S/o if you could choose any MCPS high school, which would you choose?

[Anonymous]

Any school but the popular BCC and W schools. Too much money, too much of a pressure cooker, too much competition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any school but the popular BCC and W schools. Too much money, too much of a pressure cooker, too much competition.

Any school but the W's or BCC, huh? lol
Get real.

[Anonymous]

It is always interesting to see people comment so much about schools that they know very little about. There are lots of good schools within MCPS, and if you cannot afford the Bethesda/Potomac group, Quince Orchard seems to be an excellent school, one that parents and students seem to really like. The magnet programs all seem very strong and if your child might fit into one of them, definitely worth exploring (though Poolesville is in a tough location for many). Sherwood, as someone mentioned, is also an excellent school but not a location that works for everyone. We chose BCC for a lot of the reasons people mentioned -- it is more diverse, and that definitely adds to the environment, great location, IB program etc. -- but if I were doing it again, I would likely choose Walter Johnson (though not because of its metro accessibility). It seems the best combination of a diverse student body, high achieving well-run school, good location and with kids/parents I would prefer my kids to spend time with. BCC does not have much school spirit and although the Principal is fanatical about the drinking, which is generally a good thing, she seems to care very little about anything else. Any meeting you go to as a parent or a student will have time taken up on drinking and the kids just turn it off, and the debacle last Spring definitely did not help. Not sure how much that was the Principal's fault, but in the two years she has been there, hard to think of anything else she has done. Wildly mixed teachers but I assume that is true at most schools. I guess the main message is don't rely on this board for your information, including likely my own.

[Anonymous]

I would choose my all time favorite, Blair...




I hope you guys knew that was a joke.

[Anonymous]

We like Sherwood.

It's not a pressure cooker, and my kids are doing well both academically and socially.

I don't push them, nor do I live my life through them.

[Anonymous]

Well good for you, Sherwood. Some of us do push hard for excellence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well good for you, Sherwood. Some of us do push hard for excellence.

Well good for you Tiger mom. Some of us care more about our children's well being and know they will be your kids boss one day either way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well good for you, Sherwood. Some of us do push hard for excellence.

Well good for you Tiger mom. Some of us care more about our children's well being and know they will be your kids boss one day either way.

Technically they will be their children's customer. Subtle difference but when they are an "independent landscaper" they technically work for them selves.

[Anonymous]

Quince Orchard or Poolesville. The parents don't put pressure on the teachers thus the schools are not pressure cookers. Both have great school spirit, great athletic programs, and a diverse student body.

Parents at the W schools look down their noses at both schools but to them I say "f... of..".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Quince Orchard or Poolesville. The parents don't put pressure on the teachers thus the schools are not pressure cookers. Both have great school spirit, great athletic programs, and a diverse student body.


Parents at the W schools look down their noses at both schools but to them I say "f... of..".

It is off not of.
Signed a W parent who does not like snobbery of any kind including reverse snobbery

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any school but the popular BCC and W schools. Too much money, too much of a pressure cooker, too much competition.

Any school but the W's or BCC, huh? lol
Get real.

Exactly. People pay to get away from the kids and families who don't give a crap. That is why the real estate is so high. Nothing to do with pressure cooker. The kids want to learn. If that is high achieving, so be it. I prefer being in a school cluster that doesn't have the "too cool for school" attitude/disruptions, as well as zero refugees and gang members.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Quince Orchard or Poolesville. The parents don't put pressure on the teachers thus the schools are not pressure cookers. Both have great school spirit, great athletic programs, and a diverse student body.

Parents at the W schools look down their noses at both schools but to them I say "f... of..".

Poolesville is one of the least diverse high schools in the county. It is over 51% white, 30% Asian (mainly because of magnet) and hispanics and blacks are 5% or less. Please stop on your diversity crap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any school but the popular BCC and W schools. Too much money, too much of a pressure cooker, too much competition.

Any school but the W's or BCC, huh? lol
Get real.

Exactly. People pay to get away from the kids and families who don't give a crap. That is why the real estate is so high. Nothing to do with pressure cooker. The kids want to learn. If that is high achieving, so be it. I prefer being in a school cluster that doesn't have the "too cool for school" attitude/disruptions, as well as zero refugees and gang members.

Huh. I didn't realize that there was a positive correlation between housing budget and crap-giving/wanting to learn. The things I learn on DCUM! So, since our household income is just above the median for Montgomery County, does that mean that I kind of care about school and my kids kind of want to learn? Not as much as the parents/kids in Bethesda and Potomac, but more than the parents/kids in some parts of Montgomery Village?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Quince Orchard or Poolesville. The parents don't put pressure on the teachers thus the schools are not pressure cookers. Both have great school spirit, great athletic programs, and a diverse student body.

Parents at the W schools look down their noses at both schools but to them I say "f... of..".

Poolesville is one of the least diverse high schools in the county. It is over 51% white, 30% Asian (mainly because of magnet) and hispanics and blacks are 5% or less. Please stop on your diversity crap.

More to the point, 3/4 of the students at Poolesville HS are in the application magnet programs. (Though in fact, the 2015-2016 percentage of students classified as Hispanic was 7.6%, or about 90 students out of the total enrollment of 1,180.) For the demographics of the students at Poolesville HS because it's their home school, you should look at the demographics for John Poole MS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well good for you, Sherwood. Some of us do push hard for excellence.

And you'll come to find out - too late, I'll add - that your kids resented you every step of the way b/c you simply could NOT separate yourself from them.

I've seen it again and again - in my children's peers and as a classroom teacher.

You'll see . . .