Urbana, MD Schools

[Anonymous]

Hello

I'll be moving to Urbana, MD area in May 2023. My 2 kids will be entering 2nd & 6th grade. One of the main reasons that we picked Urbana, MD to live is the school ratings on different websites (US News, Greatschools, etc.). When reading comments in online forums I got the idea that all Urbana, MD schools are overcrowded. I would greatly appreciate if anyone who lives in Urbana, MD with kids in public schools can provide some feedback. I'm especially interested in Centerville Elementary School & Urbana Middle School. Since we'll most likely be living in a condo across Centerville Elementary School.

Thank you in advance for any input.

[Anonymous]

I'm not in Frederick County, but their website has a lot of information. https://www.fcps.org/ It might be useful to just browse through. In general, the Urbana area has been building a lot of new homes in the past 10 years, so it is to be expected that some schools will be overcrowded until new schools are built and any redistricting occurs.

From https://www.fcps.org/capital-program/reports-and-publications
https://campussuite-storage.s3.amazonaws.com/prod/33903/86de7fb0-3a18-11e6-b537-22000bd8490f/2381995/d621989e-9985-11ec-b5ef-0ea36b37f811/file/final_Sept2022_EnrollmentProjections.pdf
This shows Centerville under capacity, and Urbana MS is at capacity right now. I didn't look for current redistricting plans - there may be information in the publications section or the Board of Ed meeting minutes.

[Anonymous]

Not overcrowded but there is a lot of new development so that may change in the near future. The HS is huge for frederick county standards, and has the IB program magnet that draws in from across the county.

[Anonymous]

I appreciate your responses.

Centerville Elementary School has a very small boundary area per https://campussuite-storage.s3.amazonaws.com/prod/33903/86de7fb0-3a18-11e6-b537-22000bd8490f/1938765/83e96202-8702-11e9-9d59-12905acb67a8/file/Boundaries_ES.pdf . I'm assuming that area of the town may have a high population density.

Urbana middle & high schools are over capacity by about 70 students. I wonder if there's any plans to build a new middle & high school. My limited research didn't find anything on that front. I'm not sure how it would impact kids education.

What is "IB program magnet"? I'm moving in from the west. I do not think that our public schools here have something called "IB program".

[Anonymous]

IB stands for International Baccalaureate.

[Anonymous]

There will likely be a new HS built somewhere in the Monrovia area

[Anonymous]

Everyone always recommends Urbana due to the schools. The kids score high because the parents use their tax savings to fund extra help. There is no coincidence that there are so many learning centers in that area. There are like 4 leaning centers within 2 miles and they are all booked up. The schools arent better, the parents are just very involved.

The schools are overcrowded because of all the new construction.
There was just a major redistricting in 2020. The community is changing because of all the people moving in because they hear the schools are good. Many people are surprised by the lack of services in fcps when compared to mcps.

[Anonymous]

Didn’t they just build a new elementary school (sugarloaf elementary) around the corner from Urbana Elementary?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Didn’t they just build a new elementary school (sugarloaf elementary) around the corner from Urbana Elementary?

Yes and they still have so many new homes being built. Sugarloaf is nearly full.

The one compromise is all the newly approved housing is 55 plus just to relieve the pressure on the schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everyone always recommends Urbana due to the schools. The kids score high because the parents use their tax savings to fund extra help. There is no coincidence that there are so many learning centers in that area. There are like 4 leaning centers within 2 miles and they are all booked up. The schools arent better, the parents are just very involved.

The schools are overcrowded because of all the new construction.
There was just a major redistricting in 2020. The community is changing because of all the people moving in because they hear the schools are good. Many people are surprised by the lack of services in fcps when compared to mcps.

Could you give examples of services that MCPS has that FCPS does not? Most of all I’ve seen are folks trashing on problems in the MCPS system so I’d like to hear about FCPS issues too for balance. I’ve heard that FCPS is generally better at serving students since it is a smaller school system, and therefore can concentrate more on the individual needs of the schools.

- not OP but a PP also looking to move to Urbana

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone always recommends Urbana due to the schools. The kids score high because the parents use their tax savings to fund extra help. There is no coincidence that there are so many learning centers in that area. There are like 4 leaning centers within 2 miles and they are all booked up. The schools arent better, the parents are just very involved.

The schools are overcrowded because of all the new construction.
There was just a major redistricting in 2020. The community is changing because of all the people moving in because they hear the schools are good. Many people are surprised by the lack of services in fcps when compared to mcps.

Could you give examples of services that MCPS has that FCPS does not? Most of all I’ve seen are folks trashing on problems in the MCPS system so I’d like to hear about FCPS issues too for balance. I’ve heard that FCPS is generally better at serving students since it is a smaller school system, and therefore can concentrate more on the individual needs of the schools.

- not OP but a PP also looking to move to Urbana

I am curious as well. As a family that left and CPS for Frederick, we have found the opposite. But, to be fair, we don’t need special Ed services.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everyone always recommends Urbana due to the schools. The kids score high because the parents use their tax savings to fund extra help. There is no coincidence that there are so many learning centers in that area. There are like 4 leaning centers within 2 miles and they are all booked up. The schools arent better, the parents are just very involved.

The schools are overcrowded because of all the new construction.
There was just a major redistricting in 2020. The community is changing because of all the people moving in because they hear the schools are good. Many people are surprised by the lack of services in fcps when compared to mcps.

OP here. I'll be moving in from Reno,NV. I'm grateful for all the contributors on this forum. I have learned a lot about Frederick/Urbana area from this forum.

I'm curious about "the tax savings" that pp mentioned. I have not even considered our tax situation or health insurance options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone always recommends Urbana due to the schools. The kids score high because the parents use their tax savings to fund extra help. There is no coincidence that there are so many learning centers in that area. There are like 4 leaning centers within 2 miles and they are all booked up. The schools arent better, the parents are just very involved.

The schools are overcrowded because of all the new construction.
There was just a major redistricting in 2020. The community is changing because of all the people moving in because they hear the schools are good. Many people are surprised by the lack of services in fcps when compared to mcps.

OP here. I'll be moving in from Reno,NV. I'm grateful for all the contributors on this forum. I have learned a lot about Frederick/Urbana area from this forum.

I'm curious about "the tax savings" that pp mentioned. I have not even considered our tax situation or health insurance options.

The county taxes are slightly lower.

But not enough to offset the cost of any tutor.

And lets be clear: PP is being a troll. We are zoned for Urbana HS and I don't know a single family that uses a tutor. Many of those kids are in honors classes and doing well.

Some must, otherwise those places wouldn't stay in business, but I don't know any. It's more about the culture; there is an expectation by your family, peers, teachers, coaches, parents of friends, etc. that you do well in school.

[Anonymous]

I will say that I’m in another Frederick county pyramid, but my experience is the schools are well resourced and generally smaller than schools in say MOCO, so the experience of the average student is better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I will say that I’m in another Frederick county pyramid, but my experience is the schools are well resourced and generally smaller than schools in say MOCO, so the experience of the average student is better.

I think that's right.

I def haven't heard any of the horror stories of some MoCo schools like rodents, water damage, mold, etc.

BUT, I do also believe that the special needs students may actually be better served in MoCo if the parents are able to actually navigate the system. It appears difficult and challenging to navigate. But worth it if you can.

But the regular student likely does have a better experience at the average FredCo school compared to MoCo.

Now, the exceptional student has better options at MoCo than FredCo. But tbh, for every exceptional student there are another 10 who THINK they are exceptional and make the environment toxic