Not Newsweek, but real input on best public schools (highschool)

[Anonymous]

I am intersted in what the reputation, (academic and social) of:

Churchill
BCC
The other really good highschool in Bethesda-- name escaping me, begins with W?

We are new to the area and trying to feel this all out. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

I went to Whitman. I have said this before, The school is good because of the families. Just about every family has college educated parents who are themselves high achievers. The parents have high expectations of the kids, the kids do better, the students pressure each other to do well....
I will have to admit that the teachers are nothing special. At least no more special than at the worst public schools in Montgomery County. The county divvies up the teachers fairly. The only thing is that the parents at these good schools watch the teachers very closely, and will write letters at the drop of a hat.

[Anonymous]

Thanks, makes sense. What did you think of Churchill kids when you were at Whitman?

[Anonymous]

We did not think much of them. We were in our own little world.

[Anonymous]

The IB program is causing BCC to get well deserved mentioned more often in the same sentence as Churchill and Whitman.

[Anonymous]

As a long-time county resident, a graduate of a low-rated county high school, and someone with friends and colleagues from all three of those high schools, here's my take:
B-CC -- most urban and diverse. lots of very smart kids, lots of wealthy kids, very good all-around school. We live in this district now because this is the school where I want my kids to go.
Churchill -- very, very rich. competitive. very suburban.
Whitman -- extremely competitive; lots of pressure. very wealthy. lots of international folks. excellent reputation.

[Anonymous]

The issue with the lower ranked schools in MC is that there are MANY kis who might be a poor influence on your kids. The plus at the three schools mentioned by pp, is that the unmotivated students are rarer, thus increasing the likelihood that your child will do well.

[Anonymous]

11:34, I have heard the same thing about BCC, and for that reason think it the most appealing of the top MC high schools.

I did hear many years ago that there was a "gang problem" at BCC. I'm not exactly sure what this means, and in any event Churchill had its own "gang problem" which reared its ugly head in the press, and Whitman has had a crime problem in a few incidents also greatly covered in the press, so no entity is immune from such issues. But I am curious whether you or anyone else out there has heard this.

[Anonymous]

Yes we have heard.

[Anonymous]

Whitman hardly had a "crime problem". There was a group of entitled students who made a very stupid decision off of school grounds that received tremendous media attention. In all of these more affluent schools, you're also going to have some drug issues. Overall, Whitman is probably the top of the schools mentioned but the pressure is a bit over the top.

[Anonymous]

If you are talking bethesda the W school is WJ. I am a teacher there and can tell you it is by far one of the BEST schools in the county. It has great staff, great students, amazing diversity for a bethesda school.

[Anonymous]

Whitman does not rank as high as those other schools b/c fewer of their kids take AP classes. However, they do have the highest SAT scores in the county.

[Anonymous]

I think rankings are over rated. The choice to pick public or private schools has to do with the individual child. Two of my kids attended public school. My family treats them like "public school trash". It is like they don't exist. I am very proud of the people my children are turning out to be. I come from a large family who looks down on me, my husband and my kids because we don't participate in their competitive, judgmental worlds. It really does not matter what public school you child goes to. I have learned that there are folks that will look down on them no matter what school they attend. This was a cruel reality that it's best to know about from the get go.

[Anonymous]

PP, I get where you are coming from, but I do think that the school matters. There are a ton of people who went to substandard schools, and it shows.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP, I get where you are coming from, but I do think that the school matters. There are a ton of people who went to substandard schools, and it shows.

I went to Einstein High School - it doesn't get any worse than that. As I write this from my jail cell....I take offense to this comment!

Serously,
I am a CFO for a software company. I earn over 1/2 million a year. I do volunteer work and manage special events for a charity that is close to me. I have 2 children who are attending public school (not a top school, but not a horrible school) and are doing fabulous. I am married to a wonderful, public school grad. We have wonderful friends (several who also graduated from Einstein and Wheaton).
I don't think it is the school, it is the parenting. Parents can help a child ignore the bad kids and stay out of trouble, just as mine did with me. Yes, there were bad kids at school. There will always be bad kids at schools. It didn't really affect me. But, what isn't fair is that the bad ones that come from wealthy families get a slap on their hands while the bad ones that come from less affluent families get criminal records.

The CEO of my company has 2 daughters that attend a top public school in VA. He is an ass. His kids are the same. They were caught drunk driving and didn't even spend the night in jail. Daddy paid the fines. They breezed through court. They have not learned their lesson. Dad thinks it is hilarious how they got off so easily. So for the moms that are devoting their lives to getting their kids in the best schools--just take the time to teach your child right from wrong. Help them with their homework, make the learning process fun. Reward them for good work. Pay attenton to them and let them know you hold them to high standards. Don't get soft on them when they fail or don't do as well as expected.