In most American cities, when someone asks, “What school did you go to?” they mean college. In Baltimore, they mean high school, and the answer still matters decades later.
That’s not a quirk of local pride, it’s a reflection of something real. In this city, the high school you attend doesn’t just shape your adolescence — it shapes your network, your career trajectory, your sense of self, and the community you belong to for the rest of your life. It’s time Baltimore treated it that way.
I’ve been sitting with this truth as my eldest daughter, an eighth grader with a creative streak and a growing interest in becoming a barber, navigates the School Choice application process. The deadline was earlier this year in January. Results came in late February. Since then, we’ve made a decision that will follow her far longer than four years…