RM versus Wooton

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Op if you are still reading, Wootton is the right answer. No comparison between two unless your kid is accepted into IB.

please. The vast majority of kids at RM are not in IB, and they do fine.

But, yes, if you want a pressure cooker environment with no diversity, choose Wootton.

What does "they do fine" mean? I know we all have different expectations for our kids. At least "get accepted to UMCP" fine? Most non-IB kids have stats high enough for UMCP?

Yes. Believe it or not, there is a contingent of UMC kids (white and Asian too!) who opted not to do IB. They are taking AP classes and will do fine after graduation.

I believe it. I mean I'd not all that interested in IB courses and would also prefer to focus on STEM.

LOL. Read results coming out of this thread

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1108817.page

? What does that have to do with anything? Trust me - I know white, UMC kids from RM who have gone on to UMD and other good schools. The non-IB kids ARE NOT all gang members.

Real-estate agents try to spin this to inflate housing prices, but of course, RM is the same as any other MCPS HS. The same kid will do as well as they would anyplace else. The differences aren't the school but the home life and parents.

Op here. Thanks to everyone for their feedback. Lots to think about.

Good luck. Select wisely.

Yes, just read some of the stereotyping some anti-RM posters have of a diverse school. Too many of "those" kids.

That's the kind of folks your kids would be exposed to - people who stereotype an entire school and the families who go there based on what they hear about but probably have zero experience in.

No one said RM is perfect, but some anti-RM posters are seriously clueless about the student body at RM.

People are not anti-RM. What you are seeing is people pushing back on posts that make non-IB RM like it's something special. It's not. Non IB RM is no different than any other MCPS HS (except W schools and BCC). They are all pretty f'ed.

This is what I am reading also. Non-IB is nothing special.

No one said it was "special", just not the ganglandia that some are making it out to be.

True but Wootton test scores are the same if not better than RM with an IB department. An IB that takes the smartest kids from all over the county. Which shows you that scores without IB would probably be similar to schools like Rockville and QO. Not terrible, but I would prefer the Wootton area. I also think they are the least likely to get overhauled with the 2 new high schools being built and rezoned. Besides that Rio area, Wootton's neighborhoods are all petty much around the high school and far away from the other high schools. I feel like RM has a chance to move to Crown or Gaithersburg and I would be leery about buying in that area because of it.

The other perk is that Wootton projected growth is level for the next 6 years. RM projections are going up another 600 students over the next 6 years. So obviously that means redistricting or a ton more portables on what is a pretty new school.

If you have time and reasonable googling skills, you can estimate this. I have done it years ago (when SAT was based on 2400). It is not hard to calculate and it was not pretty.

? ok, how would you do this? You are making the assumption that the top scores are all for IB students, and I don't think that's true.

find out class size, number of kids who took SAT, avg SAT score, number of IB kids, IB avg SAT score (and assume of IB kids took the exam which is a reasonable assumption). after that it's just simple math

The issue with this is approach is there are 25% IB spots reserved for RM students, and more IB seats open up in 11/12 grade, excluding IB kids scores is like taking out all the top students from RM.

Yes, there are much better opportunities for an advanced learner at RM.

Only if you apply into IB. Wootton actually has more AP offerings than RM

Nope... non IB students can take IB classes. Wootton probably offers more AP because they don't have IB as an option for even non IB kids.

People are throwing "facts" out there without even knowing the truth (to coin Kelley Ann Conway).

The OP said Wootton offered more AP classes and they do. They didn't mention anything about the IB classes. Many kids and colleges do not care about them. The IB diploma, yes. Taking a few IB courses? No.

A PP stated that RM only has more challenging classes if you are in IB. I'm replying to that. Non IB students can take IB classes and AP classes.

Wootton offers more AP classes because they don't have IB choices.

Colleges care if you take rigorous classes. IB classes would fit that, too.

As someone who has had two graduate RM already, I can confirm with the PP that colleges do not care about random IB courses. They rarely transfer to college credit and all it does is bring your GPA up, which an AP and even an honors does the same amount. They only care if you get the diploma. And jumping in at 11th grade to try and get the diploma, the track record 2 years ago was under 50%. So I am not sure it is worth the stress your last 2 years of high school.

Colleges care if you take the rigorous courses. If a school only offers IB <some subject> and not AP <the same subject> than they will look at the IB course.

Yes, it's hard to jump in at 11th grade because most aren't used to the rigor of IB magnet, which is why MCPS as a whole does a crap job of preparing kids for more rigorous courses, and this starts in MS.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Op if you are still reading, Wootton is the right answer. No comparison between two unless your kid is accepted into IB.

please. The vast majority of kids at RM are not in IB, and they do fine.

But, yes, if you want a pressure cooker environment with no diversity, choose Wootton.

What does "they do fine" mean? I know we all have different expectations for our kids. At least "get accepted to UMCP" fine? Most non-IB kids have stats high enough for UMCP?

Yes. Believe it or not, there is a contingent of UMC kids (white and Asian too!) who opted not to do IB. They are taking AP classes and will do fine after graduation.

I believe it. I mean I'd not all that interested in IB courses and would also prefer to focus on STEM.

LOL. Read results coming out of this thread

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1108817.page

? What does that have to do with anything? Trust me - I know white, UMC kids from RM who have gone on to UMD and other good schools. The non-IB kids ARE NOT all gang members.

Real-estate agents try to spin this to inflate housing prices, but of course, RM is the same as any other MCPS HS. The same kid will do as well as they would anyplace else. The differences aren't the school but the home life and parents.

Op here. Thanks to everyone for their feedback. Lots to think about.

Good luck. Select wisely.

Yes, just read some of the stereotyping some anti-RM posters have of a diverse school. Too many of "those" kids.

That's the kind of folks your kids would be exposed to - people who stereotype an entire school and the families who go there based on what they hear about but probably have zero experience in.

No one said RM is perfect, but some anti-RM posters are seriously clueless about the student body at RM.

People are not anti-RM. What you are seeing is people pushing back on posts that make non-IB RM like it's something special. It's not. Non IB RM is no different than any other MCPS HS (except W schools and BCC). They are all pretty f'ed.

This is what I am reading also. Non-IB is nothing special.

No one said it was "special", just not the ganglandia that some are making it out to be.

True but Wootton test scores are the same if not better than RM with an IB department. An IB that takes the smartest kids from all over the county. Which shows you that scores without IB would probably be similar to schools like Rockville and QO. Not terrible, but I would prefer the Wootton area. I also think they are the least likely to get overhauled with the 2 new high schools being built and rezoned. Besides that Rio area, Wootton's neighborhoods are all petty much around the high school and far away from the other high schools. I feel like RM has a chance to move to Crown or Gaithersburg and I would be leery about buying in that area because of it.

The other perk is that Wootton projected growth is level for the next 6 years. RM projections are going up another 600 students over the next 6 years. So obviously that means redistricting or a ton more portables on what is a pretty new school.

If you have time and reasonable googling skills, you can estimate this. I have done it years ago (when SAT was based on 2400). It is not hard to calculate and it was not pretty.

? ok, how would you do this? You are making the assumption that the top scores are all for IB students, and I don't think that's true.

find out class size, number of kids who took SAT, avg SAT score, number of IB kids, IB avg SAT score (and assume of IB kids took the exam which is a reasonable assumption). after that it's just simple math

The issue with this is approach is there are 25% IB spots reserved for RM students, and more IB seats open up in 11/12 grade, excluding IB kids scores is like taking out all the top students from RM.

Yes, there are much better opportunities for an advanced learner at RM.

Only if you apply into IB. Wootton actually has more AP offerings than RM

Nope... non IB students can take IB classes. Wootton probably offers more AP because they don't have IB as an option for even non IB kids.

People are throwing "facts" out there without even knowing the truth (to coin Kelley Ann Conway).

The OP said Wootton offered more AP classes and they do. They didn't mention anything about the IB classes. Many kids and colleges do not care about them. The IB diploma, yes. Taking a few IB courses? No.

Yes, schools that offer IB classes tend to have fewer APs. Overall though you'll find the same or comparable opportunities are available everywhere.

No, that’s not true at all. Differing demographics at different schools means that your class experience at one school could be very different from another. Also, the schools that have more higher achieving kids are able to offer more AP classes. Staffing is an issue.

I know this very well because we are at our zoned HS and our neighbor is at Blair Magnet. A very different experience as far as the opportunities that her kid has and the courses offered.

All high schools are NOT the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wootton - no question. RM is always in the news and for all the wrong reasons.

I would figure out a way to get into the Whitman zone.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Wootton - no question. RM is always in the news and for all the wrong reasons.

I would figure out a way to get into the Whitman zone.

yes, Whitman has the best expensive drugs.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Op if you are still reading, Wootton is the right answer. No comparison between two unless your kid is accepted into IB.

please. The vast majority of kids at RM are not in IB, and they do fine.

But, yes, if you want a pressure cooker environment with no diversity, choose Wootton.

What does "they do fine" mean? I know we all have different expectations for our kids. At least "get accepted to UMCP" fine? Most non-IB kids have stats high enough for UMCP?

Yes. Believe it or not, there is a contingent of UMC kids (white and Asian too!) who opted not to do IB. They are taking AP classes and will do fine after graduation.

I believe it. I mean I'd not all that interested in IB courses and would also prefer to focus on STEM.

LOL. Read results coming out of this thread

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1108817.page

? What does that have to do with anything? Trust me - I know white, UMC kids from RM who have gone on to UMD and other good schools. The non-IB kids ARE NOT all gang members.

Real-estate agents try to spin this to inflate housing prices, but of course, RM is the same as any other MCPS HS. The same kid will do as well as they would anyplace else. The differences aren't the school but the home life and parents.

Op here. Thanks to everyone for their feedback. Lots to think about.

Good luck. Select wisely.

Yes, just read some of the stereotyping some anti-RM posters have of a diverse school. Too many of "those" kids.

That's the kind of folks your kids would be exposed to - people who stereotype an entire school and the families who go there based on what they hear about but probably have zero experience in.

No one said RM is perfect, but some anti-RM posters are seriously clueless about the student body at RM.

People are not anti-RM. What you are seeing is people pushing back on posts that make non-IB RM like it's something special. It's not. Non IB RM is no different than any other MCPS HS (except W schools and BCC). They are all pretty f'ed.

This is what I am reading also. Non-IB is nothing special.

No one said it was "special", just not the ganglandia that some are making it out to be.

True but Wootton test scores are the same if not better than RM with an IB department. An IB that takes the smartest kids from all over the county. Which shows you that scores without IB would probably be similar to schools like Rockville and QO. Not terrible, but I would prefer the Wootton area. I also think they are the least likely to get overhauled with the 2 new high schools being built and rezoned. Besides that Rio area, Wootton's neighborhoods are all petty much around the high school and far away from the other high schools. I feel like RM has a chance to move to Crown or Gaithersburg and I would be leery about buying in that area because of it.

The other perk is that Wootton projected growth is level for the next 6 years. RM projections are going up another 600 students over the next 6 years. So obviously that means redistricting or a ton more portables on what is a pretty new school.

If you have time and reasonable googling skills, you can estimate this. I have done it years ago (when SAT was based on 2400). It is not hard to calculate and it was not pretty.

? ok, how would you do this? You are making the assumption that the top scores are all for IB students, and I don't think that's true.

find out class size, number of kids who took SAT, avg SAT score, number of IB kids, IB avg SAT score (and assume of IB kids took the exam which is a reasonable assumption). after that it's just simple math

The issue with this is approach is there are 25% IB spots reserved for RM students, and more IB seats open up in 11/12 grade, excluding IB kids scores is like taking out all the top students from RM.

Yes, there are much better opportunities for an advanced learner at RM.

Only if you apply into IB. Wootton actually has more AP offerings than RM

Perhaps, but the W's also have a history of racially motivated hate incidents that recur regularly.

Can you please describe further? We aren't white and this is something we think about. -OP

NP here - we are not white from a biracial family and attend Wootton. I have family at RM and they are happy there as well. We chose Wootton because we wanted strong academics without the super wealth that happens at Churchill and Whitman. Can you get that at RM? Absolutely. For us we believed that from elementary to high school Wootton was the stronger cluster to be in so that is what we did. You get plenty of diversity both racially and socio economically at Wootton just like at RM. You also still see fights, drugs and vaping just like you do at RM. Again for us we decided Wootton was the better of the two options. Both give you the "real world".

wootton is only "plenty" diverse if you compare it to Whitman. In MCPS, neither schools are considered "diverse", either racially or SES. Just look at their stats compared to RM, QO, and county as a whole.

what's so f'king big deal about diversity? isn't your kid's learning more important? MoCo is one of the most diverse county in the country already. we cannot and should not trade good education with diversity crap. education should always come first.

1. I was responding to the ^^PPs point about diversity
2. Some people do care about diversity. Not all of us are white. Some people don't feel comfortable being one of only a handful of kids of a particular background. My nieces have gone through that. I would never do that to my kids.
3. Learning is important, but so is the social/emotional aspects of the learning environment. Kids spend six hours at school, and after school activities. Most of their friends are from school. Feeling included is important.
When I was in HS I did really well academically but not socially, and I was miserable. I don't want that for my kids.

My kids are at RM, and they like it.

No one is saying diversity is not important. My point is this entire area is already diverse enough. People tend to use diversity as an excuse to cover-up broken system. Gang issues? Well, but see how diverse we are. Low performance? Don't worry because we have one of the most diverse school systems...etc. I am glad you like RM. More power to you. But don't say RM is "better" because it's more diverse than other schools. I am not white either and I certainly do appreciate how it feels to be different. But, at the end of the day, kids need to learn.

1) There have been 0 gang incidents at any MCPS school in over a decade.
2) Some schools aren't all that diverse compared to the county.
3) Test score averages are simply a reflection of a school's overall SES but every MCPS school has rigorous course offerings.

1. They are ruling out gang issue in one of the latest incidents at RM right now. There are at least 2 confirmed at Gaithersburg High School and one at Magruder in the past decade.
2. True but that has more to do with the fact that many people of the same culture or race prefer to live near others - especially Asian and Hispanic. And others are just overpriced previous white areas and non-whites don't want to pay the price and send their kids to all-white schools. So they send them to secular privates which do a much better job with diversity and education.
3. MCPS absolutely does not have rigorous course offerings in every school. Certain high schools don't offer a lot of AP's. If kids are eligible, they have to take them online.

I'm confused by this post.
Not sure that it matters whether violence is gang related or not. Violence is violence.
Plenty of non white people at Wootton. Can't compare a $40k per year school to public. They will obviously have the resources to do a "better" job at just about everything but some parents prefer the public school option even if they could afford private.
Can't speak to course offerings at all schools but again Wootton has more than enough AP courses to fill a schedule.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Op if you are still reading, Wootton is the right answer. No comparison between two unless your kid is accepted into IB.

please. The vast majority of kids at RM are not in IB, and they do fine.

But, yes, if you want a pressure cooker environment with no diversity, choose Wootton.

What does "they do fine" mean? I know we all have different expectations for our kids. At least "get accepted to UMCP" fine? Most non-IB kids have stats high enough for UMCP?

Yes. Believe it or not, there is a contingent of UMC kids (white and Asian too!) who opted not to do IB. They are taking AP classes and will do fine after graduation.

I believe it. I mean I'd not all that interested in IB courses and would also prefer to focus on STEM.

LOL. Read results coming out of this thread

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1108817.page

? What does that have to do with anything? Trust me - I know white, UMC kids from RM who have gone on to UMD and other good schools. The non-IB kids ARE NOT all gang members.

Real-estate agents try to spin this to inflate housing prices, but of course, RM is the same as any other MCPS HS. The same kid will do as well as they would anyplace else. The differences aren't the school but the home life and parents.

Op here. Thanks to everyone for their feedback. Lots to think about.

Good luck. Select wisely.

Yes, just read some of the stereotyping some anti-RM posters have of a diverse school. Too many of "those" kids.

That's the kind of folks your kids would be exposed to - people who stereotype an entire school and the families who go there based on what they hear about but probably have zero experience in.

No one said RM is perfect, but some anti-RM posters are seriously clueless about the student body at RM.

People are not anti-RM. What you are seeing is people pushing back on posts that make non-IB RM like it's something special. It's not. Non IB RM is no different than any other MCPS HS (except W schools and BCC). They are all pretty f'ed.

This is what I am reading also. Non-IB is nothing special.

No one said it was "special", just not the ganglandia that some are making it out to be.

True but Wootton test scores are the same if not better than RM with an IB department. An IB that takes the smartest kids from all over the county. Which shows you that scores without IB would probably be similar to schools like Rockville and QO. Not terrible, but I would prefer the Wootton area. I also think they are the least likely to get overhauled with the 2 new high schools being built and rezoned. Besides that Rio area, Wootton's neighborhoods are all petty much around the high school and far away from the other high schools. I feel like RM has a chance to move to Crown or Gaithersburg and I would be leery about buying in that area because of it.

The other perk is that Wootton projected growth is level for the next 6 years. RM projections are going up another 600 students over the next 6 years. So obviously that means redistricting or a ton more portables on what is a pretty new school.

If you have time and reasonable googling skills, you can estimate this. I have done it years ago (when SAT was based on 2400). It is not hard to calculate and it was not pretty.

? ok, how would you do this? You are making the assumption that the top scores are all for IB students, and I don't think that's true.

find out class size, number of kids who took SAT, avg SAT score, number of IB kids, IB avg SAT score (and assume of IB kids took the exam which is a reasonable assumption). after that it's just simple math

The issue with this is approach is there are 25% IB spots reserved for RM students, and more IB seats open up in 11/12 grade, excluding IB kids scores is like taking out all the top students from RM.

Yes, there are much better opportunities for an advanced learner at RM.

Only if you apply into IB. Wootton actually has more AP offerings than RM

Nope... non IB students can take IB classes. Wootton probably offers more AP because they don't have IB as an option for even non IB kids.

People are throwing "facts" out there without even knowing the truth (to coin Kelley Ann Conway).

The OP said Wootton offered more AP classes and they do. They didn't mention anything about the IB classes. Many kids and colleges do not care about them. The IB diploma, yes. Taking a few IB courses? No.

A PP stated that RM only has more challenging classes if you are in IB. I'm replying to that. Non IB students can take IB classes and AP classes.

Wootton offers more AP classes because they don't have IB choices.

Colleges care if you take rigorous classes. IB classes would fit that, too.

As someone who has had two graduate RM already, I can confirm with the PP that colleges do not care about random IB courses. They rarely transfer to college credit and all it does is bring your GPA up, which an AP and even an honors does the same amount. They only care if you get the diploma. And jumping in at 11th grade to try and get the diploma, the track record 2 years ago was under 50%. So I am not sure it is worth the stress your last 2 years of high school.

Colleges care if you take the rigorous courses. If a school only offers IB <some subject> and not AP <the same subject> than they will look at the IB course.

Yes, it's hard to jump in at 11th grade because most aren't used to the rigor of IB magnet, which is why MCPS as a whole does a crap job of preparing kids for more rigorous courses, and this starts in MS.

#fakenews They offer plenty of rigorous courses. You just have to ensure you make the cut. Honestly you sound bitter.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Op if you are still reading, Wootton is the right answer. No comparison between two unless your kid is accepted into IB.

please. The vast majority of kids at RM are not in IB, and they do fine.

But, yes, if you want a pressure cooker environment with no diversity, choose Wootton.

What does "they do fine" mean? I know we all have different expectations for our kids. At least "get accepted to UMCP" fine? Most non-IB kids have stats high enough for UMCP?

Yes. Believe it or not, there is a contingent of UMC kids (white and Asian too!) who opted not to do IB. They are taking AP classes and will do fine after graduation.

I believe it. I mean I'd not all that interested in IB courses and would also prefer to focus on STEM.

LOL. Read results coming out of this thread

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1108817.page

? What does that have to do with anything? Trust me - I know white, UMC kids from RM who have gone on to UMD and other good schools. The non-IB kids ARE NOT all gang members.

Real-estate agents try to spin this to inflate housing prices, but of course, RM is the same as any other MCPS HS. The same kid will do as well as they would anyplace else. The differences aren't the school but the home life and parents.

Op here. Thanks to everyone for their feedback. Lots to think about.

Good luck. Select wisely.

Yes, just read some of the stereotyping some anti-RM posters have of a diverse school. Too many of "those" kids.

That's the kind of folks your kids would be exposed to - people who stereotype an entire school and the families who go there based on what they hear about but probably have zero experience in.

No one said RM is perfect, but some anti-RM posters are seriously clueless about the student body at RM.

People are not anti-RM. What you are seeing is people pushing back on posts that make non-IB RM like it's something special. It's not. Non IB RM is no different than any other MCPS HS (except W schools and BCC). They are all pretty f'ed.

This is what I am reading also. Non-IB is nothing special.

No one said it was "special", just not the ganglandia that some are making it out to be.

True but Wootton test scores are the same if not better than RM with an IB department. An IB that takes the smartest kids from all over the county. Which shows you that scores without IB would probably be similar to schools like Rockville and QO. Not terrible, but I would prefer the Wootton area. I also think they are the least likely to get overhauled with the 2 new high schools being built and rezoned. Besides that Rio area, Wootton's neighborhoods are all petty much around the high school and far away from the other high schools. I feel like RM has a chance to move to Crown or Gaithersburg and I would be leery about buying in that area because of it.

The other perk is that Wootton projected growth is level for the next 6 years. RM projections are going up another 600 students over the next 6 years. So obviously that means redistricting or a ton more portables on what is a pretty new school.

If you have time and reasonable googling skills, you can estimate this. I have done it years ago (when SAT was based on 2400). It is not hard to calculate and it was not pretty.

? ok, how would you do this? You are making the assumption that the top scores are all for IB students, and I don't think that's true.

find out class size, number of kids who took SAT, avg SAT score, number of IB kids, IB avg SAT score (and assume of IB kids took the exam which is a reasonable assumption). after that it's just simple math

The issue with this is approach is there are 25% IB spots reserved for RM students, and more IB seats open up in 11/12 grade, excluding IB kids scores is like taking out all the top students from RM.

Yes, there are much better opportunities for an advanced learner at RM.

Only if you apply into IB. Wootton actually has more AP offerings than RM

Perhaps, but the W's also have a history of racially motivated hate incidents that recur regularly.

Can you please describe further? We aren't white and this is something we think about. -OP

NP here - we are not white from a biracial family and attend Wootton. I have family at RM and they are happy there as well. We chose Wootton because we wanted strong academics without the super wealth that happens at Churchill and Whitman. Can you get that at RM? Absolutely. For us we believed that from elementary to high school Wootton was the stronger cluster to be in so that is what we did. You get plenty of diversity both racially and socio economically at Wootton just like at RM. You also still see fights, drugs and vaping just like you do at RM. Again for us we decided Wootton was the better of the two options. Both give you the "real world".

wootton is only "plenty" diverse if you compare it to Whitman. In MCPS, neither schools are considered "diverse", either racially or SES. Just look at their stats compared to RM, QO, and county as a whole.

what's so f'king big deal about diversity? isn't your kid's learning more important? MoCo is one of the most diverse county in the country already. we cannot and should not trade good education with diversity crap. education should always come first.

1. I was responding to the ^^PPs point about diversity
2. Some people do care about diversity. Not all of us are white. Some people don't feel comfortable being one of only a handful of kids of a particular background. My nieces have gone through that. I would never do that to my kids.
3. Learning is important, but so is the social/emotional aspects of the learning environment. Kids spend six hours at school, and after school activities. Most of their friends are from school. Feeling included is important.
When I was in HS I did really well academically but not socially, and I was miserable. I don't want that for my kids.

My kids are at RM, and they like it.

No one is saying diversity is not important. My point is this entire area is already diverse enough. People tend to use diversity as an excuse to cover-up broken system. Gang issues? Well, but see how diverse we are. Low performance? Don't worry because we have one of the most diverse school systems...etc. I am glad you like RM. More power to you. But don't say RM is "better" because it's more diverse than other schools. I am not white either and I certainly do appreciate how it feels to be different. But, at the end of the day, kids need to learn.

1) There have been 0 gang incidents at any MCPS school in over a decade.
2) Some schools aren't all that diverse compared to the county.
3) Test score averages are simply a reflection of a school's overall SES but every MCPS school has rigorous course offerings.

1. They are ruling out gang issue in one of the latest incidents at RM right now. There are at least 2 confirmed at Gaithersburg High School and one at Magruder in the past decade.
2. True but that has more to do with the fact that many people of the same culture or race prefer to live near others - especially Asian and Hispanic. And others are just overpriced previous white areas and non-whites don't want to pay the price and send their kids to all-white schools. So they send them to secular privates which do a much better job with diversity and education.
3. MCPS absolutely does not have rigorous course offerings in every school. Certain high schools don't offer a lot of AP's. If kids are eligible, they have to take them online.

I'm confused by this post.
Not sure that it matters whether violence is gang related or not. Violence is violence.
Plenty of non white people at Wootton. Can't compare a $40k per year school to public. They will obviously have the resources to do a "better" job at just about everything but some parents prefer the public school option even if they could afford private.
Can't speak to course offerings at all schools but again Wootton has more than enough AP courses to fill a schedule.

There have been 0 documented cases of gang violence at any MCPS HS in more than a decade. Many of the far-right astrotrufers that post here will try to pretend otherwise. Last time this came up they could only show links about gang activity in HS in Texas. This is just plan old fearmongering.

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Anonymous wrote:Op if you are still reading, Wootton is the right answer. No comparison between two unless your kid is accepted into IB.

please. The vast majority of kids at RM are not in IB, and they do fine.

But, yes, if you want a pressure cooker environment with no diversity, choose Wootton.

What does "they do fine" mean? I know we all have different expectations for our kids. At least "get accepted to UMCP" fine? Most non-IB kids have stats high enough for UMCP?

Yes. Believe it or not, there is a contingent of UMC kids (white and Asian too!) who opted not to do IB. They are taking AP classes and will do fine after graduation.

I believe it. I mean I'd not all that interested in IB courses and would also prefer to focus on STEM.

LOL. Read results coming out of this thread

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1108817.page

? What does that have to do with anything? Trust me - I know white, UMC kids from RM who have gone on to UMD and other good schools. The non-IB kids ARE NOT all gang members.

Real-estate agents try to spin this to inflate housing prices, but of course, RM is the same as any other MCPS HS. The same kid will do as well as they would anyplace else. The differences aren't the school but the home life and parents.

Op here. Thanks to everyone for their feedback. Lots to think about.

Good luck. Select wisely.

Yes, just read some of the stereotyping some anti-RM posters have of a diverse school. Too many of "those" kids.

That's the kind of folks your kids would be exposed to - people who stereotype an entire school and the families who go there based on what they hear about but probably have zero experience in.

No one said RM is perfect, but some anti-RM posters are seriously clueless about the student body at RM.

People are not anti-RM. What you are seeing is people pushing back on posts that make non-IB RM like it's something special. It's not. Non IB RM is no different than any other MCPS HS (except W schools and BCC). They are all pretty f'ed.

This is what I am reading also. Non-IB is nothing special.

No one said it was "special", just not the ganglandia that some are making it out to be.

True but Wootton test scores are the same if not better than RM with an IB department. An IB that takes the smartest kids from all over the county. Which shows you that scores without IB would probably be similar to schools like Rockville and QO. Not terrible, but I would prefer the Wootton area. I also think they are the least likely to get overhauled with the 2 new high schools being built and rezoned. Besides that Rio area, Wootton's neighborhoods are all petty much around the high school and far away from the other high schools. I feel like RM has a chance to move to Crown or Gaithersburg and I would be leery about buying in that area because of it.

The other perk is that Wootton projected growth is level for the next 6 years. RM projections are going up another 600 students over the next 6 years. So obviously that means redistricting or a ton more portables on what is a pretty new school.

If you have time and reasonable googling skills, you can estimate this. I have done it years ago (when SAT was based on 2400). It is not hard to calculate and it was not pretty.

? ok, how would you do this? You are making the assumption that the top scores are all for IB students, and I don't think that's true.

find out class size, number of kids who took SAT, avg SAT score, number of IB kids, IB avg SAT score (and assume of IB kids took the exam which is a reasonable assumption). after that it's just simple math

The issue with this is approach is there are 25% IB spots reserved for RM students, and more IB seats open up in 11/12 grade, excluding IB kids scores is like taking out all the top students from RM.

Yes, there are much better opportunities for an advanced learner at RM.

Only if you apply into IB. Wootton actually has more AP offerings than RM

Nope... non IB students can take IB classes. Wootton probably offers more AP because they don't have IB as an option for even non IB kids.

People are throwing "facts" out there without even knowing the truth (to coin Kelley Ann Conway).

The OP said Wootton offered more AP classes and they do. They didn't mention anything about the IB classes. Many kids and colleges do not care about them. The IB diploma, yes. Taking a few IB courses? No.

A PP stated that RM only has more challenging classes if you are in IB. I'm replying to that. Non IB students can take IB classes and AP classes.

Wootton offers more AP classes because they don't have IB choices.

Colleges care if you take rigorous classes. IB classes would fit that, too.

As someone who has had two graduate RM already, I can confirm with the PP that colleges do not care about random IB courses. They rarely transfer to college credit and all it does is bring your GPA up, which an AP and even an honors does the same amount. They only care if you get the diploma. And jumping in at 11th grade to try and get the diploma, the track record 2 years ago was under 50%. So I am not sure it is worth the stress your last 2 years of high school.

Colleges care if you take the rigorous courses. If a school only offers IB <some subject> and not AP <the same subject> than they will look at the IB course.

Yes, it's hard to jump in at 11th grade because most aren't used to the rigor of IB magnet, which is why MCPS as a whole does a crap job of preparing kids for more rigorous courses, and this starts in MS.

#fakenews They offer plenty of rigorous courses. You just have to ensure you make the cut. Honestly you sound bitter.

np - which part is fake? i think first pp got it right.

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Anonymous wrote:Op if you are still reading, Wootton is the right answer. No comparison between two unless your kid is accepted into IB.

please. The vast majority of kids at RM are not in IB, and they do fine.

But, yes, if you want a pressure cooker environment with no diversity, choose Wootton.

What does "they do fine" mean? I know we all have different expectations for our kids. At least "get accepted to UMCP" fine? Most non-IB kids have stats high enough for UMCP?

Yes. Believe it or not, there is a contingent of UMC kids (white and Asian too!) who opted not to do IB. They are taking AP classes and will do fine after graduation.

I believe it. I mean I'd not all that interested in IB courses and would also prefer to focus on STEM.

LOL. Read results coming out of this thread

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1108817.page

? What does that have to do with anything? Trust me - I know white, UMC kids from RM who have gone on to UMD and other good schools. The non-IB kids ARE NOT all gang members.

Real-estate agents try to spin this to inflate housing prices, but of course, RM is the same as any other MCPS HS. The same kid will do as well as they would anyplace else. The differences aren't the school but the home life and parents.

Op here. Thanks to everyone for their feedback. Lots to think about.

Good luck. Select wisely.

Yes, just read some of the stereotyping some anti-RM posters have of a diverse school. Too many of "those" kids.

That's the kind of folks your kids would be exposed to - people who stereotype an entire school and the families who go there based on what they hear about but probably have zero experience in.

No one said RM is perfect, but some anti-RM posters are seriously clueless about the student body at RM.

People are not anti-RM. What you are seeing is people pushing back on posts that make non-IB RM like it's something special. It's not. Non IB RM is no different than any other MCPS HS (except W schools and BCC). They are all pretty f'ed.

This is what I am reading also. Non-IB is nothing special.

No one said it was "special", just not the ganglandia that some are making it out to be.

True but Wootton test scores are the same if not better than RM with an IB department. An IB that takes the smartest kids from all over the county. Which shows you that scores without IB would probably be similar to schools like Rockville and QO. Not terrible, but I would prefer the Wootton area. I also think they are the least likely to get overhauled with the 2 new high schools being built and rezoned. Besides that Rio area, Wootton's neighborhoods are all petty much around the high school and far away from the other high schools. I feel like RM has a chance to move to Crown or Gaithersburg and I would be leery about buying in that area because of it.

The other perk is that Wootton projected growth is level for the next 6 years. RM projections are going up another 600 students over the next 6 years. So obviously that means redistricting or a ton more portables on what is a pretty new school.

If you have time and reasonable googling skills, you can estimate this. I have done it years ago (when SAT was based on 2400). It is not hard to calculate and it was not pretty.

? ok, how would you do this? You are making the assumption that the top scores are all for IB students, and I don't think that's true.

find out class size, number of kids who took SAT, avg SAT score, number of IB kids, IB avg SAT score (and assume of IB kids took the exam which is a reasonable assumption). after that it's just simple math

The issue with this is approach is there are 25% IB spots reserved for RM students, and more IB seats open up in 11/12 grade, excluding IB kids scores is like taking out all the top students from RM.

Yes, there are much better opportunities for an advanced learner at RM.

Only if you apply into IB. Wootton actually has more AP offerings than RM

Perhaps, but the W's also have a history of racially motivated hate incidents that recur regularly.

Can you please describe further? We aren't white and this is something we think about. -OP

NP here - we are not white from a biracial family and attend Wootton. I have family at RM and they are happy there as well. We chose Wootton because we wanted strong academics without the super wealth that happens at Churchill and Whitman. Can you get that at RM? Absolutely. For us we believed that from elementary to high school Wootton was the stronger cluster to be in so that is what we did. You get plenty of diversity both racially and socio economically at Wootton just like at RM. You also still see fights, drugs and vaping just like you do at RM. Again for us we decided Wootton was the better of the two options. Both give you the "real world".

wootton is only "plenty" diverse if you compare it to Whitman. In MCPS, neither schools are considered "diverse", either racially or SES. Just look at their stats compared to RM, QO, and county as a whole.

what's so f'king big deal about diversity? isn't your kid's learning more important? MoCo is one of the most diverse county in the country already. we cannot and should not trade good education with diversity crap. education should always come first.

1. I was responding to the ^^PPs point about diversity
2. Some people do care about diversity. Not all of us are white. Some people don't feel comfortable being one of only a handful of kids of a particular background. My nieces have gone through that. I would never do that to my kids.
3. Learning is important, but so is the social/emotional aspects of the learning environment. Kids spend six hours at school, and after school activities. Most of their friends are from school. Feeling included is important.
When I was in HS I did really well academically but not socially, and I was miserable. I don't want that for my kids.

My kids are at RM, and they like it.

No one is saying diversity is not important. My point is this entire area is already diverse enough. People tend to use diversity as an excuse to cover-up broken system. Gang issues? Well, but see how diverse we are. Low performance? Don't worry because we have one of the most diverse school systems...etc. I am glad you like RM. More power to you. But don't say RM is "better" because it's more diverse than other schools. I am not white either and I certainly do appreciate how it feels to be different. But, at the end of the day, kids need to learn.

1) There have been 0 gang incidents at any MCPS school in over a decade.
2) Some schools aren't all that diverse compared to the county.
3) Test score averages are simply a reflection of a school's overall SES but every MCPS school has rigorous course offerings.

1. They are ruling out gang issue in one of the latest incidents at RM right now. There are at least 2 confirmed at Gaithersburg High School and one at Magruder in the past decade.
2. True but that has more to do with the fact that many people of the same culture or race prefer to live near others - especially Asian and Hispanic. And others are just overpriced previous white areas and non-whites don't want to pay the price and send their kids to all-white schools. So they send them to secular privates which do a much better job with diversity and education.
3. MCPS absolutely does not have rigorous course offerings in every school. Certain high schools don't offer a lot of AP's. If kids are eligible, they have to take them online.

I'm confused by this post.
Not sure that it matters whether violence is gang related or not. Violence is violence.
Plenty of non white people at Wootton. Can't compare a $40k per year school to public. They will obviously have the resources to do a "better" job at just about everything but some parents prefer the public school option even if they could afford private.
Can't speak to course offerings at all schools but again Wootton has more than enough AP courses to fill a schedule.

I think "there has been 0 gang violence in MCPS" poster is using very strict definition of "gang violence" (i.e., one must be organized and identified by police or something like that). Most reasonable people would define as any violence by thugs (with or without gang affirmation).

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Op if you are still reading, Wootton is the right answer. No comparison between two unless your kid is accepted into IB.

please. The vast majority of kids at RM are not in IB, and they do fine.

But, yes, if you want a pressure cooker environment with no diversity, choose Wootton.

What does "they do fine" mean? I know we all have different expectations for our kids. At least "get accepted to UMCP" fine? Most non-IB kids have stats high enough for UMCP?

Yes. Believe it or not, there is a contingent of UMC kids (white and Asian too!) who opted not to do IB. They are taking AP classes and will do fine after graduation.

I believe it. I mean I'd not all that interested in IB courses and would also prefer to focus on STEM.

LOL. Read results coming out of this thread

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1108817.page

? What does that have to do with anything? Trust me - I know white, UMC kids from RM who have gone on to UMD and other good schools. The non-IB kids ARE NOT all gang members.

Real-estate agents try to spin this to inflate housing prices, but of course, RM is the same as any other MCPS HS. The same kid will do as well as they would anyplace else. The differences aren't the school but the home life and parents.

Op here. Thanks to everyone for their feedback. Lots to think about.

Good luck. Select wisely.

Yes, just read some of the stereotyping some anti-RM posters have of a diverse school. Too many of "those" kids.

That's the kind of folks your kids would be exposed to - people who stereotype an entire school and the families who go there based on what they hear about but probably have zero experience in.

No one said RM is perfect, but some anti-RM posters are seriously clueless about the student body at RM.

People are not anti-RM. What you are seeing is people pushing back on posts that make non-IB RM like it's something special. It's not. Non IB RM is no different than any other MCPS HS (except W schools and BCC). They are all pretty f'ed.

This is what I am reading also. Non-IB is nothing special.

No one said it was "special", just not the ganglandia that some are making it out to be.

True but Wootton test scores are the same if not better than RM with an IB department. An IB that takes the smartest kids from all over the county. Which shows you that scores without IB would probably be similar to schools like Rockville and QO. Not terrible, but I would prefer the Wootton area. I also think they are the least likely to get overhauled with the 2 new high schools being built and rezoned. Besides that Rio area, Wootton's neighborhoods are all petty much around the high school and far away from the other high schools. I feel like RM has a chance to move to Crown or Gaithersburg and I would be leery about buying in that area because of it.

The other perk is that Wootton projected growth is level for the next 6 years. RM projections are going up another 600 students over the next 6 years. So obviously that means redistricting or a ton more portables on what is a pretty new school.

If you have time and reasonable googling skills, you can estimate this. I have done it years ago (when SAT was based on 2400). It is not hard to calculate and it was not pretty.

? ok, how would you do this? You are making the assumption that the top scores are all for IB students, and I don't think that's true.

find out class size, number of kids who took SAT, avg SAT score, number of IB kids, IB avg SAT score (and assume of IB kids took the exam which is a reasonable assumption). after that it's just simple math

The issue with this is approach is there are 25% IB spots reserved for RM students, and more IB seats open up in 11/12 grade, excluding IB kids scores is like taking out all the top students from RM.

Yes, there are much better opportunities for an advanced learner at RM.

Only if you apply into IB. Wootton actually has more AP offerings than RM

Nope... non IB students can take IB classes. Wootton probably offers more AP because they don't have IB as an option for even non IB kids.

People are throwing "facts" out there without even knowing the truth (to coin Kelley Ann Conway).

The OP said Wootton offered more AP classes and they do. They didn't mention anything about the IB classes. Many kids and colleges do not care about them. The IB diploma, yes. Taking a few IB courses? No.

A PP stated that RM only has more challenging classes if you are in IB. I'm replying to that. Non IB students can take IB classes and AP classes.

Wootton offers more AP classes because they don't have IB choices.

Colleges care if you take rigorous classes. IB classes would fit that, too.

As someone who has had two graduate RM already, I can confirm with the PP that colleges do not care about random IB courses. They rarely transfer to college credit and all it does is bring your GPA up, which an AP and even an honors does the same amount. They only care if you get the diploma. And jumping in at 11th grade to try and get the diploma, the track record 2 years ago was under 50%. So I am not sure it is worth the stress your last 2 years of high school.

Colleges care if you take the rigorous courses. If a school only offers IB <some subject> and not AP <the same subject> than they will look at the IB course.

Yes, it's hard to jump in at 11th grade because most aren't used to the rigor of IB magnet, which is why MCPS as a whole does a crap job of preparing kids for more rigorous courses, and this starts in MS.

#fakenews They offer plenty of rigorous courses. You just have to ensure you make the cut. Honestly you sound bitter.

? I don't know what the heck you are talking about. Of course you have to make the cut. Did I say otherwise? I stated that MCPS does a crap job of preparing kids for more rigorous course work, and that's partly why kids who join IB in 11th grade have a harder time.

Bitter? Nah.. my kid is in RMIB. Made the cut early on. Completely bored in in MS.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Op if you are still reading, Wootton is the right answer. No comparison between two unless your kid is accepted into IB.

please. The vast majority of kids at RM are not in IB, and they do fine.

But, yes, if you want a pressure cooker environment with no diversity, choose Wootton.

What does "they do fine" mean? I know we all have different expectations for our kids. At least "get accepted to UMCP" fine? Most non-IB kids have stats high enough for UMCP?

Yes. Believe it or not, there is a contingent of UMC kids (white and Asian too!) who opted not to do IB. They are taking AP classes and will do fine after graduation.

I believe it. I mean I'd not all that interested in IB courses and would also prefer to focus on STEM.

LOL. Read results coming out of this thread

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1108817.page

? What does that have to do with anything? Trust me - I know white, UMC kids from RM who have gone on to UMD and other good schools. The non-IB kids ARE NOT all gang members.

Real-estate agents try to spin this to inflate housing prices, but of course, RM is the same as any other MCPS HS. The same kid will do as well as they would anyplace else. The differences aren't the school but the home life and parents.

Op here. Thanks to everyone for their feedback. Lots to think about.

Good luck. Select wisely.

Yes, just read some of the stereotyping some anti-RM posters have of a diverse school. Too many of "those" kids.

That's the kind of folks your kids would be exposed to - people who stereotype an entire school and the families who go there based on what they hear about but probably have zero experience in.

No one said RM is perfect, but some anti-RM posters are seriously clueless about the student body at RM.

People are not anti-RM. What you are seeing is people pushing back on posts that make non-IB RM like it's something special. It's not. Non IB RM is no different than any other MCPS HS (except W schools and BCC). They are all pretty f'ed.

This is what I am reading also. Non-IB is nothing special.

No one said it was "special", just not the ganglandia that some are making it out to be.

True but Wootton test scores are the same if not better than RM with an IB department. An IB that takes the smartest kids from all over the county. Which shows you that scores without IB would probably be similar to schools like Rockville and QO. Not terrible, but I would prefer the Wootton area. I also think they are the least likely to get overhauled with the 2 new high schools being built and rezoned. Besides that Rio area, Wootton's neighborhoods are all petty much around the high school and far away from the other high schools. I feel like RM has a chance to move to Crown or Gaithersburg and I would be leery about buying in that area because of it.

The other perk is that Wootton projected growth is level for the next 6 years. RM projections are going up another 600 students over the next 6 years. So obviously that means redistricting or a ton more portables on what is a pretty new school.

If you have time and reasonable googling skills, you can estimate this. I have done it years ago (when SAT was based on 2400). It is not hard to calculate and it was not pretty.

? ok, how would you do this? You are making the assumption that the top scores are all for IB students, and I don't think that's true.

find out class size, number of kids who took SAT, avg SAT score, number of IB kids, IB avg SAT score (and assume of IB kids took the exam which is a reasonable assumption). after that it's just simple math

The issue with this is approach is there are 25% IB spots reserved for RM students, and more IB seats open up in 11/12 grade, excluding IB kids scores is like taking out all the top students from RM.

Yes, there are much better opportunities for an advanced learner at RM.

Only if you apply into IB. Wootton actually has more AP offerings than RM

Perhaps, but the W's also have a history of racially motivated hate incidents that recur regularly.

Can you please describe further? We aren't white and this is something we think about. -OP

NP here - we are not white from a biracial family and attend Wootton. I have family at RM and they are happy there as well. We chose Wootton because we wanted strong academics without the super wealth that happens at Churchill and Whitman. Can you get that at RM? Absolutely. For us we believed that from elementary to high school Wootton was the stronger cluster to be in so that is what we did. You get plenty of diversity both racially and socio economically at Wootton just like at RM. You also still see fights, drugs and vaping just like you do at RM. Again for us we decided Wootton was the better of the two options. Both give you the "real world".

wootton is only "plenty" diverse if you compare it to Whitman. In MCPS, neither schools are considered "diverse", either racially or SES. Just look at their stats compared to RM, QO, and county as a whole.

what's so f'king big deal about diversity? isn't your kid's learning more important? MoCo is one of the most diverse county in the country already. we cannot and should not trade good education with diversity crap. education should always come first.

1. I was responding to the ^^PPs point about diversity
2. Some people do care about diversity. Not all of us are white. Some people don't feel comfortable being one of only a handful of kids of a particular background. My nieces have gone through that. I would never do that to my kids.
3. Learning is important, but so is the social/emotional aspects of the learning environment. Kids spend six hours at school, and after school activities. Most of their friends are from school. Feeling included is important.
When I was in HS I did really well academically but not socially, and I was miserable. I don't want that for my kids.

My kids are at RM, and they like it.

No one is saying diversity is not important. My point is this entire area is already diverse enough. People tend to use diversity as an excuse to cover-up broken system. Gang issues? Well, but see how diverse we are. Low performance? Don't worry because we have one of the most diverse school systems...etc. I am glad you like RM. More power to you. But don't say RM is "better" because it's more diverse than other schools. I am not white either and I certainly do appreciate how it feels to be different. But, at the end of the day, kids need to learn.

1) There have been 0 gang incidents at any MCPS school in over a decade.
2) Some schools aren't all that diverse compared to the county.
3) Test score averages are simply a reflection of a school's overall SES but every MCPS school has rigorous course offerings.

1. They are ruling out gang issue in one of the latest incidents at RM right now. There are at least 2 confirmed at Gaithersburg High School and one at Magruder in the past decade.
2. True but that has more to do with the fact that many people of the same culture or race prefer to live near others - especially Asian and Hispanic. And others are just overpriced previous white areas and non-whites don't want to pay the price and send their kids to all-white schools. So they send them to secular privates which do a much better job with diversity and education.
3. MCPS absolutely does not have rigorous course offerings in every school. Certain high schools don't offer a lot of AP's. If kids are eligible, they have to take them online.

I'm confused by this post.
Not sure that it matters whether violence is gang related or not. Violence is violence.
Plenty of non white people at Wootton. Can't compare a $40k per year school to public. They will obviously have the resources to do a "better" job at just about everything but some parents prefer the public school option even if they could afford private.
Can't speak to course offerings at all schools but again Wootton has more than enough AP courses to fill a schedule.

I think "there has been 0 gang violence in MCPS" poster is using very strict definition of "gang violence" (i.e., one must be organized and identified by police or something like that). Most reasonable people would define as any violence by thugs (with or without gang affirmation).

So, violence by thugs is bad but violence by non-thugs is ok? You don't think nice white kids get into fights? lol

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Op if you are still reading, Wootton is the right answer. No comparison between two unless your kid is accepted into IB.

please. The vast majority of kids at RM are not in IB, and they do fine.

But, yes, if you want a pressure cooker environment with no diversity, choose Wootton.

What does "they do fine" mean? I know we all have different expectations for our kids. At least "get accepted to UMCP" fine? Most non-IB kids have stats high enough for UMCP?

Yes. Believe it or not, there is a contingent of UMC kids (white and Asian too!) who opted not to do IB. They are taking AP classes and will do fine after graduation.

I believe it. I mean I'd not all that interested in IB courses and would also prefer to focus on STEM.

LOL. Read results coming out of this thread

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1108817.page

? What does that have to do with anything? Trust me - I know white, UMC kids from RM who have gone on to UMD and other good schools. The non-IB kids ARE NOT all gang members.

Real-estate agents try to spin this to inflate housing prices, but of course, RM is the same as any other MCPS HS. The same kid will do as well as they would anyplace else. The differences aren't the school but the home life and parents.

Op here. Thanks to everyone for their feedback. Lots to think about.

Good luck. Select wisely.

Yes, just read some of the stereotyping some anti-RM posters have of a diverse school. Too many of "those" kids.

That's the kind of folks your kids would be exposed to - people who stereotype an entire school and the families who go there based on what they hear about but probably have zero experience in.

No one said RM is perfect, but some anti-RM posters are seriously clueless about the student body at RM.

People are not anti-RM. What you are seeing is people pushing back on posts that make non-IB RM like it's something special. It's not. Non IB RM is no different than any other MCPS HS (except W schools and BCC). They are all pretty f'ed.

This is what I am reading also. Non-IB is nothing special.

No one said it was "special", just not the ganglandia that some are making it out to be.

True but Wootton test scores are the same if not better than RM with an IB department. An IB that takes the smartest kids from all over the county. Which shows you that scores without IB would probably be similar to schools like Rockville and QO. Not terrible, but I would prefer the Wootton area. I also think they are the least likely to get overhauled with the 2 new high schools being built and rezoned. Besides that Rio area, Wootton's neighborhoods are all petty much around the high school and far away from the other high schools. I feel like RM has a chance to move to Crown or Gaithersburg and I would be leery about buying in that area because of it.

The other perk is that Wootton projected growth is level for the next 6 years. RM projections are going up another 600 students over the next 6 years. So obviously that means redistricting or a ton more portables on what is a pretty new school.

If you have time and reasonable googling skills, you can estimate this. I have done it years ago (when SAT was based on 2400). It is not hard to calculate and it was not pretty.

? ok, how would you do this? You are making the assumption that the top scores are all for IB students, and I don't think that's true.

find out class size, number of kids who took SAT, avg SAT score, number of IB kids, IB avg SAT score (and assume of IB kids took the exam which is a reasonable assumption). after that it's just simple math

The issue with this is approach is there are 25% IB spots reserved for RM students, and more IB seats open up in 11/12 grade, excluding IB kids scores is like taking out all the top students from RM.

Yes, there are much better opportunities for an advanced learner at RM.

Only if you apply into IB. Wootton actually has more AP offerings than RM

Perhaps, but the W's also have a history of racially motivated hate incidents that recur regularly.

Can you please describe further? We aren't white and this is something we think about. -OP

NP here - we are not white from a biracial family and attend Wootton. I have family at RM and they are happy there as well. We chose Wootton because we wanted strong academics without the super wealth that happens at Churchill and Whitman. Can you get that at RM? Absolutely. For us we believed that from elementary to high school Wootton was the stronger cluster to be in so that is what we did. You get plenty of diversity both racially and socio economically at Wootton just like at RM. You also still see fights, drugs and vaping just like you do at RM. Again for us we decided Wootton was the better of the two options. Both give you the "real world".

wootton is only "plenty" diverse if you compare it to Whitman. In MCPS, neither schools are considered "diverse", either racially or SES. Just look at their stats compared to RM, QO, and county as a whole.

what's so f'king big deal about diversity? isn't your kid's learning more important? MoCo is one of the most diverse county in the country already. we cannot and should not trade good education with diversity crap. education should always come first.

1. I was responding to the ^^PPs point about diversity
2. Some people do care about diversity. Not all of us are white. Some people don't feel comfortable being one of only a handful of kids of a particular background. My nieces have gone through that. I would never do that to my kids.
3. Learning is important, but so is the social/emotional aspects of the learning environment. Kids spend six hours at school, and after school activities. Most of their friends are from school. Feeling included is important.
When I was in HS I did really well academically but not socially, and I was miserable. I don't want that for my kids.

My kids are at RM, and they like it.

No one is saying diversity is not important. My point is this entire area is already diverse enough. People tend to use diversity as an excuse to cover-up broken system. Gang issues? Well, but see how diverse we are. Low performance? Don't worry because we have one of the most diverse school systems...etc. I am glad you like RM. More power to you. But don't say RM is "better" because it's more diverse than other schools. I am not white either and I certainly do appreciate how it feels to be different. But, at the end of the day, kids need to learn.

1) There have been 0 gang incidents at any MCPS school in over a decade.
2) Some schools aren't all that diverse compared to the county.
3) Test score averages are simply a reflection of a school's overall SES but every MCPS school has rigorous course offerings.

1. They are ruling out gang issue in one of the latest incidents at RM right now. There are at least 2 confirmed at Gaithersburg High School and one at Magruder in the past decade.
2. True but that has more to do with the fact that many people of the same culture or race prefer to live near others - especially Asian and Hispanic. And others are just overpriced previous white areas and non-whites don't want to pay the price and send their kids to all-white schools. So they send them to secular privates which do a much better job with diversity and education.
3. MCPS absolutely does not have rigorous course offerings in every school. Certain high schools don't offer a lot of AP's. If kids are eligible, they have to take them online.

I'm confused by this post.
Not sure that it matters whether violence is gang related or not. Violence is violence.
Plenty of non white people at Wootton. Can't compare a $40k per year school to public. They will obviously have the resources to do a "better" job at just about everything but some parents prefer the public school option even if they could afford private.
Can't speak to course offerings at all schools but again Wootton has more than enough AP courses to fill a schedule.

I think "there has been 0 gang violence in MCPS" poster is using very strict definition of "gang violence" (i.e., one must be organized and identified by police or something like that). Most reasonable people would define as any violence by thugs (with or without gang affirmation).

So, violence by thugs is bad but violence by non-thugs is ok? You don't think nice white kids get into fights? lol

Wow. YOu must be dumber than I thought...

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Anonymous wrote:Op if you are still reading, Wootton is the right answer. No comparison between two unless your kid is accepted into IB.

please. The vast majority of kids at RM are not in IB, and they do fine.

But, yes, if you want a pressure cooker environment with no diversity, choose Wootton.

What does "they do fine" mean? I know we all have different expectations for our kids. At least "get accepted to UMCP" fine? Most non-IB kids have stats high enough for UMCP?

Yes. Believe it or not, there is a contingent of UMC kids (white and Asian too!) who opted not to do IB. They are taking AP classes and will do fine after graduation.

I believe it. I mean I'd not all that interested in IB courses and would also prefer to focus on STEM.

LOL. Read results coming out of this thread

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1108817.page

? What does that have to do with anything? Trust me - I know white, UMC kids from RM who have gone on to UMD and other good schools. The non-IB kids ARE NOT all gang members.

Real-estate agents try to spin this to inflate housing prices, but of course, RM is the same as any other MCPS HS. The same kid will do as well as they would anyplace else. The differences aren't the school but the home life and parents.

Op here. Thanks to everyone for their feedback. Lots to think about.

Good luck. Select wisely.

Yes, just read some of the stereotyping some anti-RM posters have of a diverse school. Too many of "those" kids.

That's the kind of folks your kids would be exposed to - people who stereotype an entire school and the families who go there based on what they hear about but probably have zero experience in.

No one said RM is perfect, but some anti-RM posters are seriously clueless about the student body at RM.

People are not anti-RM. What you are seeing is people pushing back on posts that make non-IB RM like it's something special. It's not. Non IB RM is no different than any other MCPS HS (except W schools and BCC). They are all pretty f'ed.

This is what I am reading also. Non-IB is nothing special.

No one said it was "special", just not the ganglandia that some are making it out to be.

True but Wootton test scores are the same if not better than RM with an IB department. An IB that takes the smartest kids from all over the county. Which shows you that scores without IB would probably be similar to schools like Rockville and QO. Not terrible, but I would prefer the Wootton area. I also think they are the least likely to get overhauled with the 2 new high schools being built and rezoned. Besides that Rio area, Wootton's neighborhoods are all petty much around the high school and far away from the other high schools. I feel like RM has a chance to move to Crown or Gaithersburg and I would be leery about buying in that area because of it.

The other perk is that Wootton projected growth is level for the next 6 years. RM projections are going up another 600 students over the next 6 years. So obviously that means redistricting or a ton more portables on what is a pretty new school.

If you have time and reasonable googling skills, you can estimate this. I have done it years ago (when SAT was based on 2400). It is not hard to calculate and it was not pretty.

? ok, how would you do this? You are making the assumption that the top scores are all for IB students, and I don't think that's true.

find out class size, number of kids who took SAT, avg SAT score, number of IB kids, IB avg SAT score (and assume of IB kids took the exam which is a reasonable assumption). after that it's just simple math

The issue with this is approach is there are 25% IB spots reserved for RM students, and more IB seats open up in 11/12 grade, excluding IB kids scores is like taking out all the top students from RM.

Yes, there are much better opportunities for an advanced learner at RM.

Only if you apply into IB. Wootton actually has more AP offerings than RM

Nope... non IB students can take IB classes. Wootton probably offers more AP because they don't have IB as an option for even non IB kids.

People are throwing "facts" out there without even knowing the truth (to coin Kelley Ann Conway).

The OP said Wootton offered more AP classes and they do. They didn't mention anything about the IB classes. Many kids and colleges do not care about them. The IB diploma, yes. Taking a few IB courses? No.

A PP stated that RM only has more challenging classes if you are in IB. I'm replying to that. Non IB students can take IB classes and AP classes.

Wootton offers more AP classes because they don't have IB choices.

Colleges care if you take rigorous classes. IB classes would fit that, too.

As someone who has had two graduate RM already, I can confirm with the PP that colleges do not care about random IB courses. They rarely transfer to college credit and all it does is bring your GPA up, which an AP and even an honors does the same amount. They only care if you get the diploma. And jumping in at 11th grade to try and get the diploma, the track record 2 years ago was under 50%. So I am not sure it is worth the stress your last 2 years of high school.

Colleges care if you take the rigorous courses. If a school only offers IB <some subject> and not AP <the same subject> than they will look at the IB course.

Yes, it's hard to jump in at 11th grade because most aren't used to the rigor of IB magnet, which is why MCPS as a whole does a crap job of preparing kids for more rigorous courses, and this starts in MS.

My kid is at JW and there are zero rigorous courses here. What are you talking about?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Op if you are still reading, Wootton is the right answer. No comparison between two unless your kid is accepted into IB.

please. The vast majority of kids at RM are not in IB, and they do fine.

But, yes, if you want a pressure cooker environment with no diversity, choose Wootton.

What does "they do fine" mean? I know we all have different expectations for our kids. At least "get accepted to UMCP" fine? Most non-IB kids have stats high enough for UMCP?

Yes. Believe it or not, there is a contingent of UMC kids (white and Asian too!) who opted not to do IB. They are taking AP classes and will do fine after graduation.

I believe it. I mean I'd not all that interested in IB courses and would also prefer to focus on STEM.

LOL. Read results coming out of this thread

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1108817.page

? What does that have to do with anything? Trust me - I know white, UMC kids from RM who have gone on to UMD and other good schools. The non-IB kids ARE NOT all gang members.

Real-estate agents try to spin this to inflate housing prices, but of course, RM is the same as any other MCPS HS. The same kid will do as well as they would anyplace else. The differences aren't the school but the home life and parents.

Op here. Thanks to everyone for their feedback. Lots to think about.

Good luck. Select wisely.

Yes, just read some of the stereotyping some anti-RM posters have of a diverse school. Too many of "those" kids.

That's the kind of folks your kids would be exposed to - people who stereotype an entire school and the families who go there based on what they hear about but probably have zero experience in.

No one said RM is perfect, but some anti-RM posters are seriously clueless about the student body at RM.

People are not anti-RM. What you are seeing is people pushing back on posts that make non-IB RM like it's something special. It's not. Non IB RM is no different than any other MCPS HS (except W schools and BCC). They are all pretty f'ed.

This is what I am reading also. Non-IB is nothing special.

No one said it was "special", just not the ganglandia that some are making it out to be.

True but Wootton test scores are the same if not better than RM with an IB department. An IB that takes the smartest kids from all over the county. Which shows you that scores without IB would probably be similar to schools like Rockville and QO. Not terrible, but I would prefer the Wootton area. I also think they are the least likely to get overhauled with the 2 new high schools being built and rezoned. Besides that Rio area, Wootton's neighborhoods are all petty much around the high school and far away from the other high schools. I feel like RM has a chance to move to Crown or Gaithersburg and I would be leery about buying in that area because of it.

The other perk is that Wootton projected growth is level for the next 6 years. RM projections are going up another 600 students over the next 6 years. So obviously that means redistricting or a ton more portables on what is a pretty new school.

If you have time and reasonable googling skills, you can estimate this. I have done it years ago (when SAT was based on 2400). It is not hard to calculate and it was not pretty.

? ok, how would you do this? You are making the assumption that the top scores are all for IB students, and I don't think that's true.

find out class size, number of kids who took SAT, avg SAT score, number of IB kids, IB avg SAT score (and assume of IB kids took the exam which is a reasonable assumption). after that it's just simple math

The issue with this is approach is there are 25% IB spots reserved for RM students, and more IB seats open up in 11/12 grade, excluding IB kids scores is like taking out all the top students from RM.

Yes, there are much better opportunities for an advanced learner at RM.

Only if you apply into IB. Wootton actually has more AP offerings than RM

Nope... non IB students can take IB classes. Wootton probably offers more AP because they don't have IB as an option for even non IB kids.

People are throwing "facts" out there without even knowing the truth (to coin Kelley Ann Conway).

The OP said Wootton offered more AP classes and they do. They didn't mention anything about the IB classes. Many kids and colleges do not care about them. The IB diploma, yes. Taking a few IB courses? No.

A PP stated that RM only has more challenging classes if you are in IB. I'm replying to that. Non IB students can take IB classes and AP classes.

Wootton offers more AP classes because they don't have IB choices.

Colleges care if you take rigorous classes. IB classes would fit that, too.

As someone who has had two graduate RM already, I can confirm with the PP that colleges do not care about random IB courses. They rarely transfer to college credit and all it does is bring your GPA up, which an AP and even an honors does the same amount. They only care if you get the diploma. And jumping in at 11th grade to try and get the diploma, the track record 2 years ago was under 50%. So I am not sure it is worth the stress your last 2 years of high school.

Colleges care if you take the rigorous courses. If a school only offers IB <some subject> and not AP <the same subject> than they will look at the IB course.

Yes, it's hard to jump in at 11th grade because most aren't used to the rigor of IB magnet, which is why MCPS as a whole does a crap job of preparing kids for more rigorous courses, and this starts in MS.

My kid is at JW and there are zero rigorous courses here. What are you talking about?

You are mistaken. Every MS offers some combination of Global Humanities, Advanced English, Honors Geometry and Foreign Lanaugage which are all rigorous and challenging courses that prepare MS students for HS even JW MS.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op if you are still reading, Wootton is the right answer. No comparison between two unless your kid is accepted into IB.

please. The vast majority of kids at RM are not in IB, and they do fine.

But, yes, if you want a pressure cooker environment with no diversity, choose Wootton.

What does "they do fine" mean? I know we all have different expectations for our kids. At least "get accepted to UMCP" fine? Most non-IB kids have stats high enough for UMCP?

Yes. Believe it or not, there is a contingent of UMC kids (white and Asian too!) who opted not to do IB. They are taking AP classes and will do fine after graduation.

I believe it. I mean I'd not all that interested in IB courses and would also prefer to focus on STEM.

LOL. Read results coming out of this thread

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1108817.page

? What does that have to do with anything? Trust me - I know white, UMC kids from RM who have gone on to UMD and other good schools. The non-IB kids ARE NOT all gang members.

Real-estate agents try to spin this to inflate housing prices, but of course, RM is the same as any other MCPS HS. The same kid will do as well as they would anyplace else. The differences aren't the school but the home life and parents.

Op here. Thanks to everyone for their feedback. Lots to think about.

Good luck. Select wisely.

Yes, just read some of the stereotyping some anti-RM posters have of a diverse school. Too many of "those" kids.

That's the kind of folks your kids would be exposed to - people who stereotype an entire school and the families who go there based on what they hear about but probably have zero experience in.

No one said RM is perfect, but some anti-RM posters are seriously clueless about the student body at RM.

People are not anti-RM. What you are seeing is people pushing back on posts that make non-IB RM like it's something special. It's not. Non IB RM is no different than any other MCPS HS (except W schools and BCC). They are all pretty f'ed.

This is what I am reading also. Non-IB is nothing special.

No one said it was "special", just not the ganglandia that some are making it out to be.

True but Wootton test scores are the same if not better than RM with an IB department. An IB that takes the smartest kids from all over the county. Which shows you that scores without IB would probably be similar to schools like Rockville and QO. Not terrible, but I would prefer the Wootton area. I also think they are the least likely to get overhauled with the 2 new high schools being built and rezoned. Besides that Rio area, Wootton's neighborhoods are all petty much around the high school and far away from the other high schools. I feel like RM has a chance to move to Crown or Gaithersburg and I would be leery about buying in that area because of it.

The other perk is that Wootton projected growth is level for the next 6 years. RM projections are going up another 600 students over the next 6 years. So obviously that means redistricting or a ton more portables on what is a pretty new school.

If you have time and reasonable googling skills, you can estimate this. I have done it years ago (when SAT was based on 2400). It is not hard to calculate and it was not pretty.

? ok, how would you do this? You are making the assumption that the top scores are all for IB students, and I don't think that's true.

find out class size, number of kids who took SAT, avg SAT score, number of IB kids, IB avg SAT score (and assume of IB kids took the exam which is a reasonable assumption). after that it's just simple math

The issue with this is approach is there are 25% IB spots reserved for RM students, and more IB seats open up in 11/12 grade, excluding IB kids scores is like taking out all the top students from RM.

Yes, there are much better opportunities for an advanced learner at RM.

Only if you apply into IB. Wootton actually has more AP offerings than RM

Perhaps, but the W's also have a history of racially motivated hate incidents that recur regularly.

Can you please describe further? We aren't white and this is something we think about. -OP

NP here - we are not white from a biracial family and attend Wootton. I have family at RM and they are happy there as well. We chose Wootton because we wanted strong academics without the super wealth that happens at Churchill and Whitman. Can you get that at RM? Absolutely. For us we believed that from elementary to high school Wootton was the stronger cluster to be in so that is what we did. You get plenty of diversity both racially and socio economically at Wootton just like at RM. You also still see fights, drugs and vaping just like you do at RM. Again for us we decided Wootton was the better of the two options. Both give you the "real world".

wootton is only "plenty" diverse if you compare it to Whitman. In MCPS, neither schools are considered "diverse", either racially or SES. Just look at their stats compared to RM, QO, and county as a whole.

what's so f'king big deal about diversity? isn't your kid's learning more important? MoCo is one of the most diverse county in the country already. we cannot and should not trade good education with diversity crap. education should always come first.

1. I was responding to the ^^PPs point about diversity
2. Some people do care about diversity. Not all of us are white. Some people don't feel comfortable being one of only a handful of kids of a particular background. My nieces have gone through that. I would never do that to my kids.
3. Learning is important, but so is the social/emotional aspects of the learning environment. Kids spend six hours at school, and after school activities. Most of their friends are from school. Feeling included is important.
When I was in HS I did really well academically but not socially, and I was miserable. I don't want that for my kids.

My kids are at RM, and they like it.

No one is saying diversity is not important. My point is this entire area is already diverse enough. People tend to use diversity as an excuse to cover-up broken system. Gang issues? Well, but see how diverse we are. Low performance? Don't worry because we have one of the most diverse school systems...etc. I am glad you like RM. More power to you. But don't say RM is "better" because it's more diverse than other schools. I am not white either and I certainly do appreciate how it feels to be different. But, at the end of the day, kids need to learn.

1) There have been 0 gang incidents at any MCPS school in over a decade.
2) Some schools aren't all that diverse compared to the county.
3) Test score averages are simply a reflection of a school's overall SES but every MCPS school has rigorous course offerings.

1. They are ruling out gang issue in one of the latest incidents at RM right now. There are at least 2 confirmed at Gaithersburg High School and one at Magruder in the past decade.
2. True but that has more to do with the fact that many people of the same culture or race prefer to live near others - especially Asian and Hispanic. And others are just overpriced previous white areas and non-whites don't want to pay the price and send their kids to all-white schools. So they send them to secular privates which do a much better job with diversity and education.
3. MCPS absolutely does not have rigorous course offerings in every school. Certain high schools don't offer a lot of AP's. If kids are eligible, they have to take them online.

I'm confused by this post.
Not sure that it matters whether violence is gang related or not. Violence is violence.
Plenty of non white people at Wootton. Can't compare a $40k per year school to public. They will obviously have the resources to do a "better" job at just about everything but some parents prefer the public school option even if they could afford private.
Can't speak to course offerings at all schools but again Wootton has more than enough AP courses to fill a schedule.

I think "there has been 0 gang violence in MCPS" poster is using very strict definition of "gang violence" (i.e., one must be organized and identified by police or something like that). Most reasonable people would define as any violence by thugs (with or without gang affirmation).

True, but there are a couple posters trying to hype these things in order to steer public opinion and fearmonger for their political ends.