kindergarten students up to $46,600 for students of the Upper School. Full and partial McDonogh scholarships continue to this day, with $6.1 million in need-based aid awarded in the 2019-2020 school year.

David J. Farace, the present head of school, is the 13th person to hold this position. He assumed the role in 2018, succeeding Charles W. Britton.

Academics
The Upper School offers a college preparatory curriculum that includes English, foreign language, history, mathematics, science, visual and performing arts, and physical education courses. Honors or Advanced Placement courses are available in all academic departments. Upper School students must also complete a community service requirement. All students perform an academic project independently or in small groups during the final three weeks of their senior year.

Academic and personal integrity is emphasized in the Upper School's Honor Code, which a student-run Honor Council enforces. The Honor Code reads: "I will not lie, cheat, or steal. I will respect the rights and well-being of myself and others."

The academic calendar at McDonogh follows a semester system.

Roots Farm
At McDonogh, the Roots Farm performs humanitarian work by growing vegetables and then donating them to local charity organizations.

The farm has so far donated 2,064 pounds of produce to charity organizations and has benefited from 2,850 student service hours.

Notable alumni

 * David Adkins, actor and playwright
 * Grant Aleksander (1978), actor and director
 * John R. Bolton (1966), National Security Advisor of the United States
 * Edward Marshall Boehm (1929), sculptor
 * Wallace E. Boston, Jr., president and chief executive officer, American Public University System
 * Luke Broadwater (1998), journalist, Pulitzer Prize and George Polk Award winner
 * Henry G. Chiles, Jr. (1956), former commander-in-chief of the United States Strategic Command
 * Ken Cloude, former professional baseball pitcher for the Seattle Mariners
 * Jazwyn Cowan, professional basketball player.
 * Taylor Cummings (2012), women's field lacrosse player for the University of Maryland, first person to win the Tewaaraton Award three times
 * Bruce Davidson (1968), world champion equestrian, Olympic gold medalist
 * Dani Dennis-Sutton (2022), college football defensive end for the Penn State Nittany Lions
 * W. Timothy Finan, Maryland state delegate and judge
 * Henry Gantt (1878), mechanical engineer and management consultant, most famous for developing the Gantt chart in the 1910s
 * Darrius Heyward-Bey (2005), 7th pick of 2009 NFL draft and former University of Maryland wide receiver, current NFL wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers
 * Louis Hyman (1995), economic historian
 * Curtis Jacobs (2020), college football linebacker for the Penn State Nittany Lions
 * Eric King (2000), defensive back for the Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans
 * Kayel Locke, professional basketball player.
 * Myles Martin (2015), freestyle and collegiate wrestler, NCAA champion
 * James McDaniel (1976), actor, played Lt. Fancy on NYPD Blue
 * Ben Queen (1992), screenwriter, television producer, wrote Disney/Pixar's Cars 2 and Cars 3
 * Pam Shriver (1979), former professional tennis player and current sports broadcaster
 * Frederic N. Smalkin (1964), Maryland's Chief Federal District Judge and brigadier general
 * DaJuan Summers (2006), former Georgetown University basketball player, drafted by the Detroit Pistons in the 2009 NBA Draft
 * Evan Taubenfeld (2001), Sire/Warner Bros. recording artist, EMI professional pop staff songwriter; Avril Lavigne's lead guitarist from spring 2002 to September 2004
 * Joseph D. Tydings (1946), former senator for Maryland, 1965–1971
 * Jenn Wasner (2004), indie rock musician
 * Josh Woods (2014), professional football player for the Chicago Bears