Are the non "W" schools really that bad?

[Anonymous]

First of all, I understand that this is probably a hot button topic, but I need a bit of insight here.

My wife, my self, and our three year old daughter are planning on moving to Montgomery County sometime in 2025. We currently live on the west coast. She grew up going to MCPS and her parents still live in the area (which is why we're moving back). I lived in DC for a few years in the early 2010's, so I'm familiar with the area as a whole, but not as intimately familiar with the suburbs as my wife and her family are.

From my understanding, the "W" schools in MCPS are very high performing, and we'd love to move to an area zoned for a W school, but, they're pretty expensive and at the top of our price range. There are other houses outside the W schools that are more affordable, but when I brought up the idea of moving to one of these neighborhoods, my wife and IL's acted like it would be like sending our daughter to go to a school in a third world country. Is the gap between the W and non-W schools really that big? FWIW, the non-W schools we'd be looking at are Quince Orchard and Richard Montgomery.

[Anonymous]

Good morning OP. The answer to your question is NO. There are plenty of wonderful schools and communities outside of the W’s. There are plenty of engaged families whose kid are thriving and going on to be successful who go to schools outside of the W’s. There are plenty of highly capable teachers outside of the W’s.

The zones outside the W’s are more diverse both racially and socioeconomically. That’s it.

[Anonymous]

The QO cluster is really good. Don't let people scare you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good morning OP. The answer to your question is NO. There are plenty of wonderful schools and communities outside of the W’s. There are plenty of engaged families whose kid are thriving and going on to be successful who go to schools outside of the W’s. There are plenty of highly capable teachers outside of the W’s.

The zones outside the W’s are more diverse both racially and socioeconomically. That’s it.

+1 and all the issues that come with that diversity, but let's be honest, there are issues that come with going to a school that has a lot of wealthy kids.

OP, we moved from the Bay Area years ago, an area that is way more expensive than the DC area. We live in the RM cluster, and one of the reasons why we moved was because the schools in CA did not have much in terms of advanced/magnet/gifted programs. MCPS, with all its faults (and there are many), has some good programs, RMIB being one, which my kid attended. I have another kid at RM who is not at IB, and while there are issues and lackluster teachers, they have a lot of AP classes and activities that they can choose from. There are some kids not in the IB program who could do it, but choose not to because of the time commitment. These kids are smart and have a lot of other activities that they are involved in, from sports to the arts, both in and out of school.

We looked at (and could afford with the proceeds from our Bay Area home) homes in the W cluster, but ultimately, we decided that we wanted not only some diversity (the Bay Area school district we were in had very little diversity, both racially and SES), and we liked that our kids would have the option to join RMIB if they wanted to. One of the best thing about the diversity is that our kids have a better chance of finding their "tribe" in such an environment.

I have always told my kids that life and school is what you make of it. Be active, stay engaged, and you will find your place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The QO cluster is really good. Don't let people scare you.

especially if you and your family are huge football fans. Football is big there.

[Anonymous]

Parent of nonW kid here and it's been great. I almost laughed at your message - no offense meant, but I just can't get over that people think the non W schools are so scary. Just strikes me as a really dated way of thinking. If I'm being 100 percent honest, I'd be nervous to send my kid to a W school (I know people won't believe me, but it's true). My kids' friends at nonW school are super down to earth, and I think a lot more so, on average, than a typical W school kid. Also minor plusses of nonW are that college admissions and making sports teams will generally be more competitive at W schools than nonW.

[Anonymous]

I was in a similar situation with my wife having graduated from one of the W clusters in the late 90s. When it came time to settle down she convinced me to buy in moco because of the school system but I regret it. We overpaid for our house under the assumption that it was worth it for the schools but MCPS is not great. Individual schools and teachers have been hit or miss - some great, others really lacking. My advice would be to find a home and a community that you like and of course consider the school system that you’re moving into, but the days of giving moco or even the W school districts within moco a big bump in that decision because of MCPS are long gone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was in a similar situation with my wife having graduated from one of the W clusters in the late 90s. When it came time to settle down she convinced me to buy in moco because of the school system but I regret it. We overpaid for our house under the assumption that it was worth it for the schools but MCPS is not great. Individual schools and teachers have been hit or miss - some great, others really lacking. My advice would be to find a home and a community that you like and of course consider the school system that you’re moving into, but the days of giving moco or even the W school districts within moco a big bump in that decision because of MCPS are long gone.

honestly, it seems to me that most school districts around here are struggling, for one reason or another.

[Anonymous]

There are people who will tell you that no public school in MCPS is acceptable. It’s ridiculous. My kids went to Wheaton and Blair and got great educations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was in a similar situation with my wife having graduated from one of the W clusters in the late 90s. When it came time to settle down she convinced me to buy in moco because of the school system but I regret it. We overpaid for our house under the assumption that it was worth it for the schools but MCPS is not great. Individual schools and teachers have been hit or miss - some great, others really lacking. My advice would be to find a home and a community that you like and of course consider the school system that you’re moving into, but the days of giving moco or even the W school districts within moco a big bump in that decision because of MCPS are long gone.

I agree honestly - the W clusters are not necessarily amazing, all of MCPS is on a downward swing as they just increased class sizes in this latest budget. Title I etc schools have lower ratios. It's very much a mixed bag. We bought into an expensive area and I like a lot of other things about the neighborhood but am not overwhelmed with the schools (the public schools where I grew up seemed better in many ways).

[Anonymous]

We are zoned for the DCC (Downcounty Consortium - includes non-W schools). Our child is not yet school age.

When we were researching neighborhoods I got the impression that at the elementary level there are definitely many non W schools that people are very happy with. You may even get smaller class sizes if it is a Focus or Title 1 school. There can be issues at some elementaries with disruptive kids.

Some families choose to go private or move to W districts for middle/high school. Others are happy with the non-W schools. Middle school is definitely a weak link.

Check the survey data on the MD school report card and the MCPS school climate surveys to get a better understanding of staff and student experiences at each school.

[Anonymous]

MD school report card: https://reportcard.msde.maryland.gov/

MCPS School Climate Survey Results:
https://sharedaccountability.mcpsmd.org/SurveyResults/content.php

[Anonymous]

I’m a teacher and I would never work in one nor send my kids to a W school. All the other schools reflect the actual demographic of the county and don’t have as many insane parents

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First of all, I understand that this is probably a hot button topic, but I need a bit of insight here.

My wife, my self, and our three year old daughter are planning on moving to Montgomery County sometime in 2025. We currently live on the west coast. She grew up going to MCPS and her parents still live in the area (which is why we're moving back). I lived in DC for a few years in the early 2010's, so I'm familiar with the area as a whole, but not as intimately familiar with the suburbs as my wife and her family are.

From my understanding, the "W" schools in MCPS are very high performing, and we'd love to move to an area zoned for a W school, but, they're pretty expensive and at the top of our price range. There are other houses outside the W schools that are more affordable, but when I brought up the idea of moving to one of these neighborhoods, my wife and IL's acted like it would be like sending our daughter to go to a school in a third world country. Is the gap between the W and non-W schools really that big? FWIW, the non-W schools we'd be looking at are Quince Orchard and Richard Montgomery.

My children went to Quince Orchard. As a parent who was educated at a top public high school, I found it to be very disappointing. The school is very competitive with sports. It is known for them and for its theater program. Academically we found most counselors and administrators to be disappointing. Teachers were a mixed bag with a handful of great teachers, most mediocre and a few poor ones. If you are looking for strong academics you will want to look to Poolesville or the Ws.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parent of nonW kid here and it's been great. I almost laughed at your message - no offense meant, but I just can't get over that people think the non W schools are so scary. Just strikes me as a really dated way of thinking. If I'm being 100 percent honest, I'd be nervous to send my kid to a W school (I know people won't believe me, but it's true). My kids' friends at nonW school are super down to earth, and I think a lot more so, on average, than a typical W school kid. Also minor plusses of nonW are that college admissions and making sports teams will generally be more competitive at W schools than nonW.

Your writing style tells us all we need to know about your expectations regarding academic excellence.