How or why are Howard County public schools so good?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure I understand the argument that HoCo schools are good because everyone has money, because there is so much more affordable housing in HoCo than in MoCo.

I say this as a DC resident looking to move to the suburbs with a budget of 450k and hoping to be able to get 3 bedrooms, and the only part of MoCo that is remotely feasible are in the far Eastern part, and most of what we have seen is not walkable at all with few neighborhood amenities and dangerous roads. But we've looked at attached homes in Columbia that are in lively neighborhoods with lots of kids, walkable to commercial areas with real amenities, and the houses themselves are in good condition (small, but meet our criteria). So many more options there. Yes, there are expensive neighborhoods in HoCo too, places full of new builds where we couldn't afford anything, and I'm sure people consider the schools there better too, just like they do in MoCo.

But my impression based on visiting these places and walking around these neighborhoods, and just based on the number of places we see in budget in HoCo versus MoCo, is that Columbia has a large and thriving middle class and MoCo doesn't (or the middle class people there all bought their homes long enough ago that they are not subject to this housing crunch, but of course that would also mean they have enough equity in homes that have doubled and tripled in value to no longer really be middle class). As a family of 3 with an HHI of $110k, that is appealing to us. So much of MoCo is so freaking rich.

I wonder if one reason there is more poverty in MoCo is that it's a close in suburbs with outrageously expensive housing, which means it is very hard for poor people in MoCo to move up economically, and also that they county no longer attracts middle class families, leading to a severely economically segregated area. HoCo seems to have less of that based on what we've seen.

I think you're perceptive first-hand experience hits the nail on the head.

+1. Howard County has problems associated with poverty, just like anywhere else. One amazing thing about the Columbia neighborhoods and others that feed into schools that DCUM would consider less desirable, like Oakland Mills, Long Reach, and Wilde Lake, is that the families who actually attend really love their schools. I do think that the impact of choice, picking a neighborhood and its schools and accepting the good and bad, leads to more favorable outcomes and community satisfaction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Money, less poverty and diversity

Howard County is 34% white and 25% black, so let’s not have the idea Howard County isn’t diverse. But Howard County doesn’t have the amount of poverty other counties have to deal with.

Another pro about Howard County schools is that they tinker way less in regards to their curricula. I have not heard anyone complain about it whereas Curriculum 2.0 was a disaster in Montgomery county and had to be scrapped.

The downside to Howard County is that it redistricts A LOT. Like every 5 years. There are stories of kids living in the same house being redistricted 5 times from K to 12.

If you want to live in Howard County then buy a house that’s close to the high school you want. Otherwise, you’re fodder for redistricting.

Yes and 2-3 schools are 70+ white and/or 50+ Asian while others are 50%+ black. Dont kid yourselves here.

Very few counties will have an even distribution of races across their school systems, especially when a good chunk of your land is rural.

As these things go, Howard County has some schools with a great balance, Atholton, Howard, and Reservoir in particular. They are there if you want it. Most of the other high schools are at least 10% black, which isn’t bad for a school system that’s 25% black. Not a single high school is over 50% black.

Glenelg is the main outlier at 70% white. It will stay that way unless a bunch of other races decide they want to live on well water far from DC and Baltimore.

Howard County has a decent racial mix. It’s better than Montgomery County at least.

+1
One of the reasons that I relocated to Howard was due to the racial mix. My biracial children attend Howard High School. Howard High is like the United Nations and my children have a diverse group of friends. The racial make-up of the school is balance. Also, I like how supportive my community is for LGBTQ+ , multicultural, interfaith, and interracial families.

Um.. ok, but there are several MCPS HS that are just as, if not more diverse than most of HoCo HSs, and since MoCo is next to DC, there are literally children of international workers who go to MCPS.

Nothing wrong with HoCo schools. We looked into moving to HoCo rather than MoCo, but I would not say most of the HSs in HoCo are more diverse than MoCo.

Does everyone have access to those specific schools? Or are they difficult to attend because the neighborhood is too expensive or they are magnet schools that have entrance requirements? That is a big difference between HC and MC. With the exception of Glenelg High School which is in a notably rural area, every school is diverse enough (both racially and socioeconomically) that nobody is going to feel out of place. Glenelg High School is unfortunate because it's too remote to benefit from redistricting. It has a good academic reputation but it is not a diverse school.

DP but you have no idea of what you're talking about. Schools in MoCo are in general more diverse than schools in HoCo.

I suppose by "in general" you mean only the schools in the rich areas.

Here are two schools that suffer greatly from segregation via redlining. Perhaps the reasons go back many decades but Howard County would never segregate their students like this.

John F. Kennedy High School:
63.6% Hispanic
23.3% African American
5.2% White
60% FARMS

Watkins Mill High School:
54.9% Hispanic
26.2% African American
6.4% White
62% FARMS

Of course not, Howard has the benefit of not having poor kids in concentrated numbers.

This is true. However, you can't sit there and say that MCPS schools are "in general" more diverse when it is absolutely not true. Without fixing this problem in the schools, the county will continue to segregate more and more until you are literally split in half between extremely wealthy areas and extremely poor areas. Howard County doesn't have that (for many reasons) allowing for every school to be great. MCPS has issues that are not mirrored in Howard County and that isn't anyone's fault but the original question was why HCPSS schools were so good and diversity is one of the reasons why.

HoCo schools aren't that diverse and aren't that great. You can barely put one school in the top 10

And now we have a circular argument that was finished three pages ago. Please go back and read the part about how some counties use magnet schools to concentrate academic talent at the expense of the other schools and their students. (This obsession with high school rankings is bizarre. In many cases it's apples and oranges.)

Let see MCPS has 6 in the top 10 and only one of them is a part time magnet. How does that work out for HoCo?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Money, less poverty and diversity

Howard County is 34% white and 25% black, so let’s not have the idea Howard County isn’t diverse. But Howard County doesn’t have the amount of poverty other counties have to deal with.

Another pro about Howard County schools is that they tinker way less in regards to their curricula. I have not heard anyone complain about it whereas Curriculum 2.0 was a disaster in Montgomery county and had to be scrapped.

The downside to Howard County is that it redistricts A LOT. Like every 5 years. There are stories of kids living in the same house being redistricted 5 times from K to 12.

If you want to live in Howard County then buy a house that’s close to the high school you want. Otherwise, you’re fodder for redistricting.

Yes and 2-3 schools are 70+ white and/or 50+ Asian while others are 50%+ black. Dont kid yourselves here.

Very few counties will have an even distribution of races across their school systems, especially when a good chunk of your land is rural.

As these things go, Howard County has some schools with a great balance, Atholton, Howard, and Reservoir in particular. They are there if you want it. Most of the other high schools are at least 10% black, which isn’t bad for a school system that’s 25% black. Not a single high school is over 50% black.

Glenelg is the main outlier at 70% white. It will stay that way unless a bunch of other races decide they want to live on well water far from DC and Baltimore.

Howard County has a decent racial mix. It’s better than Montgomery County at least.

+1
One of the reasons that I relocated to Howard was due to the racial mix. My biracial children attend Howard High School. Howard High is like the United Nations and my children have a diverse group of friends. The racial make-up of the school is balance. Also, I like how supportive my community is for LGBTQ+ , multicultural, interfaith, and interracial families.

Um.. ok, but there are several MCPS HS that are just as, if not more diverse than most of HoCo HSs, and since MoCo is next to DC, there are literally children of international workers who go to MCPS.

Nothing wrong with HoCo schools. We looked into moving to HoCo rather than MoCo, but I would not say most of the HSs in HoCo are more diverse than MoCo.

Does everyone have access to those specific schools? Or are they difficult to attend because the neighborhood is too expensive or they are magnet schools that have entrance requirements? That is a big difference between HC and MC. With the exception of Glenelg High School which is in a notably rural area, every school is diverse enough (both racially and socioeconomically) that nobody is going to feel out of place. Glenelg High School is unfortunate because it's too remote to benefit from redistricting. It has a good academic reputation but it is not a diverse school.

DP but you have no idea of what you're talking about. Schools in MoCo are in general more diverse than schools in HoCo.

I suppose by "in general" you mean only the schools in the rich areas.

Here are two schools that suffer greatly from segregation via redlining. Perhaps the reasons go back many decades but Howard County would never segregate their students like this.

John F. Kennedy High School:
63.6% Hispanic
23.3% African American
5.2% White
60% FARMS

Watkins Mill High School:
54.9% Hispanic
26.2% African American
6.4% White
62% FARMS

Of course not, Howard has the benefit of not having poor kids in concentrated numbers.

This is true. However, you can't sit there and say that MCPS schools are "in general" more diverse when it is absolutely not true. Without fixing this problem in the schools, the county will continue to segregate more and more until you are literally split in half between extremely wealthy areas and extremely poor areas. Howard County doesn't have that (for many reasons) allowing for every school to be great. MCPS has issues that are not mirrored in Howard County and that isn't anyone's fault but the original question was why HCPSS schools were so good and diversity is one of the reasons why.

HoCo schools aren't that diverse and aren't that great. You can barely put one school in the top 10

And now we have a circular argument that was finished three pages ago. Please go back and read the part about how some counties use magnet schools to concentrate academic talent at the expense of the other schools and their students. (This obsession with high school rankings is bizarre. In many cases it's apples and oranges.)

Let see MCPS has 6 in the top 10 and only one of them is a part time magnet. How does that work out for HoCo?

I really don't think you understand that nobody but you gives a rat's ass about those rankings. They don't mean what you think they mean. If your rich kids enjoy their rich kids' school, then great. You're exactly where you're supposed to be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Money, less poverty and diversity

Howard County is 34% white and 25% black, so let’s not have the idea Howard County isn’t diverse. But Howard County doesn’t have the amount of poverty other counties have to deal with.

Another pro about Howard County schools is that they tinker way less in regards to their curricula. I have not heard anyone complain about it whereas Curriculum 2.0 was a disaster in Montgomery county and had to be scrapped.

The downside to Howard County is that it redistricts A LOT. Like every 5 years. There are stories of kids living in the same house being redistricted 5 times from K to 12.

If you want to live in Howard County then buy a house that’s close to the high school you want. Otherwise, you’re fodder for redistricting.

Yes and 2-3 schools are 70+ white and/or 50+ Asian while others are 50%+ black. Dont kid yourselves here.

Very few counties will have an even distribution of races across their school systems, especially when a good chunk of your land is rural.

As these things go, Howard County has some schools with a great balance, Atholton, Howard, and Reservoir in particular. They are there if you want it. Most of the other high schools are at least 10% black, which isn’t bad for a school system that’s 25% black. Not a single high school is over 50% black.

Glenelg is the main outlier at 70% white. It will stay that way unless a bunch of other races decide they want to live on well water far from DC and Baltimore.

Howard County has a decent racial mix. It’s better than Montgomery County at least.

+1
One of the reasons that I relocated to Howard was due to the racial mix. My biracial children attend Howard High School. Howard High is like the United Nations and my children have a diverse group of friends. The racial make-up of the school is balance. Also, I like how supportive my community is for LGBTQ+ , multicultural, interfaith, and interracial families.

Um.. ok, but there are several MCPS HS that are just as, if not more diverse than most of HoCo HSs, and since MoCo is next to DC, there are literally children of international workers who go to MCPS.

Nothing wrong with HoCo schools. We looked into moving to HoCo rather than MoCo, but I would not say most of the HSs in HoCo are more diverse than MoCo.

Does everyone have access to those specific schools? Or are they difficult to attend because the neighborhood is too expensive or they are magnet schools that have entrance requirements? That is a big difference between HC and MC. With the exception of Glenelg High School which is in a notably rural area, every school is diverse enough (both racially and socioeconomically) that nobody is going to feel out of place. Glenelg High School is unfortunate because it's too remote to benefit from redistricting. It has a good academic reputation but it is not a diverse school.

DP but you have no idea of what you're talking about. Schools in MoCo are in general more diverse than schools in HoCo.

I suppose by "in general" you mean only the schools in the rich areas.

Here are two schools that suffer greatly from segregation via redlining. Perhaps the reasons go back many decades but Howard County would never segregate their students like this.

John F. Kennedy High School:
63.6% Hispanic
23.3% African American
5.2% White
60% FARMS

Watkins Mill High School:
54.9% Hispanic
26.2% African American
6.4% White
62% FARMS

Of course not, Howard has the benefit of not having poor kids in concentrated numbers.

This is true. However, you can't sit there and say that MCPS schools are "in general" more diverse when it is absolutely not true. Without fixing this problem in the schools, the county will continue to segregate more and more until you are literally split in half between extremely wealthy areas and extremely poor areas. Howard County doesn't have that (for many reasons) allowing for every school to be great. MCPS has issues that are not mirrored in Howard County and that isn't anyone's fault but the original question was why HCPSS schools were so good and diversity is one of the reasons why.

HoCo schools aren't that diverse and aren't that great. You can barely put one school in the top 10

And now we have a circular argument that was finished three pages ago. Please go back and read the part about how some counties use magnet schools to concentrate academic talent at the expense of the other schools and their students. (This obsession with high school rankings is bizarre. In many cases it's apples and oranges.)

Let see MCPS has 6 in the top 10 and only one of them is a part time magnet. How does that work out for HoCo?

I really don't think you understand that nobody but you gives a rat's ass about those rankings. They don't mean what you think they mean. If your rich kids enjoy their rich kids' school, then great. You're exactly where you're supposed to be.

+1

[Anonymous]

My Howard Co kids are students who are held accountable for their learning and their work. My Montgomery Co students only need to be present in class and can pass by doing the bare minimum. Howard is much smaller and it makes a difference. Lots of parental involvement. And less excuses for the effects of the pandemic in regards to completing work. MCPS still tells teachers to grade with grace regardless of personal circumstance. Quite a few children will do the least amount of work if they are still rewarded the same and this is a major problem in MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Money, less poverty and diversity

Howard County is 34% white and 25% black, so let’s not have the idea Howard County isn’t diverse. But Howard County doesn’t have the amount of poverty other counties have to deal with.

Another pro about Howard County schools is that they tinker way less in regards to their curricula. I have not heard anyone complain about it whereas Curriculum 2.0 was a disaster in Montgomery county and had to be scrapped.

The downside to Howard County is that it redistricts A LOT. Like every 5 years. There are stories of kids living in the same house being redistricted 5 times from K to 12.

If you want to live in Howard County then buy a house that’s close to the high school you want. Otherwise, you’re fodder for redistricting.

Yes and 2-3 schools are 70+ white and/or 50+ Asian while others are 50%+ black. Dont kid yourselves here.

Very few counties will have an even distribution of races across their school systems, especially when a good chunk of your land is rural.

As these things go, Howard County has some schools with a great balance, Atholton, Howard, and Reservoir in particular. They are there if you want it. Most of the other high schools are at least 10% black, which isn’t bad for a school system that’s 25% black. Not a single high school is over 50% black.

Glenelg is the main outlier at 70% white. It will stay that way unless a bunch of other races decide they want to live on well water far from DC and Baltimore.

Howard County has a decent racial mix. It’s better than Montgomery County at least.

+1
One of the reasons that I relocated to Howard was due to the racial mix. My biracial children attend Howard High School. Howard High is like the United Nations and my children have a diverse group of friends. The racial make-up of the school is balance. Also, I like how supportive my community is for LGBTQ+ , multicultural, interfaith, and interracial families.

Um.. ok, but there are several MCPS HS that are just as, if not more diverse than most of HoCo HSs, and since MoCo is next to DC, there are literally children of international workers who go to MCPS.

Nothing wrong with HoCo schools. We looked into moving to HoCo rather than MoCo, but I would not say most of the HSs in HoCo are more diverse than MoCo.

Does everyone have access to those specific schools? Or are they difficult to attend because the neighborhood is too expensive or they are magnet schools that have entrance requirements? That is a big difference between HC and MC. With the exception of Glenelg High School which is in a notably rural area, every school is diverse enough (both racially and socioeconomically) that nobody is going to feel out of place. Glenelg High School is unfortunate because it's too remote to benefit from redistricting. It has a good academic reputation but it is not a diverse school.

DP but you have no idea of what you're talking about. Schools in MoCo are in general more diverse than schools in HoCo.

I suppose by "in general" you mean only the schools in the rich areas.

Here are two schools that suffer greatly from segregation via redlining. Perhaps the reasons go back many decades but Howard County would never segregate their students like this.

John F. Kennedy High School:
63.6% Hispanic
23.3% African American
5.2% White
60% FARMS

Watkins Mill High School:
54.9% Hispanic
26.2% African American
6.4% White
62% FARMS

Of course not, Howard has the benefit of not having poor kids in concentrated numbers.

This is true. However, you can't sit there and say that MCPS schools are "in general" more diverse when it is absolutely not true. Without fixing this problem in the schools, the county will continue to segregate more and more until you are literally split in half between extremely wealthy areas and extremely poor areas. Howard County doesn't have that (for many reasons) allowing for every school to be great. MCPS has issues that are not mirrored in Howard County and that isn't anyone's fault but the original question was why HCPSS schools were so good and diversity is one of the reasons why.

HoCo schools aren't that diverse and aren't that great. You can barely put one school in the top 10

And now we have a circular argument that was finished three pages ago. Please go back and read the part about how some counties use magnet schools to concentrate academic talent at the expense of the other schools and their students. (This obsession with high school rankings is bizarre. In many cases it's apples and oranges.)

Let see MCPS has 6 in the top 10 and only one of them is a part time magnet. How does that work out for HoCo?

I really don't think you understand that nobody but you gives a rat's ass about those rankings. They don't mean what you think they mean. If your rich kids enjoy their rich kids' school, then great. You're exactly where you're supposed to be.

Sure you don't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My Howard Co kids are students who are held accountable for their learning and their work. My Montgomery Co students only need to be present in class and can pass by doing the bare minimum. Howard is much smaller and it makes a difference. Lots of parental involvement. And less excuses for the effects of the pandemic in regards to completing work. MCPS still tells teachers to grade with grace regardless of personal circumstance. Quite a few children will do the least amount of work if they are still rewarded the same and this is a major problem in MCPS.

cool story bro.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP that is considering HoCo schools. Do you find the schools (and area) to be very competitive? Were not looking for overly competitive environments for our children and looking between moving to Howard county or Frederick county.

River Hill and Centennial have reputations as being competitive. The other schools don’t. Howard County as a whole isn’t overly competitive. Lots of solid schools.

The Marriotts Ridge and Atholton is a also competitive.

The best high schools are River hill, centennial and Marriotts ridge. Atholton isn’t in the top.

If you’re going to go that route, then Centennial shouldn’t belong in the same category as River Hill either, considering that its closer to Atholton HS in USNWR rankings than it is to River Hill. Marriotts Ridge is ranked in the top 4% of US high schools (overall score 96), while Atholton is top 6%, and River Hill is top 2%. So again, even Marriotts Ridge is equidistant in rank between River Hill and Atholton, let alone Centennial, which is much closer to Atholton in its rankings.

Centennial is also nowhere near as affluent, elite, or prestigious as River Hill. The attendance area for it includes far less $1M+ homes than even Atholton or Reservoir do. It’s basically almost exclusively $750k cookie cutter homes in Ellicott City.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Baltimore county public schools have more schools in the top 10 and 20 than HCPS, and that has been the case at least the 5 years.

That’s because the top 10 list is a joke. Literally half of the list are magnet high schools (including both of the Baltimore County high schools that made the list, and two of the MoCo high schools that made the list). HoCo doesn’t have any magnet schools. If they did, they would be dominating the top 10 list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Baltimore county public schools have more schools in the top 10 and 20 than HCPS, and that has been the case at least the 5 years.

That’s because the top 10 list is a joke. Literally half of the list are magnet high schools (including both of the Baltimore County high schools that made the list, and two of the MoCo high schools that made the list). HoCo doesn’t have any magnet schools. If they did, they would be dominating the top 10 list.

DP.. I always find this argument silly.

It's like saying, "If it wasn't for all those wealthy families in x HS, then the HS wouldn't make the top y list".

I don't know much about Baltimore schools, but if they have a lot of magnets that attract top students, then it appears to me that the magnets are serving its purpose and goal, and good for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Money, less poverty and diversity

Howard County is 34% white and 25% black, so let’s not have the idea Howard County isn’t diverse. But Howard County doesn’t have the amount of poverty other counties have to deal with.

Another pro about Howard County schools is that they tinker way less in regards to their curricula. I have not heard anyone complain about it whereas Curriculum 2.0 was a disaster in Montgomery county and had to be scrapped.

The downside to Howard County is that it redistricts A LOT. Like every 5 years. There are stories of kids living in the same house being redistricted 5 times from K to 12.

If you want to live in Howard County then buy a house that’s close to the high school you want. Otherwise, you’re fodder for redistricting.

Yes and 2-3 schools are 70+ white and/or 50+ Asian while others are 50%+ black. Dont kid yourselves here.

Very few counties will have an even distribution of races across their school systems, especially when a good chunk of your land is rural.

As these things go, Howard County has some schools with a great balance, Atholton, Howard, and Reservoir in particular. They are there if you want it. Most of the other high schools are at least 10% black, which isn’t bad for a school system that’s 25% black. Not a single high school is over 50% black.

Glenelg is the main outlier at 70% white. It will stay that way unless a bunch of other races decide they want to live on well water far from DC and Baltimore.

Howard County has a decent racial mix. It’s better than Montgomery County at least.

OM has a 81% MINORITY POPULATION, of which, 44% is black. River Hill is 44% WHITE and 56% minority population (with 35% being asian).

As someone who attended a HoCo HS, and it was my 4th HS attended in 3 different states, there is nothing diverse about a majority of the schools in HoCo. 2 might be a real mix but most are not.

I'm not sure where you're coming from. Earlier PPs have posted school demographics for HoCo and it's a diverse school system by every meaning of the word diversity, except perhaps socioeconomic. Blacks make up 13% of the US population but 25% of HoCo schools.

What is diversity to you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Money, less poverty and diversity

Howard County is 34% white and 25% black, so let’s not have the idea Howard County isn’t diverse. But Howard County doesn’t have the amount of poverty other counties have to deal with.

Another pro about Howard County schools is that they tinker way less in regards to their curricula. I have not heard anyone complain about it whereas Curriculum 2.0 was a disaster in Montgomery county and had to be scrapped.

The downside to Howard County is that it redistricts A LOT. Like every 5 years. There are stories of kids living in the same house being redistricted 5 times from K to 12.

If you want to live in Howard County then buy a house that’s close to the high school you want. Otherwise, you’re fodder for redistricting.

Yes and 2-3 schools are 70+ white and/or 50+ Asian while others are 50%+ black. Dont kid yourselves here.

Very few counties will have an even distribution of races across their school systems, especially when a good chunk of your land is rural.

As these things go, Howard County has some schools with a great balance, Atholton, Howard, and Reservoir in particular. They are there if you want it. Most of the other high schools are at least 10% black, which isn’t bad for a school system that’s 25% black. Not a single high school is over 50% black.

Glenelg is the main outlier at 70% white. It will stay that way unless a bunch of other races decide they want to live on well water far from DC and Baltimore.

Howard County has a decent racial mix. It’s better than Montgomery County at least.

OM has a 81% MINORITY POPULATION, of which, 44% is black. River Hill is 44% WHITE and 56% minority population (with 35% being asian).

As someone who attended a HoCo HS, and it was my 4th HS attended in 3 different states, there is nothing diverse about a majority of the schools in HoCo. 2 might be a real mix but most are not.

I'm not sure where you're coming from. Earlier PPs have posted school demographics for HoCo and it's a diverse school system by every meaning of the word diversity, except perhaps socioeconomic. Blacks make up 13% of the US population but 25% of HoCo schools.

What is diversity to you?

Howard County is only 34% white. A white student body of 19% sounds pretty reasonable to me. If that’s your worst example of segregation then I’d say Howard County is doing pretty well overall. Quite a few high schools out there have less than 10% white kids.

A school system with more than a few schools won’t have a perfect distribution of all its students across its school. Howard County isn’t perfect, but it’s not bad when it comes to diversity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Money, less poverty and diversity

Howard County is 34% white and 25% black, so let’s not have the idea Howard County isn’t diverse. But Howard County doesn’t have the amount of poverty other counties have to deal with.

Another pro about Howard County schools is that they tinker way less in regards to their curricula. I have not heard anyone complain about it whereas Curriculum 2.0 was a disaster in Montgomery county and had to be scrapped.

The downside to Howard County is that it redistricts A LOT. Like every 5 years. There are stories of kids living in the same house being redistricted 5 times from K to 12.

If you want to live in Howard County then buy a house that’s close to the high school you want. Otherwise, you’re fodder for redistricting.

Yes and 2-3 schools are 70+ white and/or 50+ Asian while others are 50%+ black. Dont kid yourselves here.

Very few counties will have an even distribution of races across their school systems, especially when a good chunk of your land is rural.

As these things go, Howard County has some schools with a great balance, Atholton, Howard, and Reservoir in particular. They are there if you want it. Most of the other high schools are at least 10% black, which isn’t bad for a school system that’s 25% black. Not a single high school is over 50% black.

Glenelg is the main outlier at 70% white. It will stay that way unless a bunch of other races decide they want to live on well water far from DC and Baltimore.

Howard County has a decent racial mix. It’s better than Montgomery County at least.

OM has a 81% MINORITY POPULATION, of which, 44% is black. River Hill is 44% WHITE and 56% minority population (with 35% being asian).

As someone who attended a HoCo HS, and it was my 4th HS attended in 3 different states, there is nothing diverse about a majority of the schools in HoCo. 2 might be a real mix but most are not.

I'm not sure where you're coming from. Earlier PPs have posted school demographics for HoCo and it's a diverse school system by every meaning of the word diversity, except perhaps socioeconomic. Blacks make up 13% of the US population but 25% of HoCo schools.

What is diversity to you?

Howard County is only 34% white. A white student body of 19% sounds pretty reasonable to me. If that’s your worst example of segregation then I’d say Howard County is doing pretty well overall. Quite a few high schools out there have less than 10% white kids.

A school system with more than a few schools won’t have a perfect distribution of all its students across its school. Howard County isn’t perfect, but it’s not bad when it comes to diversity.

Why you people keep repeating that lie? Howard County is 47% white. And the white student body is not 19%, my gosh!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Money, less poverty and diversity

Howard County is 34% white and 25% black, so let’s not have the idea Howard County isn’t diverse. But Howard County doesn’t have the amount of poverty other counties have to deal with.

Another pro about Howard County schools is that they tinker way less in regards to their curricula. I have not heard anyone complain about it whereas Curriculum 2.0 was a disaster in Montgomery county and had to be scrapped.

The downside to Howard County is that it redistricts A LOT. Like every 5 years. There are stories of kids living in the same house being redistricted 5 times from K to 12.

If you want to live in Howard County then buy a house that’s close to the high school you want. Otherwise, you’re fodder for redistricting.

Yes and 2-3 schools are 70+ white and/or 50+ Asian while others are 50%+ black. Dont kid yourselves here.

Very few counties will have an even distribution of races across their school systems, especially when a good chunk of your land is rural.

As these things go, Howard County has some schools with a great balance, Atholton, Howard, and Reservoir in particular. They are there if you want it. Most of the other high schools are at least 10% black, which isn’t bad for a school system that’s 25% black. Not a single high school is over 50% black.

Glenelg is the main outlier at 70% white. It will stay that way unless a bunch of other races decide they want to live on well water far from DC and Baltimore.

Howard County has a decent racial mix. It’s better than Montgomery County at least.

OM has a 81% MINORITY POPULATION, of which, 44% is black. River Hill is 44% WHITE and 56% minority population (with 35% being asian).

As someone who attended a HoCo HS, and it was my 4th HS attended in 3 different states, there is nothing diverse about a majority of the schools in HoCo. 2 might be a real mix but most are not.

I'm not sure where you're coming from. Earlier PPs have posted school demographics for HoCo and it's a diverse school system by every meaning of the word diversity, except perhaps socioeconomic. Blacks make up 13% of the US population but 25% of HoCo schools.

What is diversity to you?

Howard County is only 34% white. A white student body of 19% sounds pretty reasonable to me. If that’s your worst example of segregation then I’d say Howard County is doing pretty well overall. Quite a few high schools out there have less than 10% white kids.

A school system with more than a few schools won’t have a perfect distribution of all its students across its school. Howard County isn’t perfect, but it’s not bad when it comes to diversity.

Why you people keep repeating that lie? Howard County is 47% white. And the white student body is not 19%, my gosh!

We are talking about the K-12 students at Howard County, not the general population.

US News says white kids make up 34.5% of the students:

https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/maryland/districts/howard-county-public-schools-100316#:~:text=Howard%20County%20Public%20Schools%20contains,of%20students%20are%20economically%20disadvantaged.

Howard County's own statistics say white kids make up 32% of students:

https://www.hcpss.org/about-us/facts/

Oakland Mills (OM) is 19.3% white according to US News:

https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/maryland/districts/howard-county-public-schools/oakland-mills-high-school-9129

Oakland Mills is 18.9% white according to Howard County:

https://www.hcpss.org/f/schools/profiles/prof_hs_oaklandmills.pdf

Every other high school in Howard County has a higher percentage of white kids than Oakland Mills. If 18.9% is as bad as it gets then your county isn't doing so bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Only one school in HoCo made it in the top ten and just 3 in the top 20 schools in MD according to USNews
https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/maryland/rankings

Howard is well regarded not because of it best are so high but because it doesn’t have the lows like MoCo. There is no Einstein, Kennedy or Northwood or the likes with their concentrations of poverty. There also isn’t a Wootton or Whitman at the top either