Silver Spring international MS vs Takoma Park MS

[Anonymous]

Which one would you choose and why? Where can I find the difference’s (courses, test scores, etc) from these two schools? Moving to MCPS soon and I have no idea where to look for this information.

[Anonymous]

They're both good schools, overall well-liked on this forum. SSIMS is an International Baccalaureate middle years school and also hosts Spanish and French immersion programs. TPMS hosts the regional middle school magnet for science, math, and computer science.

Course bulletins:

SSIMS: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZMHFxQuBQ6oOd71WnYcL0Xwl1u8De6P4/view

TPMS: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cPvRfOVoFEuc5xA961BcQYNzRPS37Vky/view

There is a lot of general information available here:
https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/sharedaccountability/glance/

[Anonymous]

TPMS has had a new addition put on in the last five years or so, but I seem to remember hearing something about an upcoming renovation for SSIMS? Certainly that whole area is going to be a mess over the next couple of years because of Purple Line construction (there’s a stop going in right outside SSIMS).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:TPMS has had a new addition put on in the last five years or so, but I seem to remember hearing something about an upcoming renovation for SSIMS? Certainly that whole area is going to be a mess over the next couple of years because of Purple Line construction (there’s a stop going in right outside SSIMS).

Yes, there will be a new gym and classroom addition built at SSIMS, which will result in a new front entrance. It's supposed to be completed in the summer of 2025.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/facilities/construction/project/ssims.aspx

[Anonymous]

I'd focus on highschool. TPMS feeds to Blair. I'm not sure what SSIMS feeds to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd focus on highschool. TPMS feeds to Blair. I'm not sure what SSIMS feeds to.

Is feeding to Blair a bad or good thing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They're both good schools, overall well-liked on this forum. SSIMS is an International Baccalaureate middle years school and also hosts Spanish and French immersion programs. TPMS hosts the regional middle school magnet for science, math, and computer science.

Course bulletins:

SSIMS: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZMHFxQuBQ6oOd71WnYcL0Xwl1u8De6P4/view

TPMS: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cPvRfOVoFEuc5xA961BcQYNzRPS37Vky/view

There is a lot of general information available here:
https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/sharedaccountability/glance/

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Current SSIMS parent. It's a mess right now. Many teachers left last year. Lots of fights, administration doesn't address issues. Safety concerns. I know of many families who either didn't send their incoming 6th grader or transferred to a different school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd focus on highschool. TPMS feeds to Blair. I'm not sure what SSIMS feeds to.

SSIMS feeds to Northwood and Blair. You can look up a specific address and its assigned schools here: https://gis.mcpsmd.org/SchoolAssignmentTool2/Index.xhtml

[Anonymous]

And a caveat that MCPS school boundaries are not set in stone, and that there are changes possible around 2026 in the DCC at least at the HS level when Northwood is greatly expanded and new Woodward HS opens.

[Anonymous]

Both Blair and Northwood are part of the Downcounty Consortium, which allows students some choice between high schools within the DCC. I say “some,” because students rank their top choices, and are assigned to one of them based on availability (I’m paraphrasing—it’s a bit more complicated, but that’s the gist of it).

Since Blair is so large and overcrowded, the likelihood of being assigned to Blair if you’re zoned elsewhere is much lower than the other way around. Nothing is guaranteed other than your zoned school, but it’s much easier to get reassigned from Blair to, say, Northwood than to go from Northwood to Blair.

I’d say, barring a deep interest in a middle school IB program, your current best bet is TPMS—>Blair. There are plenty of areas near TPMS that are a fairly safe bet for stable boundaries.

[Anonymous]

I was _not_ impressed by the SSIMS open house in November. The building is gloomy, underlit, and not well kept, and even the principal didn't seem to be able to highlight anything special about the school or the students or the community. None of the teachers seemed to want to be there, either. Maybe it's because it's a captive audience: the people in-boundary have this as their default, so there is no need to recruit or sell the place. I don't want to send DC there unless we have no other choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Current SSIMS parent. It's a mess right now. Many teachers left last year. Lots of fights, administration doesn't address issues. Safety concerns. I know of many families who either didn't send their incoming 6th grader or transferred to a different school.

Also a SSIMS parent. It’s a middle school, and there are middle school problems. I don’t know whether it’s better or worse than TPMS, but we’re happy (enough) there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Current SSIMS parent. It's a mess right now. Many teachers left last year. Lots of fights, administration doesn't address issues. Safety concerns. I know of many families who either didn't send their incoming 6th grader or transferred to a different school.

Also a SSIMS parent. It’s a middle school, and there are middle school problems. I don’t know whether it’s better or worse than TPMS, but we’re happy (enough) there.

+1. Middle school is pretty unpleasant, no matter the school. Lower expectations accordingly. Having said that, SSIMS has some great teachers and staff, a ton of elective choices, and a very involved parent community.

[Anonymous]

If your student is musical, TPMS has an amazing music program.