Banner Article on Declining Enrollment
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Anonymous
If you don't know of a good place to do a direct comparison of the two programs and why my point is still valid. I can provide a chatGPT generated comparison to 'splain it to you. Here’s a clear comparison of the International Baccalaureate (IB) programs at Rockville High School and Richard Montgomery High School within Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS): 📘 1. Program Structure & Scope Richard Montgomery HS (RMHS) Countywide Magnet vs. Local Program: RMHS houses the countywide IB Magnet Diploma Programme, one of the most established in MCPS and the first in the county. Wikipedia 4-Year Continuum Option: Students can enter the IB Magnet as early as 9th grade and follow a structured IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) in grades 9–10, then the IB Diploma Programme (DP) in grades 11 and 12. Montgomery County Public Schools Selective Admission: Because it’s a magnet program, admission is competitive (evaluated with grades, tests, writing, etc.) and limited compared to the overall student body. Montgomery County Public Schools Rockville HS (RHS) Standard IB Diploma: Rockville offers the IB Diploma Programme for juniors and seniors (11–12) but does not have a countywide magnet structure. Montgomery County Public Schools Middle Years Programme (MYP): RHS generally does not offer the full MYP feeder in the same way RMHS does, so IB coursework typically focuses on 11–12 grade Diploma years. DC Urban Moms and Dads Local Access: Students at RHS who meet academic requirements can enroll in the Diploma Programme without a countywide application process. 🎯 2. Admission & Competition Richard Montgomery (RM) Highly Competitive: Because it’s countywide, prices admission against applicants from across all of Montgomery County, not just the home attendance area. Montgomery County Public Schools Higher Bar: Many students prepare earlier and begin IB-aligned work in 9th/10th grade as part of the magnet. Montgomery County Public Schools Rockville (RHS) Local Enrollment: There isn’t a separate competitive magnet for IB at Rockville—admission is through Rockville High School itself, making it more accessible for students zoned there. Montgomery County Public Schools Starts Later: IB mostly begins in 11th grade rather than earlier MYP preparation. 🧠 3. Academic Rigor & Offerings Richard Montgomery Broader Course Catalogue: RM’s IB Programme tends to offer more classes and higher-level options across disciplines, partly because of larger student demand and magnet support. moderatelymoco.com IB MYP + DP Continuum: Some students receive IB-specific teaching and philosophy beginning in 9th grade, helping prepare for DP success. Montgomery County Public Schools Rockville High School Standard IB Diploma Curriculum: RHS offers IB DP with required subjects (HL/SL) and you may see slightly fewer advanced options compared to RM simply due to school size and resources. DC Urban Moms and Dads IB Career-Related Programme (IBCP): In addition to the diploma, RHS also offers the IB Career-related Certificate (IBCC) for students focused on career pathways. Montgomery County Public Schools 📊 4. Exam Performance & Reputation Richard Montgomery Strong Exam Results: RM’s IB diploma candidates historically score above world averages and earn diplomas at high rates (often above 90% of candidates). Montgomery County Public Schools +1 Well-Known Program: RM’s IB is widely regarded within MCPS as one of the more intense and college-prep focused programs. Rockville High School Solid but Lower Volume: RHS IB students complete the same IB DP requirements, but there isn’t as much publicly published comparison data showing exam performance relative to RM’s magnet program. Participation and success trends may be affected by smaller cohort sizes and later IB entry. Montgomery County Public Schools 🏫 5. School Environment & Size RMHS: Larger school overall with a notable IB Magnet “culture,” including many students who take IB classes or AP classes alongside. Montgomery County Public Schools Rockville HS: Smaller overall student population and smaller IB cohort, which some students and parents say feels more personal and integrated into the broader school community than a countywide magnet. DC Urban Moms and Dads ✅ Summary: How They Compare Feature Richard Montgomery HS IB Rockville HS IB Program Type Countywide Magnet + Local Local (non-magnet) Entry Grade 9 (MYP) → 11 (DP) 11 (DP) Selectivity Competitive, countywide Local students eligible Course Options Broader, historically larger offerings Solid offerings, possibly smaller roster Performance/Outcomes High diploma rate and exam scores Strong but less data published School Size/Environment Larger, more IB presence Smaller, tighter community |
Anonymous
Don't forget our ever increasing taxes. That is pushing me out. |
Anonymous
If your kid wants to go to RMIB and you are zoned to RHS, the new regional model will give them a better chance of getting in as opposed to the current countywide model. |
Anonymous
| There is no question that our HS cluster (BCC) went downhill in 2020 and has never recovered. As evidence, take a look at violence, overcrowding, parents fleeing to private, grade inflation (everyone gets As in everything.) Most parents are unhappy but are unable to leave because they are trapped in their mortgages and can't swing $50K / year. This isn't news. What is interesting is the knock-on effect on real estate. SFHs in the sending area have noticeably slowed, but MF has not. Translation: Swing of student body away from affluent to less so. You can say what you will, but this will hurt the school over time. Taken at large, new parents are now avoiding MC for homes because the word is out that they will be getting hit with high taxes (going up) and private tuition--which is increasingly impossible to afford. This is a death spiral for the County. Virtue signaling about diversity is empty. You either improve the schools by making hard choices or you die. |
Anonymous
| One thing overlooked is reduced enrollment from international families working at the embassies in DC. MCPS is attractive to these families due to its diversity and access to good AP/IB programs. I used to always have a few students per class in HS who were international. During the pandemic, many of these families sent their children back to home countries. That population in the schools hasn’t rebounded. |
Anonymous
+1. The problems being experienced in MCPS are no different than what is being experienced in other surrounding counties. We just hear more about MCPS. |
Anonymous
+1 We live in the BCC cluster and it has definitely declined a lot in recent years. The number of private school families in our neighborhood has increased dramatically. And all of the young adults I know choose to live in Va over MoCo. |
Anonymous
I’be homeschooled my child in ES and am thinking about doing so again. In ES, it was the lack of rigor in math and reading—even in ELC and CM. Our school’s teachers are notoriously indifferent and scold the students. No books except ELC (which is gone now), no corrections, teachers would not mark wrong answers wrong so rampant grade inflation. I am not surprised the majority of students here are failing (not able to pass MCAP), and why there is declining enrollment as per Banner article. Now my kid is in MS—too much edtech, no books. Classes too lecture/dependent and at the whim of teachers. In math, too many 85 percentile students—prealgebra is more like math 6. If they pass regions, the mediocrity would continue. We would be locked out of a rigorous program—the “magnet” would be like Watkins Mill IB. What a waste of taxpayer money in our tough economic times with people losing their jobs to AI and inflation. Spending tens of millions on a model that will not help the majority of students who are failing at their home schools, will not repair crumbling schools, and will not deal with safe routes to school. These are high priorities, yet MCPS wants to waste money on an unnecessary, lower priority issue: magnet programs. I am tired of doing the school’s work—we should get vouchers and choose our own school or homeschool. And I am pushing my spouse so we can move over the border. I know some MCPS schools have great teachers and a good student cohort. Unfortunately my child is not in a school like that. And with regions, he would not get that chance. |
Anonymous
Looking at my post, I see I sjould have edited it. To be clear, inflation is stretching our paychecks thin, people losing jobs to AI/afraid not being able to find a new one in this AI climate, healthcare cost is another pressure on our wallet: kid has an ongoing expensive health issue. And here MCPS is trying to spend tens of millions on a lower priority issue, when it should be dealing with the top three priority issues. Not surprised by declining enrollment. |