Takoma Park residents, where do your kids go to HS?

[Anonymous]

You have to think about traffic patterns, too. Most of the time you can avoid major arteries to get there, and it’s a reverse commute (kids would be heading away from the city in the morning).

All of the MCPS high schools have larger (geographic) catchment areas than DC, because the county itself is so huge. Blair’s is actually one of the more manageable.

Just for perspective: https://www.zipdatamaps.com/schools/maryland/county/map-of-montgomery-county-md-high-school-attendance-zones

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s 2.6 miles. That seems pretty close to me.

It's about 5 miles from Blair to the southernmost part of TP.

I live in bounds for Blair a block from the Takoma metro which is in DC. Google maps has Blair high School at 3.9, mi and a 12 minute drive from my house.

[Anonymous]

We live in Takoma Park and it takes us 10 minutes to get to Blair by car - 15 if there is traffic. Obviously not walkable, but there are a bunch of different buses that pick up all over Takoma Park. Plus as other posters have said, there are so many High School choices that your kid(s) may not even end up at Blair.

[Anonymous]

Also, Blair is HUGE! There is not really a "community feel" as you have mentioned in terms of Blair/Takoma Park. Kids come to Blair from all over Montgomery County. TPES, Piney Branch, and TPMS - yes - community feels abound, but Blair is big and not tied directly to the Takoma Park community. It is it's own small city/village really.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Even though it's not that close, Blair is the closest HS to TP. But there is also the Downcounty Consortium, which Blair is part of. Students can rank their high schools in order of preference. The other schools are Northwood, Einstein, Wheaton, and Kennedy.

https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/school-info/downcounty/

LOL

Op is concerned about distance to Blair so PP gives a list of schools that are even further away.

Op - listen much like certain migration paths that close this one did as well. MCPS is a shadow of its once glorious past. I feel for you - no good public options

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids went to the TPES magnet for early ES. Later went to PBES. My younger child was in the local CES there. My older child was in the earlier version of that program which was hosted by another nearby school. Later they went to TPMS and were part of the MS STEM magnet. Finally, they went to Blair. One was in the STEM magnet, one just started CAP this year. We mostly stumbled into this, but couldn't be happier about the schools.

Op - this is a boomer reminiscing. This ship has long sailed in the name of equity and lotteries

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids went to the TPES magnet for early ES. Later went to PBES. My younger child was in the local CES there. My older child was in the earlier version of that program which was hosted by another nearby school. Later they went to TPMS and were part of the MS STEM magnet. Finally, they went to Blair. One was in the STEM magnet, one just started CAP this year. We mostly stumbled into this, but couldn't be happier about the schools.

Op - this is a boomer reminiscing. This ship has long sailed in the name of equity and lotteries

It sounds like you're bitter. I'm genuinely sorry if your child wasn't selected for these programs.

nevertheless, their post implies they have a freshman at Blair because the CES at piney Branch is only 5 years old.

And that ship never sailed. As you probably know, the lotteries were created because the maker of the cogat would not allow their test to be given online during the pandemic. They stated the lottery would run for 3 years. It ended this year in the spring of 2023. They haven't announced what's next.

[Anonymous]

We looked at homes in historic Takoma Park and near downtown Silver Spring and this is one thing that bothered me, too - living anywhere in the area seemed like quite a commute to high school whether it be Einstein, Northwood, or Montgomery Blair. We ended up choosing a home near BCC so that our kids could walk to high school, we don't have to pick them up from after school sports, they can easily return to attend games, etc. We're also a family who chooses to only have one car and tries to use public transportation/walk/bike.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We looked at homes in historic Takoma Park and near downtown Silver Spring and this is one thing that bothered me, too - living anywhere in the area seemed like quite a commute to high school whether it be Einstein, Northwood, or Montgomery Blair. We ended up choosing a home near BCC so that our kids could walk to high school, we don't have to pick them up from after school sports, they can easily return to attend games, etc. We're also a family who chooses to only have one car and tries to use public transportation/walk/bike.

From where I live in the historic district of Takoma Park. It's under 4 mi to Montgomery Blair. I think BCC is the next closest high school at around 5.1 mi. Einstein is next around 6.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We looked at homes in historic Takoma Park and near downtown Silver Spring and this is one thing that bothered me, too - living anywhere in the area seemed like quite a commute to high school whether it be Einstein, Northwood, or Montgomery Blair. We ended up choosing a home near BCC so that our kids could walk to high school, we don't have to pick them up from after school sports, they can easily return to attend games, etc. We're also a family who chooses to only have one car and tries to use public transportation/walk/bike.

Since they relocated Blair from DTSS, there aren't other high schools in that part of the county but three to four miles is not all that bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We looked at homes in historic Takoma Park and near downtown Silver Spring and this is one thing that bothered me, too - living anywhere in the area seemed like quite a commute to high school whether it be Einstein, Northwood, or Montgomery Blair. We ended up choosing a home near BCC so that our kids could walk to high school, we don't have to pick them up from after school sports, they can easily return to attend games, etc. We're also a family who chooses to only have one car and tries to use public transportation/walk/bike.

Since they relocated Blair from DTSS, there aren't other high schools in that part of the county but three to four miles is not all that bad.

Interesting - I didn't realize Blair used to be in DTSS. I've always thought living in DTSS would be perfect if only there was one school for everyone in that area instead of splitting it up to so many different high schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We looked at homes in historic Takoma Park and near downtown Silver Spring and this is one thing that bothered me, too - living anywhere in the area seemed like quite a commute to high school whether it be Einstein, Northwood, or Montgomery Blair. We ended up choosing a home near BCC so that our kids could walk to high school, we don't have to pick them up from after school sports, they can easily return to attend games, etc. We're also a family who chooses to only have one car and tries to use public transportation/walk/bike.

Since they relocated Blair from DTSS, there aren't other high schools in that part of the county but three to four miles is not all that bad.

Interesting - I didn't realize Blair used to be in DTSS. I've always thought living in DTSS would be perfect if only there was one school for everyone in that area instead of splitting it up to so many different high schools.

The building on Wayne housing SSIMS and Sligo Creek ES was Blair HS until 1998.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We looked at homes in historic Takoma Park and near downtown Silver Spring and this is one thing that bothered me, too - living anywhere in the area seemed like quite a commute to high school whether it be Einstein, Northwood, or Montgomery Blair. We ended up choosing a home near BCC so that our kids could walk to high school, we don't have to pick them up from after school sports, they can easily return to attend games, etc. We're also a family who chooses to only have one car and tries to use public transportation/walk/bike.

Since they relocated Blair from DTSS, there aren't other high schools in that part of the county but three to four miles is not all that bad.

Interesting - I didn't realize Blair used to be in DTSS. I've always thought living in DTSS would be perfect if only there was one school for everyone in that area instead of splitting it up to so many different high schools.

The building on Wayne housing SSIMS and Sligo Creek ES was Blair HS until 1998.

The original site was on the corner of Philadelphia and Chicago when it went by Takoma-Silver Spring HS in Takoma Park but by 1934 they split the campus with the newer building on Wayne Ave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We looked at homes in historic Takoma Park and near downtown Silver Spring and this is one thing that bothered me, too - living anywhere in the area seemed like quite a commute to high school whether it be Einstein, Northwood, or Montgomery Blair. We ended up choosing a home near BCC so that our kids could walk to high school, we don't have to pick them up from after school sports, they can easily return to attend games, etc. We're also a family who chooses to only have one car and tries to use public transportation/walk/bike.

My Blair kid can easily take the bus home to Takoma Park from football games and other evening school activities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We live in the city and are exploring neighborhoods in Maryland to move to with our Elementary age kids. Takoma Park is very high on my list.

One issue I can't get past though, is how far away Montgomery Blair is. It's outside the beltway! Is that where most high schoolers go to school? Does it get annoying to have to drive so far every day, for activities, etc? I was hoping to live somewhere where the local schools are really a part of the community, but I'm afraid it will feel disconnected in TP. What has your experience been?

Thanks so much! I'd also love any other points of view on TP, but this is the issue weighing most on my mind.

Blair was originally in Takoma Park but was relocated to downtown SS in the 1930s and to its current location in 1998. The reason it is where it is now is because that's where the county could get sufficient land to build a new HS. The bus ride isn't that bad, at least compared to the other magnet kids who come from much further away.