Where do you consider MCPS high schools on a scale of good-bad

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want to base your ratings on something, at least do it by graduation rates. You can come up with your own tiers from here.

1. Walt Whitman High (97.9 percent)
2. Thomas S. Wootton High (97.8 percent)
3. Winston Churchill High (97.4 percent)
4. Poolesville High (96.2 percent)
5. Walter Johnson High (95.8 percent)
6. Quince Orchard High (95.6 percent)
7. Northwest High (94.95 percent)
8. Bethesda-Chevy Chase High (94.42 percent)
9. Damascus High (93.98 percent)
10. Sherwood High (93.89 percent)
11. Richard Montgomery High (92.24 percent)
12. Clarksburg High (91.52 percent)
13. Paint Branch High (90.55 percent)
14. James Hubert Blake High (90.21 percent)
15. Montgomery Blair High (86.21 percent)
16. Col. Zadok Magruder High (89.59 percent)
17. Springbrook High (87.83 percent)
18. Seneca Valley High (86.21 percent)
19. Rockville High (86.02 percent)
20. Watkins Mill High (84.5 percent)
21. Albert Einstein High (81.93 percent)
22. John F. Kennedy High (81.22 percent)
23. Northwood High (79.36 percent)
24. Gaithersburg High (77.39 percent)
25. Wheaton High (77.36 percent)

This is pretty accurate, but I'm surprised by BCC and Northwest

NW grad rate last year >= 95%
BCC grade rate 94.4%

NW FARMs rate 22%
BCC FARMs rate 11%

Which proves the point that graduation rates don't always relate to SES.

Not always, but it's a good indicator. Even Whitman where they have a <= 5% FARMs rate doesn't have a 100% graduation rate.

I'm surprised about RM honestly. 19.8% FARMS which is #11 on the list; again comparing it to NW which has a 22% FARMS rate.

NW HS has <5% ESOL, RM has 7.4%. I have a feeling ESOL plays into it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We purposely put our kids in a diverse, middle of the pack HS to avoid the extreme ends of the spectrum (lots of entitled, rich kids vs lots of troubled, poor kids). We figured a school in the middle of these would make it easy for our kids to find a good group of friends who share the same interests as them and who care about education; without the pressures or the stress of being in either one of these extreme environments.

What does this mean?

What is middle of the pack?

GS rating 7, FARM rate between 20-30%.

DP.. I generally agree with you about middle of the pack, and we did the same thing.

So what are those schools? QO, RM, Sherwood? What others?

I have the same thinking around not wanting extreme ends of the spectrum, but it can be hard to sort through the nonsense to make actual decisions.

But FWIW, I don't think any MoCo schools are at the extreme negative end of the spectrum (having worked with some of those schools in other jurisdictions in a past life, there's really no comparison).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We purposely put our kids in a diverse, middle of the pack HS to avoid the extreme ends of the spectrum (lots of entitled, rich kids vs lots of troubled, poor kids). We figured a school in the middle of these would make it easy for our kids to find a good group of friends who share the same interests as them and who care about education; without the pressures or the stress of being in either one of these extreme environments.

What does this mean?

What is middle of the pack?

GS rating 7, FARM rate between 20-30%.

How do you feel it’s working out? Genuine curiosity?

We are happy here. Kids have a good number of friends from diverse backgrounds who care about school and while there are plenty of opportunities for advancement/challenge, it's not a pressure cooker either. And most families here are just normal, hard working parents who want the best for their kids. There's no snootiness, or kids who drive fancy cars but we're not in Bethesda or Potomac, so we don't have that type of wealth here. On the other other hand, I'm not going to lie there is a small group of kids (as I'm sure there are at other schools) who cause trouble/fights. Most kids know to just stay away from them and my kids don't even mix with them at all. It's about parenting and what you teach your kids. I've always told my kids since they were little to stay out of trouble, find good friends, and work hard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We purposely put our kids in a diverse, middle of the pack HS to avoid the extreme ends of the spectrum (lots of entitled, rich kids vs lots of troubled, poor kids). We figured a school in the middle of these would make it easy for our kids to find a good group of friends who share the same interests as them and who care about education; without the pressures or the stress of being in either one of these extreme environments.

What does this mean?

What is middle of the pack?

GS rating 7, FARM rate between 20-30%.

DP.. I generally agree with you about middle of the pack, and we did the same thing.

So what are those schools? QO, RM, Sherwood? What others?

I have the same thinking around not wanting extreme ends of the spectrum, but it can be hard to sort through the nonsense to make actual decisions.

But FWIW, I don't think any MoCo schools are at the extreme negative end of the spectrum (having worked with some of those schools in other jurisdictions in a past life, there's really no comparison).

I think Northwest is a good middle, too, along with the ones you listed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We purposely put our kids in a diverse, middle of the pack HS to avoid the extreme ends of the spectrum (lots of entitled, rich kids vs lots of troubled, poor kids). We figured a school in the middle of these would make it easy for our kids to find a good group of friends who share the same interests as them and who care about education; without the pressures or the stress of being in either one of these extreme environments.

What does this mean?

What is middle of the pack?

GS rating 7, FARM rate between 20-30%.

DP.. I generally agree with you about middle of the pack, and we did the same thing.

So what are those schools? QO, RM, Sherwood? What others?

I have the same thinking around not wanting extreme ends of the spectrum, but it can be hard to sort through the nonsense to make actual decisions.

But FWIW, I don't think any MoCo schools are at the extreme negative end of the spectrum (having worked with some of those schools in other jurisdictions in a past life, there's really no comparison).

We picked Clarksburg but we were also interested in those schools you mentioned above. We also considered Northwest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want to base your ratings on something, at least do it by graduation rates. You can come up with your own tiers from here.

1. Walt Whitman High (97.9 percent)
2. Thomas S. Wootton High (97.8 percent)
3. Winston Churchill High (97.4 percent)
4. Poolesville High (96.2 percent)
5. Walter Johnson High (95.8 percent)
6. Quince Orchard High (95.6 percent)
7. Northwest High (94.95 percent)
8. Bethesda-Chevy Chase High (94.42 percent)
9. Damascus High (93.98 percent)
10. Sherwood High (93.89 percent)
11. Richard Montgomery High (92.24 percent)
12. Clarksburg High (91.52 percent)
13. Paint Branch High (90.55 percent)
14. James Hubert Blake High (90.21 percent)
15. Montgomery Blair High (86.21 percent)
16. Col. Zadok Magruder High (89.59 percent)
17. Springbrook High (87.83 percent)
18. Seneca Valley High (86.21 percent)
19. Rockville High (86.02 percent)
20. Watkins Mill High (84.5 percent)
21. Albert Einstein High (81.93 percent)
22. John F. Kennedy High (81.22 percent)
23. Northwood High (79.36 percent)
24. Gaithersburg High (77.39 percent)
25. Wheaton High (77.36 percent)

This is pretty accurate, but I'm surprised by BCC and Northwest

NW grad rate last year >= 95%
BCC grade rate 94.4%

NW FARMs rate 22%
BCC FARMs rate 11%

Which proves the point that graduation rates don't always relate to SES.

Not always, but it's a good indicator. Even Whitman where they have a <= 5% FARMs rate doesn't have a 100% graduation rate.

I'm surprised about RM honestly. 19.8% FARMS which is #11 on the list; again comparing it to NW which has a 22% FARMS rate.

NW HS has <5% ESOL, RM has 7.4%. I have a feeling ESOL plays into it.

It is because NW doesn't have an ESOL program, the neighborhoods have hoards of ESOL students but they send them all to SVHS or take them out of ESOL so they can stay in their cluster. If NW had an ESOL program for the local population, oh boy their FARMs % would be like 40%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We purposely put our kids in a diverse, middle of the pack HS to avoid the extreme ends of the spectrum (lots of entitled, rich kids vs lots of troubled, poor kids). We figured a school in the middle of these would make it easy for our kids to find a good group of friends who share the same interests as them and who care about education; without the pressures or the stress of being in either one of these extreme environments.

What does this mean?

What is middle of the pack?

GS rating 7, FARM rate between 20-30%.

How do you feel it’s working out? Genuine curiosity?

We are happy here. Kids have a good number of friends from diverse backgrounds who care about school and while there are plenty of opportunities for advancement/challenge, it's not a pressure cooker either. And most families here are just normal, hard working parents who want the best for their kids. There's no snootiness, or kids who drive fancy cars but we're not in Bethesda or Potomac, so we don't have that type of wealth here. On the other other hand, I'm not going to lie there is a small group of kids (as I'm sure there are at other schools) who cause trouble/fights. Most kids know to just stay away from them and my kids don't even mix with them at all. It's about parenting and what you teach your kids. I've always told my kids since they were little to stay out of trouble, find good friends, and work hard.

Well I am being honest I don't think a school in the middle of the road exists. QO has money from Darnestown and Kentlands, there are too many new Mercedes and Jeeps in that parking lot for me to say it is middle of the pack. I agree with you that I don't want my kids surrounded by wealth, but that just isn't the case for most schools. I would definitely agree with RM and Clarksburg or even NW being in the middle though, even though the FARMs rates are low the non-FARMs students aren't spoiled and live in normal neighborhoods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids turned out great from RM non-magnet. Since they never attended any other schools I don't think my opinions would be too accurate.

Most kids would do about the same in most of the schools. The list is meaningless and is nothing more than a reflection of SES than anything else.

C’mon. Read about the incidents at various HS - Blair, Clarksburg, Rockville, etc. Shit happens in Tier 3 & 4 schools that no kid should be exposed to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Don't all schools have similar curriculum except for the magnets?

Yes, which is why this thread is stupid and based on social economic status.

Tier 1 - Magnets
Tier 2 - Everyone else. If you don't believe me, go search the news sites and see all of the negative events at each of these "top tier" schools.

Yes, but peer group matters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids turned out great from RM non-magnet. Since they never attended any other schools I don't think my opinions would be too accurate.

Most kids would do about the same in most of the schools. The list is meaningless and is nothing more than a reflection of SES than anything else.

C’mon. Read about the incidents at various HS - Blair, Clarksburg, Rockville, etc. Shit happens in Tier 3 & 4 schools that no kid should be exposed to.

Stuff happens in ALL schools. it's Whitman High School, not Garden of Eden High School.

(Would there even be high schools in the Garden of Eden?)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Don't all schools have similar curriculum except for the magnets?

Yes, which is why this thread is stupid and based on social economic status.

Tier 1 - Magnets
Tier 2 - Everyone else. If you don't believe me, go search the news sites and see all of the negative events at each of these "top tier" schools.

Yes, but peer group matters.

Which schools don't have a good peer group? Please also say how you know.

[Anonymous]

Since my kids only went to one high school in the county, how could I possibly know how other schools rate?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids turned out great from RM non-magnet. Since they never attended any other schools I don't think my opinions would be too accurate.

Most kids would do about the same in most of the schools. The list is meaningless and is nothing more than a reflection of SES than anything else.

C’mon. Read about the incidents at various HS - Blair, Clarksburg, Rockville, etc. Shit happens in Tier 3 & 4 schools that no kid should be exposed to.

What happened in Rockville, Clarksburg and Blair? Are you talking about fights? Fights that occur in all schools except some schools are just better at keeping it hush hush? Drugs? Something that even your tier 1 and 2 kids are doing on a regular basis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids turned out great from RM non-magnet. Since they never attended any other schools I don't think my opinions would be too accurate.

Most kids would do about the same in most of the schools. The list is meaningless and is nothing more than a reflection of SES than anything else.

C’mon. Read about the incidents at various HS - Blair, Clarksburg, Rockville, etc. Shit happens in Tier 3 & 4 schools that no kid should be exposed to.

Like sex, fights and drug deals? ... like this...

http://www.gazette.net/stories/051208/montnew175519_32372.shtml

Police charged the 17-year-old male Walt Whitman student from Bethesda and 17-year-old female Winston Churchill student from Potomac with possession with intent to distribute.

https://wjla.com/news/crime/police-winston-churchill-hs-student-busted-for-selling-xanax-out-of-school-bathroom-stall

http://www.thechurchillobserver.com/features/2014/11/20/do-chs-student-just-say-no/

The junior class [in Churchill] has the highest percentage of drug users, with 62.8 percent of junior survey-takers admitting to using drugs.

Some students claim that a “drug culture” at CHS is what pressured them into getting involved with illegal substances.

By the way, I went to a gang infested school out west and have never taken drugs or gotten drunk in my life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We purposely put our kids in a diverse, middle of the pack HS to avoid the extreme ends of the spectrum (lots of entitled, rich kids vs lots of troubled, poor kids). We figured a school in the middle of these would make it easy for our kids to find a good group of friends who share the same interests as them and who care about education; without the pressures or the stress of being in either one of these extreme environments.

What does this mean?

What is middle of the pack?

GS rating 7, FARM rate between 20-30%.

How do you feel it’s working out? Genuine curiosity?

We are happy here. Kids have a good number of friends from diverse backgrounds who care about school and while there are plenty of opportunities for advancement/challenge, it's not a pressure cooker either. And most families here are just normal, hard working parents who want the best for their kids. There's no snootiness, or kids who drive fancy cars but we're not in Bethesda or Potomac, so we don't have that type of wealth here. On the other other hand, I'm not going to lie there is a small group of kids (as I'm sure there are at other schools) who cause trouble/fights. Most kids know to just stay away from them and my kids don't even mix with them at all. It's about parenting and what you teach your kids. I've always told my kids since they were little to stay out of trouble, find good friends, and work hard.

Well I am being honest I don't think a school in the middle of the road exists. QO has money from Darnestown and Kentlands, there are too many new Mercedes and Jeeps in that parking lot for me to say it is middle of the pack. I agree with you that I don't want my kids surrounded by wealth, but that just isn't the case for most schools. I would definitely agree with RM and Clarksburg or even NW being in the middle though, even though the FARMs rates are low the non-FARMs students aren't spoiled and live in normal neighborhoods.

Agree, there's definitely some wealth in QO. I think RM, Clarksburg, Sherwood, and NW are good middle of the pack schools.