Takoma Park ES, MS and Montgomery Blair -- Thoughts?

[Anonymous]

Interested in moving from DC to MD for better public schools. Are these any good? THANK YOU FOR YOUR FEEDBACK. Don't know what I would do without this forum......

[Anonymous]

Those are three good schools. Our child is in the TPMS magnet program, and we love the school overall (independently of the magnet program) - I would send DC there in a heartbeat, to either program.

[Anonymous]

Thank you SO MUCH for your reply. Would you have a minute to explain to me what you mean by "magnet program? Sorry, I am new and have not had a chance to do my research yet. Thanks again.

[Anonymous]

We are considering moving to Takoma Park as well. I noticed that some houses say that their neighborhood school is Rolling Terrace. Does anyone happen to know anything about that school?

BTW, my MIL graduated from Montgomery Blair (in the early 60's) and it has always had a good reputation.

[Anonymous]

I'm still at the lower grade end of the spectrum, with one at TPES and one in PBES. So far, I've been VERY impressed w/PBES. All the parents I know at TPES are happy there. I've got a magnet kid in the program and am just starting to get a feel for the school. Most of the kids in the accelerated program come from w/in the Takoma Park boundaries. I believe there were only 25 out-of-boundary spots this year.

OP: TPES has a primary grades magnet program that allows for acceleration. There used to be pull-out clusters, but they lost funding for it this year.

In middle school, kids from around the county can apply to a math/science gifted program that's at TPMS. Like the previous poster, I've heard great things about the school from most of the parents I know w/middle schoolers.

If you go onto the school websites, you can read about each of the magnet programs.

[Anonymous]

OP: TPES has a primary grades magnet program that allows for acceleration. There used to be pull-out clusters, but they lost funding for it this year.

What does tis mean?

[Anonymous]

What if OP's kid doesn't qualify for magnet programs, PPs????

Magnets are schools w/in schools - whether we're talking about Blair science/math, Blair CAP or IB test in programs (RMHS only). If you don't make the cut, you're in the "regular" program.

[Anonymous]

http://www.mdreportcard.org/Assessments.aspx?K=150771&WDATA=school

Access information from Maryland on this website. You can compare schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What if OP's kid doesn't qualify for magnet programs, PPs????

Magnets are schools w/in schools - whether we're talking about Blair science/math, Blair CAP or IB test in programs (RMHS only). If you don't make the cut, you're in the "regular" program.

PP here whose child is in the TPMS math/science magnet. You are right; no one can count on admission to these programs, because they are super-competitive.

My point is that the regular program at TPMS gets great reviews - I think it is a good middle school, and if my child had not been admitted to the magnet, I would have been comfortable sending DC to the regular program. (We are out of boundary, though, so this would not have been an option.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are considering moving to Takoma Park as well. I noticed that some houses say that their neighborhood school is Rolling Terrace. Does anyone happen to know anything about that school?

BTW, my MIL graduated from Montgomery Blair (in the early 60's) and it has always had a good reputation.

Rolling Terrace has an immersion program and some parents prefer it for that reason. I think the houses zoned for it are further from central Takoma Park.

[Anonymous]

We live in Takoma Park too. We are very happy at the moment, but I have to say that it hasn't been a completely smooth road. Our experience with the elementary schools (TPES and PBES) was now several years ago, so I'm not sure how valid it is for you. We did the G&T magnet and the quality of the teaching varied enormously, especially at PBES. However, this may all have changed since our time. Both schools have very dedicated parents.

TPMS is a great school. My kid is in the magnet (like 2 others here!) but as a PP said, even if DC wasn't in the magnet the rest of the school is very good too. FWIW, if you live in Takoma Park your kid gets a slight bump in the magnet entrance process, but of course no guarantees so I wouldn't buy a house in TP with this expectation - moreover your kid may be an art or literature type and might not want an intense math and science program anyway. But if your kid decides to do TPMS' non-magnet program, it's a good choice.

Blair HS is a very big school, the largest HS in the county. Kids' experiences there can be pretty uneven. Blair has two magnet programs, a math/science and a communication arts program. My older kid is in one of the magnets and finds it provides a solid course of study, committed peers, and a smaller peer group that makes the large school feel more manageable. We know kids who do regular Blair who like it, although the teaching seems to be more uneven. The non-magnet school offers honors and AP courses.

If you live in Takoma Park you can apply for several immersion programs through the downcounty consortium: half-day Spanish at Rock Creek Forest, French at Sligo Creek, and full-day Spanish at Rolling Terrace. You don't have to be zoned for any of these schools to attend their immersion programs. Entrance is by lottery, however the competition is fierce with many people applying through the lottery.

[Anonymous]

Also fyi, the middle school that RT students attend is Silver Spring International, where the French and Spanish immersion programs also continue (the immersion programs are K-8). SSI has a whole-school IB Middle Years Programme. My kids thrived there due to the very dedicated staff and administration. Both are now at Blair, one in the CAP and one in the general program. And fwiw, instruction in the special/application programs including CAP can also be uneven.

[Anonymous]

The Sligo Creek french immersion kids also attend SSIMs, whether or not they are zoned for it.

One strategy parents use is to apply to all the language lotteries. That is, if you don't have a preference for Spanish over French or vice versa. Because so many apply, this increases your chances of getting into at least one program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Sligo Creek french immersion kids also attend SSIMs, whether or not they are zoned for it.

One strategy parents use is to apply to all the language lotteries. That is, if you don't have a preference for Spanish over French or vice versa. Because so many apply, this increases your chances of getting into at least one program.

This is correct, unless they opt to attend their zoned home middle school (their choice) or a magnet (if they get in).

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the info! We are currently living in temporary housing in University Park, having just recently moved here. But I really like Takoma Park and parts of Silver Spring so knowing about schools and neighborhoods before we start looking to buy is very helpful!