How is Westland MS - ?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
hello,
We are currently overseas and moving back to the DC area this Summer, probably to the Westland/ BCC school zone. How is Westland academics? Are teachers good? Are there good extracurriculars, sports, music, languages etc? How is the community in general? I know people whose kids go to Pyle and hear it is a large MS, but very well organized; but I would like to get feedback on Westland as well. Thanks! |
Anonymous
| Westland is probably one the better middle schools in the county but it's still middle school, which isn't great. |
Anonymous
| It's pretty much the same as any other MCPS MS. It has the same pool of teachers, curriculum etc. |
Anonymous
|
We moved to Westland MS area in summer 2021 from abroad. Kids went to 4th, 6th and 7th grade. In MS, MCPS tracks students in Math and History. Since neither of our two middle-schoolers had been in MCPS for 5th grade, they were not identified as gifted and were thus placed in on-level courses. In their case, that meant Math 6+ for the 6th grader and IM for the 7th grader, and World Studies 6 and 7. Our oldest, in particular, scores very high in Math, so we groused about the initial assignment but decided to give it a few weeks.
Well, within three or four weeks, we received an email from his teacher that he would be placed in HIGH (the more advanced history course) based on his MAP-R score. At the same time, we requested that he be moved to Algebra I, and the school did so readily (both MAP-R and MAP-M scores were >95%). He's been a straight-A student since. Our 6th grader scores in the mid-80s on the MAP tests and he was moved to HIGH in the middle of 6th grade. Both like their teachers and their friends, and don't report many problems with other kids. We had been dreading middle school but have been pleasantly surprised. Elementary school (Westbrook ES) has been a different story. They placed our 4th grader in on-level math and he was miserable all last year because he was so bored. We requested multiple times that he be moved to compacted math and were told that the class is full. By the end of 4th grade, he was scoring >95% on MAP-M and it was clear that he is in the "wrong" math class. In 5th grade, he was finally moved to Compacted Math 5/6. He's much more engaged in math now, still bored in other classes. He has extracurriculars that he finds interesting and engaging, and he's otherwise a happy kid. |
Anonymous
OP, in case you’re wondering what the parent community at Westland is like, this response is a good indicator. |
Anonymous
| ^ Why the hate? Kids with learning disabilities get IEPs, why should kids who are bored and unchallenged at school not be accommodated, in particular since the country guarantees (!) G&T education at the local school. |
Anonymous
| What does Westland do differently from other MS because of the MYP program? Are the classes taught differently, or is there some sort of project they have to do outside of school? |
Anonymous
|
Westland MS is fine, as middle schools go, and in the top range in MCPS: best in terms of general safety, nurturing, organization, runner-up in academics. Our younger kid goes there. If PPs are trying to say that Westland is pressure-cooker, though - ha! I haven't found that to be the case at all. I would say that families there are education-oriented and know what it takes to get into college these days, and want their kids to be prepared. The mentality is not Tiger Parent as much as Pragmatic. It's part of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase cluster, which is slightly less academically ambitious than the Whitman or Walter Johnson cluster (Pyle is Whitman cluster).
If you have a choice of location, and know you'll be staying in the area through high school, you'd better think about the high school and consult the threads on that topic, comparing BCC with Whitman and Walter Johnson. Your kids' high school experience will contribute most to college placement. There are more AP offerings at WW and WJ, but BCC has IB. WJ is overcrowded , but new high school, Woodward, will open to the north of Bethesda in 2026 to relieve the pressure. |
Anonymous
No hate, and I actually agree that some kids need to be challenged and the county is hit or miss (mostly miss) on providing that. I was responding to the PP’s tone and ridiculous inclusion of percentiles. I stand by my reading of the annoying-ness of this person were I to meet her IRL. |
Anonymous
|
I toured a bunch of middle schools in the area and Westland was hands down the best. Zero concerns. Very nice atmosphere. You’ll be extremely lucky to send your kids there.
The only downside is that it is located on a busy road and the zone is weirdly shaped so that kids can’t really get on their own to a lot of classmate’s houses. The campus itself is set back from the road but the road is very busy for kids to cross. I also really liked that there was a public library immediately next to the school that kids can walk to. I popped in and chatted with the librarian and she says lots of kids go there to do homework after school. |
Anonymous
| OP here - thanks for the useful info everyone. We used to live in the Pyle/Whitman zone, but as a single parent, I am looking for a more diverse economic parent community, and was told we might be a better fit at Westland/BCC. I am assuming the two school zones are quite similar in quality, except Westland/BCC is more diverse? Are language, sports, music offerings similar at Westland to Pyle for example? thanks! |
Anonymous
| Just to add to the chain. I have a 7th grader at Westland now. I have been impressed with the Principal. She’s communicative and seems to have a good relationship with the students as well. Overall, we are v pleased with the school. |
Anonymous
You might consider moving to the other part of the B-CC boundary; Silver Creek also feeds to B-CC and is more diverse than Westland. |
Anonymous
You sound weirdly insecure. PP's post was perfectly normal. ??? |
Anonymous
OP here - thank you, but that would be too far from my office and we are familiar with the Bethesda area, since we previously lived there. |