Washington

Best Washington suburbs for schools

Ranked almost entirely on the Schools category — within-state proficiency, student–teacher ratio, graduation rate and schools nearby — with the two poll questions about children and teenagers at 20% once a place has enough responses.

Updated Sep 2026·60 suburbs considered, 10 listed
1
Neighborhood in Sterling, Virginia
Sterling$526k median · 24.2 min commute
Schools A−Cost of living B−Residents inactive
85
Schools score
overall 69 B−
2
Photo taken at corner of king and market streets
Leesburg$668k median · 25.3 min commute
Schools A−Cost of living CResidents inactive
83
Schools score
overall 72 B−
3
The Ashburn Library in Ashburn, Virginia, taken from the ridge between the drop-off loop and the parking lot
Ashburn$699k median · 27.4 min commute
Schools B+Cost of living B−Residents inactive
79
Schools score
overall 71 B−
4
A photographic montage of Gaithersburg, Maryland, designed for use in Wikipedia infoboxes and the like.
Gaithersburg$497k median · 29.4 min commute
Schools B+Cost of living BResidents inactive
79
Schools score
overall 64 C+
5
Skyline of Wheaton, Maryland from Veirs Mill Road.
Wheaton$501k median · 31.6 min commute
Schools B+Cost of living B−Residents inactive
78
Schools score
overall 62 C
6
Images of Silver Spring, Maryland include the AFI Silver Theater, Veteran's Plaza and the civic building, the downtown area from the Metro station with the Silv
Silver Spring$643k median · 34.0 min commute
Schools B+Cost of living A−Residents inactive
78
Schools score
overall 65 C+
7
Fairland$477k median · 35.0 min commute
Schools B+Cost of living B+Residents inactive
78
Schools score
overall 55 C−
8
Saint John Neumann Catholic Church in Montgomery Village, Maryland.
Montgomery Village$389k median · 32.6 min commute
Schools B+Cost of living B+Residents inactive
78
Schools score
overall 57 C−
9
Retail in Plaza Del Mercado: Bel Pre Beer + Wine; Nail Club; BBQ Chicken, Korea's finest fried chicken. 2235 Bel Pre Road, Silver Spring, Maryland 20906.
Aspen Hill$570k median · 34.1 min commute
Schools BCost of living BResidents inactive
77
Schools score
overall 59 C
10
Main Entrance Landscaping in Brambleton, Virginia
Brambleton$866k median · 36.6 min commute
Schools BCost of living C+Residents inactive
77
Schools score
overall 66 C+
This list's weighting
Schools 80%Resident poll (Q5, Q6) 20%

Poll components only count for places with eight or more resident responses; for the others the remaining weights re-normalise to 100%.

Other Washington lists
Best Washington suburbs for familiesMost affordable Washington suburbsShortest commutes to Downtown WashingtonMost walkable Washington suburbsBest Washington suburbs for young professionalsHow we score Washington suburbs →

Photos from Wikimedia Commons: Sterling (Ser Amantio di Nicolao · CC0); Leesburg (Wallygva · CC BY-SA 3.0); Ashburn (Vahurzpu · CC BY-SA 4.0); Gaithersburg (Illegitimate Barrister Gail Porter - File:NIST AML building.jpg SuperMoving - Fi · CC BY-SA 3.0); Wheaton (Farragutful · CC BY-SA 4.0); Silver Spring (Farragutful · CC BY-SA 3.0); Montgomery Village (Farragutful · CC BY-SA 3.0); Aspen Hill (G. Edward Johnson · CC BY 4.0); Brambleton (BramLife · CC BY-SA 4.0).