Poolesville High School, a magnet school, provides students with rigorous learning experiences, while helping them hone their problem-solving skills. The high school allows students to target their education through enrollment in “houses” or specialized programs. Honors students can enroll in three programs: Humanities, Global Ecology and Science, and Math and Computer Science. The houses follow an interdisciplinary approach. Depending on the program, students focus on the human impact on the natural environment; inquiry through arts, English, and social studies; or laboratory investigations and analysis.

Students who attend the high school, but do not test into honors courses, enroll in the Independent Studies program. Students in this program can focus on technology and math studies; cultural and political studies; music, arts, and media studies; original studies; or biological and physical science.

Poolesville High School offers 18 Advanced Placement courses and exams as well as a number of courses “beyond AP,” such as analytical chemistry, computer modeling and simulation, and linear algebra. 87 percent of Poolesville High School students participate in AP courses.

Outside the classroom, Poolesville High School offers a variety of sports teams and extracurricular activities.