Silver Spring International Middle School

[Anonymous]

I’m a parent of a current 6th grader at SSIMS and a 4th grader at Sligo Creek who will still feed into SSIMS under the new boundaries. I’m honestly having a hard time keeping up with all of these changes.

I saw in another thread here that by the 2027–28 school year, SSIMS is projected to be at around 55% utilization. Does anyone know what that means for the French Immersion program? And is the superintendent still planning to close SSIMS? We have been happy at SSIMS this year with the wide variety of classes and clubs available. It's sad the community will become much smaller.

Also… my kids will literally pass Montgomery Blair High School to go to Northwood High School for high school? That’s kind of wild.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a parent of a current 6th grader at SSIMS and a 4th grader at Sligo Creek who will still feed into SSIMS under the new boundaries. I’m honestly having a hard time keeping up with all of these changes.

I saw in another thread here that by the 2027–28 school year, SSIMS is projected to be at around 55% utilization. Does anyone know what that means for the French Immersion program? And is the superintendent still planning to close SSIMS? We have been happy at SSIMS this year with the wide variety of classes and clubs available. It's sad the community will become much smaller.

Also… my kids will literally pass Montgomery Blair High School to go to Northwood High School for high school? That’s kind of wild.

That's always been the case for a lot of the Northwood boundary area. The distribution of high schools in that part of the county essentially forces it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Also… my kids will literally pass Montgomery Blair High School to go to Northwood High School for high school? That’s kind of wild.

Totally get the geographical concern but don’t be concerned about Northwood. New building, good principal, good teachers.

[Anonymous]

There is no plan to move/rebuild Sligo Creek ES at this time. After the Elementary School capacity study (as they are now calling it), I believe that this will get reconsidered as Taylor insisted at a meeting this week that it needs to be rebuilt. Ask Principal Bilock about what is happening with staff allocations at SSIMS regarding staffing for the French Immersion. Staffing allocations were just released for the coming year.

[Anonymous]

*Elementary School Consolidation study

[Anonymous]

OP, if you are in the French Immersion program at Sligo, you may not automatically go to Northwood. Do you live in Woodmoor?

[Anonymous]

Thanks. My kid is not in French Immersion, just taking regular French classes and appreciates having the immersion community, teachers and students, at school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Also… my kids will literally pass Montgomery Blair High School to go to Northwood High School for high school? That’s kind of wild.

Totally get the geographical concern but don’t be concerned about Northwood. New building, good principal, good teachers.

Thanks. Not concerned about Northwood. I've heard good things. Plus, after dealing with Sligo Creek and SSIMS building age and troubles, a new building for HS is a plus.

[Anonymous]

MCPS has avoided answering questions about the future of immersion programs. At this point, they have not said they are changing, but I would expect when they review boundaries for elementary schools, they will be reviewing and likely changing immersion programs.

But to specifically answer your question, at this point, I would assume French immersion will be continuing at SCES and SSIMS.

Spanish immersion at SSIMS will likely end, as most of the students in that program came from Rolling Terrace Elementary and that school has been rezoned to Takoma Park MS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS has avoided answering questions about the future of immersion programs. At this point, they have not said they are changing, but I would expect when they review boundaries for elementary schools, they will be reviewing and likely changing immersion programs.

But to specifically answer your question, at this point, I would assume French immersion will be continuing at SCES and SSIMS.

Spanish immersion at SSIMS will likely end, as most of the students in that program came from Rolling Terrace Elementary and that school has been rezoned to Takoma Park MS.

So where will these Spanish immersion students go for MS now? Westland?

[Anonymous]

Last night at the BOE meeting, Taylor said they are not changing middle school programs with these boundary/programming votes. So I would assume all MS programs are staying for now.

Of course, that could and likely will change in the future. But anyone who says they know when and how that will happen is lying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a parent of a current 6th grader at SSIMS and a 4th grader at Sligo Creek who will still feed into SSIMS under the new boundaries. I’m honestly having a hard time keeping up with all of these changes.

I saw in another thread here that by the 2027–28 school year, SSIMS is projected to be at around 55% utilization. Does anyone know what that means for the French Immersion program? And is the superintendent still planning to close SSIMS? We have been happy at SSIMS this year with the wide variety of classes and clubs available. It's sad the community will become much smaller.

Also… my kids will literally pass Montgomery Blair High School to go to Northwood High School for high school? That’s kind of wild.

That's always been the case for a lot of the Northwood boundary area. The distribution of high schools in that part of the county essentially forces it.

The strange distribution of high schools dates to when Montgomery Blair moved to its current location in 1998. At that time, no one imagined Northwood would reopen.

[Anonymous]

The decisions about closure of SSIMS and/or any other middle or elementary schools they plan to close will happen over the next approximately one year. There will be a community engagement process, recommendations, and then final decisions in spring 2027. The closures, if any, will occur in fall 2029.

[Anonymous]

SSIMS enrollment will be bigger than it looks in the tables because that doesn't count any out of boundary student attending for immersion. Also SSIMS has a very large capacity so even at the lower enrollment it's still a pretty typical middle school size.

There are no changes to middle school programs announced so far.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:SSIMS enrollment will be bigger than it looks in the tables because that doesn't count any out of boundary student attending for immersion. Also SSIMS has a very large capacity so even at the lower enrollment it's still a pretty typical middle school size.

There are no changes to middle school programs announced so far.

MCPS appears to be unclear with its data.

The “data effects” file, showing predicted utilization for each year, are “resident only,” as if the Programs don’t continue at the Middle School level.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/13aVDvOla-vaOwcewF8bo7BBUgHkwR5tb/view

If you look at the numbers in the “data table” file, at least for current year 25-26, SSIMS had more transfers out than in. So it’s possible the utilization in ‘27 is even lower for SSIMS if the Programs are in fact continuing as they said in ‘27.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cdtTBaAd7ZcPh5mczdbJc4MS_HkOVfuJ/view

It looks like Takoma Park, in the “modified option B data table” that is now adopted, shows Takoma as taking in 250 extra transfer students in ‘25-‘26. The “data effects” tables shows only 106 seats for Takoma available (with residents only). It sure seems like Takoma will be past 100% utilization in ‘27