Maryland adds foster youths’ college outcomes to school reports

The State Department of Education adds college enrollment and graduation numbers to its yearly report. The reported numbers cover foster youth who enroll in college and those who graduate within six years. Where appropriate, the department also includes comparison data for children and students outside the state child welfare system. The report must protect children’s privacy and break down information by county, age, gender, race, and ethnicity. The reporting change takes effect October 1, 2026. The department submits its yearly report by December 1.

The State Department of Education and Department of Human Services prepare a report with recommendations to improve students’ school outcomes. The report concerns students in the state child welfare system, including foster youth. The report must identify agencies serving foster youth, service needs and gaps, successful practices from other states, and recommendations to improve education outcomes and data collection. It must also assess the usefulness of the existing school information reports. The departments must submit the report to the General Assembly by December 1, 2026. This reporting requirement ends after September 30, 2027.