How can you switch schools in Mont. County?

[Anonymous]

Our neighborhood Montgomery County school is ranked really really badly & one www.greatschools.net, reviewer of the school said it was so bad she switched her DC to another school in the cluster. Wondering how that works--do you just request it? Can you start out at different school? I know there are magnet programs, but that is not until a few grades later I think. My DD is not quite yet in Kindergarden, Just wondering though. TIA.

[Anonymous]

Not sure it is easy to do. Here is the MoCo page that deals with it. http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/transfer.shtm

I've never tried it, though...

[Anonymous]

Typically, it has to be for child care purposes. If you a child is in a certain district for child care, schools may let you switch. Clearly it doesn't sound like this is the case, but they will also let you switch if you are employed at one of the schools. For the most part, especially in kindergarten, those are the only two scerarios.

[Anonymous]

I also thought you could switch if your school was officially classified as an underperforming school and that certain highly performing schools were designated to take them. I remember getting a letter last year to the effect that our elementary school was designated to take students from two schools that were considered underperforming. Again, not sure how it works, but something to look into.

[Anonymous]

You are correct that--if you're school didn't make AYP on the MSAs--you were allowed to request a transfer to a "sister school". Few schools were a part of this program, though. I'm not sure if this would apply to incoming kindergarten though. You might also have to wait until MSA scores come back for 2007-08 which typically isn't until the summer.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Could the 4/6 11:58 poster explain the child care thing? Not sure I understand what you mean by that? after school care? or in daycare prior to kindergarden? I'm confused.

[Anonymous]

i think that if your baby sitter lives near another school, you can use that one.

[Anonymous]

11:58 poster here: If you can document that you have a childcare provider (before/afterschool) in the area that feeds into that school, you can often transfer if the school is not overcrowded. I'm pretty sure that it's up to the principal to accept/deny the transfer though.

[Anonymous]

I just read the school transfer info on MCPS website and it says that childcare alone is not a compelling reason for transfer, and it doesn't mention anything about being able to transfer out of an underperforming school.