How did your MCPS-educated kid do in college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a college kid and a high schooler who spent the majority of their school career in MCPS.

MCPS is one of the best public school systems in the country, mostly because it has a wide array of academic offerings, provides services and accommodations and magnet instruction, and gets reasonably decent scores in state and national testing.

For STEM, it's better than top privates. For Humanities and writing, it's not as good.

But parents need to understand that APs are the goal to be prepared for college and beyond. Honors is the new grade level; grade level is the new remedial; and remedial is what some kids need when they have significant disabilities, or are recovering from various setbacks in their lives.

MCPS' Achilles heel is English instruction, which needs to be entirely overhauled. The level of instruction and expectations in 9th and 10th grade "Honors" English in particular are abysmal.

I totally disagree about English. All of mine went to college and said "why do other school systems not teach kids to write"

Everything else you wrote totally agree!

If your kids already graduated college, they’re too old for their MCPS experience to be relevant.

[Anonymous]

Mine graduated a few years ago, from RMIB. They are doing fantastic in college. Straight As, 4.0, great internships. Will graduate this year with two BS degrees in STEM fields.

I'm under no illusion that my younger DC who is not as academically advanced, will have a 4.0. If they get a 3.5/3.7 that'd be awesome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It isn’t what they learning. It the BS policies that teach them they can have second chances, they can turn in work whenever and still not earn a zero. That’s my issue with public schools.

True. I had been telling my kids since freshman year that there are no retakes in college, other than for excused absences, and to not rely on these retakes throughout HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a college kid and a high schooler who spent the majority of their school career in MCPS.

MCPS is one of the best public school systems in the country, mostly because it has a wide array of academic offerings, provides services and accommodations and magnet instruction, and gets reasonably decent scores in state and national testing.

For STEM, it's better than top privates. For Humanities and writing, it's not as good.

But parents need to understand that APs are the goal to be prepared for college and beyond. Honors is the new grade level; grade level is the new remedial; and remedial is what some kids need when they have significant disabilities, or are recovering from various setbacks in their lives.

MCPS' Achilles heel is English instruction, which needs to be entirely overhauled. The level of instruction and expectations in 9th and 10th grade "Honors" English in particular are abysmal.

I totally disagree about English. All of mine went to college and said "why do other school systems not teach kids to write"

Everything else you wrote totally agree!

Then perhaps they graduated before this English curriculum was applied to all MCPS schools. My kids are 5 years apart and my oldest, now in college, had better 9th and 10th grade English instruction than my youngest. College prep is not an issue for us, since they took or will take the two English APs in 11th and 12th.

There are other possible answers: your kids are in a crap college (unlikely) or your kids are comparing themselves to others who went to crap public schools or did not take the most rigorous English courses (likely).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell course catalog: https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1761922736/sidwell/nvrdst4fzkbiktxervc1/2025_26USCurriculumGuide1031.pdf

Blair magnet courses: https://old.mbhs.edu/departments/magnet/courses.php

I don’t at all see where Blair is stronger in STEM.

Click on the electives at Blair. I don't have time to type them for you. Amazing choice of STEM courses at Blair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a college kid and a high schooler who spent the majority of their school career in MCPS.

MCPS is one of the best public school systems in the country, mostly because it has a wide array of academic offerings, provides services and accommodations and magnet instruction, and gets reasonably decent scores in state and national testing.

For STEM, it's better than top privates. For Humanities and writing, it's not as good.

But parents need to understand that APs are the goal to be prepared for college and beyond. Honors is the new grade level; grade level is the new remedial; and remedial is what some kids need when they have significant disabilities, or are recovering from various setbacks in their lives.

MCPS' Achilles heel is English instruction, which needs to be entirely overhauled. The level of instruction and expectations in 9th and 10th grade "Honors" English in particular are abysmal.

STEM is not better than the top privates, outside of maybe the magnet programs.

This is a tired stereotype.

I have friends with kids at Sidwell, St Albans and Landon, and they are not learning anything more profound than what’s available to my kid in MCPS. She’d doing AP Physics C (mechanics and electricity & magnetism) and will have two years of math after AP Calc BC.

I KNOW privates can’t compete with MCPS in math and science.

And private offer those courses too.

You have absolutely zero evidence that privates “can’t compete” with MCPS in math and science, especially when you take out the magnet programs.

Why on earth would thousands of parents pay for a subpar math and science curriculum? Why would any elite college accept kids out of such a school?

If what you’re saying is true, then private school college acceptances would be worse than public school, and the only kids getting in would be kids of massive donors, athletes, or legacies.

PP you replied to. You are showing your ignorance. Sometimes parents pay for privates because they live in areas with poorly performing publics (in DC, for example). A LOT of private parents I know, with kids who are the same age as mine, were looking for things other than academics, however: they wanted to be surrounded by wealthy families, they were looking for connections and networking, for both themselves and their children, and they understand that for some careers, how you do in school matters less than who you know... and so they made the conscious decision to go private. For parents of kids in younger grades, they wanted less disruption in classrooms at the elementary level, a more "mannerly" student body, uniforms, manicured campuses. I have to say that some people I know mistake manners and appearances for "values"... which is a whole other discussion.

I live in Bethesda, where half the families send their kids to local publics and half send their kids to privates. Everyone I know can technically afford private school, so the decision is based on other criteria. None of them have ever put their kids in privates for STEM! It is universally acknowledged that this is better done in our local publics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a college kid and a high schooler who spent the majority of their school career in MCPS.

MCPS is one of the best public school systems in the country, mostly because it has a wide array of academic offerings, provides services and accommodations and magnet instruction, and gets reasonably decent scores in state and national testing.

For STEM, it's better than top privates. For Humanities and writing, it's not as good.

But parents need to understand that APs are the goal to be prepared for college and beyond. Honors is the new grade level; grade level is the new remedial; and remedial is what some kids need when they have significant disabilities, or are recovering from various setbacks in their lives.

MCPS' Achilles heel is English instruction, which needs to be entirely overhauled. The level of instruction and expectations in 9th and 10th grade "Honors" English in particular are abysmal.

I totally disagree about English. All of mine went to college and said "why do other school systems not teach kids to write"

Everything else you wrote totally agree!

Can you share what high school? And did they take IB English or AP English that helped them in college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell course catalog: https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1761922736/sidwell/nvrdst4fzkbiktxervc1/2025_26USCurriculumGuide1031.pdf

Blair magnet courses: https://old.mbhs.edu/departments/magnet/courses.php

I don’t at all see where Blair is stronger in STEM.

Click on the electives at Blair. I don't have time to type them for you. Amazing choice of STEM courses at Blair.

Sure. But Sidwell has amazing electives too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a college kid and a high schooler who spent the majority of their school career in MCPS.

MCPS is one of the best public school systems in the country, mostly because it has a wide array of academic offerings, provides services and accommodations and magnet instruction, and gets reasonably decent scores in state and national testing.

For STEM, it's better than top privates. For Humanities and writing, it's not as good.

But parents need to understand that APs are the goal to be prepared for college and beyond. Honors is the new grade level; grade level is the new remedial; and remedial is what some kids need when they have significant disabilities, or are recovering from various setbacks in their lives.

MCPS' Achilles heel is English instruction, which needs to be entirely overhauled. The level of instruction and expectations in 9th and 10th grade "Honors" English in particular are abysmal.

STEM is not better than the top privates, outside of maybe the magnet programs.

This is a tired stereotype.

I have friends with kids at Sidwell, St Albans and Landon, and they are not learning anything more profound than what’s available to my kid in MCPS. She’d doing AP Physics C (mechanics and electricity & magnetism) and will have two years of math after AP Calc BC.

I KNOW privates can’t compete with MCPS in math and science.

And private offer those courses too.

You have absolutely zero evidence that privates “can’t compete” with MCPS in math and science, especially when you take out the magnet programs.

Why on earth would thousands of parents pay for a subpar math and science curriculum? Why would any elite college accept kids out of such a school?

If what you’re saying is true, then private school college acceptances would be worse than public school, and the only kids getting in would be kids of massive donors, athletes, or legacies.

PP you replied to. You are showing your ignorance. Sometimes parents pay for privates because they live in areas with poorly performing publics (in DC, for example). A LOT of private parents I know, with kids who are the same age as mine, were looking for things other than academics, however: they wanted to be surrounded by wealthy families, they were looking for connections and networking, for both themselves and their children, and they understand that for some careers, how you do in school matters less than who you know... and so they made the conscious decision to go private. For parents of kids in younger grades, they wanted less disruption in classrooms at the elementary level, a more "mannerly" student body, uniforms, manicured campuses. I have to say that some people I know mistake manners and appearances for "values"... which is a whole other discussion.

I live in Bethesda, where half the families send their kids to local publics and half send their kids to privates. Everyone I know can technically afford private school, so the decision is based on other criteria. None of them have ever put their kids in privates for STEM! It is universally acknowledged that this is better done in our local publics.

I’m also in an area where people can choose between the two, and it’s by no means universally acknowledged.

Nor is it supported by evidence, especially when you take the STEM magnets out.

[Anonymous]

Straight As. Earning a four year degree 18 months early as are her closest friends. Thanks MC2!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell course catalog: https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1761922736/sidwell/nvrdst4fzkbiktxervc1/2025_26USCurriculumGuide1031.pdf

Blair magnet courses: https://old.mbhs.edu/departments/magnet/courses.php

I don’t at all see where Blair is stronger in STEM.

Click on the electives at Blair. I don't have time to type them for you. Amazing choice of STEM courses at Blair.

Sure. But Sidwell has amazing electives too.

Ok a few samples from Blair: Cellular Physiology, Materials Science, Marine Biology, Discrete Math, Complex Analysis, Artificial Intelligence, ......
No private can come close to that in STEM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell course catalog: https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1761922736/sidwell/nvrdst4fzkbiktxervc1/2025_26USCurriculumGuide1031.pdf

Blair magnet courses: https://old.mbhs.edu/departments/magnet/courses.php

I don’t at all see where Blair is stronger in STEM.

Click on the electives at Blair. I don't have time to type them for you. Amazing choice of STEM courses at Blair.

Sure. But Sidwell has amazing electives too.

Ok a few samples from Blair: Cellular Physiology, Materials Science, Marine Biology, Discrete Math, Complex Analysis, Artificial Intelligence, ......
No private can come close to that in STEM.

Can't they take those electives in college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell course catalog: https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1761922736/sidwell/nvrdst4fzkbiktxervc1/2025_26USCurriculumGuide1031.pdf

Blair magnet courses: https://old.mbhs.edu/departments/magnet/courses.php

I don’t at all see where Blair is stronger in STEM.

Click on the electives at Blair. I don't have time to type them for you. Amazing choice of STEM courses at Blair.

Sure. But Sidwell has amazing electives too.

Ok a few samples from Blair: Cellular Physiology, Materials Science, Marine Biology, Discrete Math, Complex Analysis, Artificial Intelligence, ......
No private can come close to that in STEM.

So you really didn’t even look at the Sidwell course catalog.

Science electives:

Ecology and conservation
Forensic science
Astrophysics
Molecular techniques
Advanced environmental science
Calculus based physics
Organic and biorganic chemistry
Molecular biology

But sure. “No private can come close.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell course catalog: https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1761922736/sidwell/nvrdst4fzkbiktxervc1/2025_26USCurriculumGuide1031.pdf

Blair magnet courses: https://old.mbhs.edu/departments/magnet/courses.php

I don’t at all see where Blair is stronger in STEM.

Click on the electives at Blair. I don't have time to type them for you. Amazing choice of STEM courses at Blair.

Sure. But Sidwell has amazing electives too.

Ok a few samples from Blair: Cellular Physiology, Materials Science, Marine Biology, Discrete Math, Complex Analysis, Artificial Intelligence, ......
No private can come close to that in STEM.

So you really didn’t even look at the Sidwell course catalog.

Science electives:

Ecology and conservation
Forensic science
Astrophysics
Molecular techniques
Advanced environmental science
Calculus based physics
Organic and biorganic chemistry
Molecular biology

But sure. “No private can come close.”

Oh and that’s just under science.

In math they offer linear algebra and differential equations as courses beyond BC calculus.

AI is offered in the computer science and engineering department, along with other electives like user interfaces, dynamic web design, robotics, programming and probability, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell course catalog: https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1761922736/sidwell/nvrdst4fzkbiktxervc1/2025_26USCurriculumGuide1031.pdf

Blair magnet courses: https://old.mbhs.edu/departments/magnet/courses.php

I don’t at all see where Blair is stronger in STEM.

Click on the electives at Blair. I don't have time to type them for you. Amazing choice of STEM courses at Blair.

Sure. But Sidwell has amazing electives too.

.. that you pay $$$ for. Great for you that you are paying extra $$$ to have those electives in private school, I guess.