Wootton or Churchill or RM

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can't go wrong with either school.

Both use the same curriculum and employ the same teachers etc.

[Anonymous]

When Dr. Doran was principal at Wootton it was the best HS in county. He knew every teacher, student and parent. Both of my boys graduated there and saw him all the time at school as well as most athletic events. Now I believe all these schools have gone downhill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hello all, looking for insight on these schools. We are looking for a SFH just off Falls Road and have found houses we like in all three high school zones. We are not familiar with these schools(currently live in HoCo). I know people will say HoCo schools are better and to just not move but we are 100% moving to this part of MoCo and open to other neighborhoods and schools nearby but these neighborhoods and schools are our focus for right now. What are the main differences between them? Churchill seems like the most well-known in the area and ranked the best, but that is not only what we care about. Looking for good schools K-12 with a well-rounded but academically competitive student body. Which school would you choose for your family and why? Thanks!!!

You'll be sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When Dr. Doran was principal at Wootton it was the best HS in county. He knew every teacher, student and parent. Both of my boys graduated there and saw him all the time at school as well as most athletic events. Now I believe all these schools have gone downhill.

I definitely agree that Wootton has gone downhill, but I think Churchill has gotten better since more UMC families have moved in rather than just the dirty rich population that had once existed. RM used to be much worse, it is better than 10 years ago.

[Anonymous]

When Dr. Doran was principal at Wootton it was the best HS in county. He knew every teacher, student and parent. Both of my boys graduated there and saw him all the time at school as well as most athletic events. Now I believe all these schools have gone downhill.

I don't think that Wootton has downhill. If anything its scores are higher now and it is consistently in the top 3 spots. I think the community is still in mourning and Wootton has lost its community feel. Dr Doran used to go out of his way to invite Frost and Cabin John families to things. Every event was a big deal and fun. He made the school an amazing place and was so engaged. He never pushed parents off or behaved like a punch the clock administrator. He made kids feel like they weren't invisible and welcomed. He shielded everyone from the insanity of MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When Dr. Doran was principal at Wootton it was the best HS in county. He knew every teacher, student and parent. Both of my boys graduated there and saw him all the time at school as well as most athletic events. Now I believe all these schools have gone downhill.

I definitely agree that Wootton has gone downhill, but I think Churchill has gotten better since more UMC families have moved in rather than just the dirty rich population that had once existed. RM used to be much worse, it is better than 10 years ago.

With the racial slurs, swastikas, and bullying reported at Churchill, I would avoid the cluster. The UMC population didn't improve the school climate and neither has the new principal.

I agree Dr. Doran was a rare gem of a principal and Wootton has had far fewer incidents of hate as compared to Churchill and RM.

[Anonymous]

Dr Doran dummed down Wootton. Yes, everyone loved him because he literally did nothing. Let the parents run the school. He had teachers there that had students in their classes who had already graduated.??? One girls sat in a psychology class for six months???? Athletics were more important than academics. Bullying crazy..He was a nice man and I'm very sorry for his family, but as a Wootton parent who had kids at the school with other principals nope not as great as his legacy seems to be. Parents at Wootton spend tons on outside help that's why the scores are good. Could not wait for my youngest to graduate.

[Anonymous]

All talk but little action to fix school climate issues at Churchill. Advisory periods are worthless if teachers are not on board with an agenda. My child said that it has basically become a study hall.

[Anonymous]

All three are good schools. If I had an slightly above average student I think Wooten or Churchill would be the best choices. I think a student who struggles even a little would be better accommodated at Richard Montgomery. A more advanced study who could qualify for the IB program would get the best education at RM. At RM you have two tracks one for students who might not do well in a pressure cooker and one that has high academic rigor. All three schools are fine choices.

[Anonymous]

All schools have gone downhill. RM has an administrator problem.

[Anonymous]

There's an MCPS update about the boundary study - they awarded the contract for the analysis.
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/publicinfo/boundary-analysis/


For those still looking at this thread and trying to figure out where to buy, it boils down to this:
1. Churchill is the wealthiest but also has some areas that are "only" upper middle class. This is the most racially segregated of the three.
2. Wootton has some wealthy but is mostly upper middle class. This school is mostly white and Asian.
3. RM has a few wealthy people, a lot of upper middle class people, and some middle class with a sprinkling of lower income people. This school has the most racial diversity as well as wealth and income diversity. RM is the only one with Metro access in the district and has more options for housing with the town center and this district has the largest range of housing prices. Many people can afford to live in RM that cannot afford to live in the other two.


All of that is subject to change given the district wide boundary survey that's happening. Many people in this thread seem to be in denial that there will actually be any kind of diversity changes. There's a very good chance that all the districts that are very lopsided will be redistricted to change them. In my mind, RM is actually the most likely to resemble it's current self after redistricting because of the current racial and income diversity in the district. If anything, they may peel part of the lower income areas out and reassign them to another high school while keeping part of it at RM. Most likely, King Farm will be reassigned to Crown or Gaithersburg and the south part of the area zoned for Twinbrook ES will be reassigned to WJ, Woodward (if open), Churchill, or Wootton.

[Anonymous]

What year is Crown likely to open?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What year is Crown likely to open?

Not for a while, Woodward will be sooner and probably the boundary study as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What year is Crown likely to open?

The new CIP will be presented at the Oct. 28th BOE meeting, and there should be a schedule for Crown HS included in it.

[Anonymous]

Wootton is the best school unless you want a total rich-kid environment. RM is plainly at the bottom of this list for quality and academics.