pyle vs westland - which to choose?

[Anonymous]

we are moving to this area and are deciding between these schools.

[Anonymous]

It doesn’t matter. Both have issues. Pick where you prefer to live.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It doesn’t matter. Both have issues. Pick where you prefer to live.

Good advice. If you can, spring for private for the middle school years.

[Anonymous]

You’re looking at different high schools as well - Whitman v BCC. They - and the neighborhoods you’d live in - have different vibes. Both have pros and cons. Pick what works best for you and then let it go.

[Anonymous]

Have a kid at Westland. Transition from elementary school has been good and he likes the school as much as a kid can like school. May be issues but haven't had any issues in almost 2 years there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You’re looking at different high schools as well - Whitman v BCC. They - and the neighborhoods you’d live in - have different vibes. Both have pros and cons. Pick what works best for you and then let it go.

what are the vibes please ? we like both neighborhoods also are high schools that different?

[Anonymous]

Westland is much smaller than Pyle -- I had been overcrowded, but then they opened Silver Creek and split Westland kids between Westland and Silver Creek. If picking on middle schools, I would pick Westland. If picking on high schools, I would think about whether you want a more diverse, urban high school (B-CC) or a more traditional suburban high school (Whitman).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You’re looking at different high schools as well - Whitman v BCC. They - and the neighborhoods you’d live in - have different vibes. Both have pros and cons. Pick what works best for you and then let it go.

+1. Not to mention the MS and HS boundary lines could shift in a couple years, so nothing's set in stone.

[Anonymous]

Obviously depends on your budget, but if we were doing this all over again we would choose Pyle-Whitman without hesitation. We are Westland-BCC and paying for private school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Obviously depends on your budget, but if we were doing this all over again we would choose Pyle-Whitman without hesitation. We are Westland-BCC and paying for private school.

Why? I am sure there are plenty of families who are pyle-whitman but chose private too. I don’t think its just personal preferences. We are pyle-whitman but I would probably choose WJ or BCC if i could do it again. They are much more diverse compared to Whimtan.

[Anonymous]

I would choose Westland-BCC for the neighborhood, but I prioritize walking, bike, and Metro access to limit teen driving while their prefontal cortexes develop.

[Anonymous]

I immensely prefer the walkability and socio-economic diversity of downtown Bethesda, BCC high school, and the relatively small and sheltered atmosphere (relatively being the operative word) of Westland middle school.

BUT

BCC has had 4 lockdowns in as many years. The building, in the downtown and with a ton of exterior doors, is never 100% secure. Last year someone swatted BCC during AP exams and called in a bomb threat, which resulted in police with tactical gear and canine units to search the school for hours and ask kids to leave classrooms with their hands up. Last week, there was a fight in the park near the school and two shots were fired (no one was hurt). One of the shooters goes to BCC, and fear that he would re-enter the school with his weapon prompted another lockdown.

Socio-economic diversity and easy downtown access comes with risks. There are safety issues in all MCPS high schools, don't get me wrong. There have been knife fights at Walter Johnson and Whitman over the years. But the frequency of security threats differs between schools, and when comparing all the Bethesda-area public high schools together... BCC is the most troublesome one. There are even more problems in certain lower-income high schools to the east; but we're talking just in wealthy neighborhoods, ones in which the community expects a safe learning environment.

Pros and cons.

[Anonymous]

Thank you - this is all very helpful. We were mostly wondering about high schools. Thank you so much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I immensely prefer the walkability and socio-economic diversity of downtown Bethesda, BCC high school, and the relatively small and sheltered atmosphere (relatively being the operative word) of Westland middle school.

BUT

BCC has had 4 lockdowns in as many years. The building, in the downtown and with a ton of exterior doors, is never 100% secure. Last year someone swatted BCC during AP exams and called in a bomb threat, which resulted in police with tactical gear and canine units to search the school for hours and ask kids to leave classrooms with their hands up. Last week, there was a fight in the park near the school and two shots were fired (no one was hurt). One of the shooters goes to BCC, and fear that he would re-enter the school with his weapon prompted another lockdown.

Socio-economic diversity and easy downtown access comes with risks. There are safety issues in all MCPS high schools, don't get me wrong. There have been knife fights at Walter Johnson and Whitman over the years. But the frequency of security threats differs between schools, and when comparing all the Bethesda-area public high schools together... BCC is the most troublesome one. There are even more problems in certain lower-income high schools to the east; but we're talking just in wealthy neighborhoods, ones in which the community expects a safe learning environment.

Pros and cons.

I have a kid in one of the maligned east county schools, and we haven't had a lockdown in the time my child has been in the school. Maybe check the facts rather than the stereotypes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I immensely prefer the walkability and socio-economic diversity of downtown Bethesda, BCC high school, and the relatively small and sheltered atmosphere (relatively being the operative word) of Westland middle school.

BUT

BCC has had 4 lockdowns in as many years. The building, in the downtown and with a ton of exterior doors, is never 100% secure. Last year someone swatted BCC during AP exams and called in a bomb threat, which resulted in police with tactical gear and canine units to search the school for hours and ask kids to leave classrooms with their hands up. Last week, there was a fight in the park near the school and two shots were fired (no one was hurt). One of the shooters goes to BCC, and fear that he would re-enter the school with his weapon prompted another lockdown.

Socio-economic diversity and easy downtown access comes with risks. There are safety issues in all MCPS high schools, don't get me wrong. There have been knife fights at Walter Johnson and Whitman over the years. But the frequency of security threats differs between schools, and when comparing all the Bethesda-area public high schools together... BCC is the most troublesome one. There are even more problems in certain lower-income high schools to the east; but we're talking just in wealthy neighborhoods, ones in which the community expects a safe learning environment.

Pros and cons.

I have a kid in one of the maligned east county schools, and we haven't had a lockdown in the time my child has been in the school. Maybe check the facts rather than the stereotypes.

PP you replied to. I'm not talking about lockdowns specifically. I'm talking about the daily interactions at school, people shoved into lockers, fist fights in the corridor, assaults on kids, teachers and staff, drug deals in the bathrooms and parking lots, knives and guns carried in backpacks, etc. They happen in every high school. They happen more often in certain high schools. You can choose to disbelieve me if you want. But I've had several kids in different MCPS high schools, we've lived in the area for years and I have friends with kids at multiple downcounty schools, so I've come to know a LOT of what's happening in the southern half of MCPS, both west and east. I cannot comment on the northern half of MCPS.