Montgomery Blair/Albert Einstein vs. B-CC/Whitman -- help me understand the differences

[Anonymous]

We are looking at moving to Maryland close in to DC along the red line and have started investigating the schools. We are white UMC and have a student who is reasonably intelligent but not that academically motivated, so will need a push from school.

Based on Great School ratings and other reputational rankings there seem to be very sharp differences between schools in the Silver Spring area like Montgomery Blair, Albert Einstein, and Northwood, as compared to Bethesda/Chevy Chase schools like B-CC, Whitman, and Walter Johnson. But they are all part of the same system. When I look at the school stats on the MCPS web site the big difference seem to be racial makeup (although frankly all schools are pretty diverse) and the proportion of kids taking the SATs. Are the reputational differences mostly just picking this up? What difference will it actually make to our kid's high school experience?

[Anonymous]

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[Anonymous]

I’ll bite. If you want your kid pushed from the school, skip public education and pay for private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ll bite. If you want your kid pushed from the school, skip public education and pay for private.

What does this mean?

[Anonymous]

No all the schools are not diverse economically. Whitman has less than 5% free and reduced lunch population.

[Anonymous]

Congratulations. You've just stepped on the Third Rail of county politics. (My kids went to one of the schools east of Conn. Ave. and they did just fine.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ll bite. If you want your kid pushed from the school, skip public education and pay for private.

I don't know what you actually mean but private schools in this area are inferior to MCPS. Only a few can compare to MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ll bite. If you want your kid pushed from the school, skip public education and pay for private.

What does this mean?

Desire for academic success needs to come from the student in public. There are 25-30 kids in class. Not wnough respurces to really push kids who dont take their own initiative.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ll bite. If you want your kid pushed from the school, skip public education and pay for private.

I don't know what you actually mean but private schools in this area are inferior to MCPS. Only a few can compare to MCPS.

Agreed. But the question was about "pushing". You can get a good education MCPS but noone will hold your hand and prep you extra to make sure you're taking calculus in 11th grade.

[Anonymous]

Do you literally have no preference on neighborhood or commute time?
Schools like Whitman are tricky for a student like yours.
Peer pressure might push your kid to perform at a higher level. Or your kid might get trampled over by the hyper competitive kids.
Have you spoken to your kid about what they are looking for in a high school? Certain sports, theater, a vast range of advanced classes?
What is your housing budget?

[Anonymous]

Here’s why the “scores” differ: the kids who are not UMC white kids like yours.

The schools on the west side hardly have any of these. The schools on the east side have more. They have fewer advantages and they don’t score as high on tests.

But your kid does have advantages, and will do fine at either one. It’s just a question of whether they will go to school with lots of kids demographically like them or to a school with a wider range of people.

[Anonymous]

All of these schools have a different vibe. Agree Whitman is tricky because it can be very high pressure. BCC and Walter Johnson are the same, but maybe a degree lower. Your family will fit right in a an UMC white family.

Blair is the largest school in the state and there are sharp divisions between the magnet programs and the regular kids. It is a terrific school with a lot of diversity in all aspects, but everything is competitive because of the sheer size.

Einstein is the least competitive of all the schools you listed but it has a great reputation in the DCC. People in the CC/Bethesda/Potomac area put it down probably because of its location and the building appears quite run down but we know a few kids who go there and they have really positive reviews. It houses a very small and prestigious visual arts program.

[Anonymous]

My kids have gone to BCC and it’s fine. I am actually somewhat jealous of my friends (white professionals) whose kids have gone to Einstein and, Northwood. All did really well at those schools. I think that since there’s a smaller pool of competitive kids they shined more academically and definitely athletically and got into colleges that they may not have from BCC or Whitman. Another benefit is that all those kids seem to be a lot less materialistic and less into the basic rich white girl bs that my kids are into like having to have the right labels, whining that “all their friends” are at Bethany and eating disorders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ll bite. If you want your kid pushed from the school, skip public education and pay for private.

I don't know what you actually mean but private schools in this area are inferior to MCPS. Only a few can compare to MCPS.

Seriously? My kid went to silver creek and was given sentence starters as their only source of writing. He had an A in math because he could retake anything until he got an A and the teacher point blank told me he was a C in math kinda kid, but that was only when I pushed her for the info.

He’s now at private. There is Hw, quizzes, and tests. He’s actually learning how to study. I think he’ll be better served for high school than had we stayed in MCPS.

The question OP asked was whether mcps pushes kids. And quite frankly, they don’t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ll bite. If you want your kid pushed from the school, skip public education and pay for private.

I don't know what you actually mean but private schools in this area are inferior to MCPS. Only a few can compare to MCPS.

Seriously? My kid went to silver creek and was given sentence starters as their only source of writing. He had an A in math because he could retake anything until he got an A and the teacher point blank told me he was a C in math kinda kid, but that was only when I pushed her for the info.

He’s now at private. There is Hw, quizzes, and tests. He’s actually learning how to study. I think he’ll be better served for high school than had we stayed in MCPS.

The question OP asked was whether mcps pushes kids. And quite frankly, they don’t.

Went to one of the top privates and left. Was not better but was good on selling that notion.