While Urbana has won numerous athletic championships during its brief history, the faculty and students are most committed to our record of academic excellence. Newsweek Magazine has ranked Urbana among the top 2% of American high schools. We offer Advanced Placement courses in 28 subjects, and in 2007, our students took 661 AP exams in 28 subjects, with 73% earning scores that qualify for college credit. Ninety-five percent of our International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program candidates earned the full diploma.

Approximately 75% of UHS students attend 4-year colleges following high school; another 20% go on to 2-year colleges, with the remaining students attending vocational schools, going directly into the work force or joining the military. Our students are routinely offered admission to some of the most competitive colleges in the country.

As with all other high schools in Frederick County, Urbana operates on a two-semester block schedule. Students may earn up to four credits per semester in 90-minute classes. It is therefore possible to complete, for example, both French 3 and 4 or Calculus AB and BC within the same school year.

Beginning with the 2004-2005 school year, UHS offered students the opportunity of participating in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IB). The IB program is a rigorous, pre-university course of studies that meets the needs of highly motivated secondary students in the eleventh and twelfth grades. The IB program ensures "intellectual rigor and high academic standards, teaches young people to relate the experiences of the classroom to the outside world, and assists students in becoming critical thinkers, lifelong learners, and informed participants" in their communities and the world. The Program also encourages students to understand and explore the history and character of different cultures.

Our school and neighborhood communities are active supporters of UHS programs. We have a television studio that produces a daily news and announcements program. We offer several annual drama productions and have an extremely active club schedule involving the majority of our students in a wide spectrum of activities from Amnesty International to the Computer Animation Club. Our faculty members are enthusiastically committed to encouraging students to explore individual interests and achieve success in their classes.

We welcome visitors and inquiries about our school.