Is there a significant difference between Walter Johnson, Bethesda-Chevy Chase and Walt Whitman?

[Anonymous]

Just wondering as we start Bethesda house hunting...

[Anonymous]

haven't we covered this before?

[Anonymous]

Sorry...fairly new to the area. Could someone direct me to another thread maybe that has some info?

[Anonymous]

Maybe I was thinking of this thread which frankly wasn't all that helpful. http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/239200.page

All I can say - is that I would be happy if my child could attend any of those high schools. I don't know what specifically makes them different though.

[Anonymous]

We just moved to the area and my children will be attending the WJ cluster this fall. Since we're new, I don't claim to have first hand knowledge. However, here are so things I've read/been told:

Whitman is the most expensive area overall. I believe it has the highest test scores. It is very highly regarded, although some people say the high school can be a bit of a pressure cooker due to so many high achieving, affluent families.

BCC has a well regarded IB program. Scores are excellent, but not quite as high as Whitman. It has a more racially/ethnically diverse study body than Whitman. I've also been told there is a high percentage of international families at BCC, lending an interesting, more cosmopolitan atmosphere. BCC is located downtown, so it's a slightly more "urban" vibe than either WHitman or WJ.

WJ draws from a somewhat more economically diverse pool than does Whitman. It is in the suburbs, farther out, just past the beltway. It is known for having a very good theater and music program, I believe. Some say it's less of a pressure cooker than Whitman.

Again, I am new here and cannot vouch for these stereotypes. I just pass them along for what they are worth. It's my understanding that all three school clusters are excellent. I was told by many that I couldn't go wrong finding a house in any of these clusters. Perhaps others with experience will offer additional insights? Good luck.

[Anonymous]

I would agree with PP. I think what happens with WJ, BCC, and Whitman with the stereotypes is that families end up reinforcing it. For example if we were driven by the best test scores, we would have picked Whitman hands down. I was worried about diversity since my kids are bi-racial. I wanted that balance that they can relate to people with different backgrounds similar to what will be found in the working world, but at the same time have enough of a peer group to feel comfortable in their own skin and not feel they have to either prove something or missed out on part of their heritage. For us, that ruled out Whitman and left BCC or WJ. We happened to find a house we liked in the WJ cluster first. I do see BCC as being a little more sophisticated between the location in downtown, having the IB program which emphasizes that international perpective, and having more of an socio-economic spread than WJ.

You may want to look at each school website to see the school profile, special programs, clubs etc., there may be something offered at one school that falls into your child's interest that isn't offered at another school like the IB program at BCC.

Also you may want to see if one school over another would offer an easier transition for your child. I transferred in 11th grade to school in another state and pretty much my classmates had been friends since kindergarten and really had no interest in new friends. I had atleast people to eat lunch with by my participation in extracurriculars but it was a tough road.

Here are the websites for the schools:

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/wjhs/

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/whitmanhs/

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/bcchs/

[Anonymous]

Thank you both, PPs! Very helpful information!

[Anonymous]

I grew up here and went to Whitman. PP's summary is spot on.

[Anonymous]

white, whiter, whitest

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We just moved to the area and my children will be attending the WJ cluster this fall. Since we're new, I don't claim to have first hand knowledge. However, here are so things I've read/been told:

Whitman is the most expensive area overall. I believe it has the highest test scores. It is very highly regarded, although some people say the high school can be a bit of a pressure cooker due to so many high achieving, affluent families.

BCC has a well regarded IB program. Scores are excellent, but not quite as high as Whitman. It has a more racially/ethnically diverse study body than Whitman. I've also been told there is a high percentage of international families at BCC, lending an interesting, more cosmopolitan atmosphere. BCC is located downtown, so it's a slightly more "urban" vibe than either WHitman or WJ.

WJ draws from a somewhat more economically diverse pool than does Whitman. It is in the suburbs, farther out, just past the beltway. It is known for having a very good theater and music program, I believe. Some say it's less of a pressure cooker than Whitman.

Again, I am new here and cannot vouch for these stereotypes. I just pass them along for what they are worth. It's my understanding that all three school clusters are excellent. I was told by many that I couldn't go wrong finding a house in any of these clusters. Perhaps others with experience will offer additional insights? Good luck.

Any of those schools will be just fine. You might have Whitman and Churchill types looking down their noses at you if you go elsewhere but overall any of the four schools are great.

[Anonymous]

I graduated from Wootton 20 years ago, and these stereotypes haven't changed a bit. Of course they are generalizations, but the PPs are pretty spot on.

[Anonymous]

BCC has a well regarded IB program. I believe that of the three only BCC has the IB program.

Scores are excellent, but not quite as high as Whitman. True, but the scores are high enough that it doesn't make much of a difference.

It has a more racially/ethnically diverse study body than Whitman. BCC is also more economically diverse than Whitman.

I've also been told there is a high percentage of international families at BCC, lending an interesting, more cosmopolitan atmosphere. There are international families, but I would not say the school is cosmopolitan.

BCC is located downtown, so it's a slightly more "urban" vibe than either Whitman or WJ. Somewhat true, though downtown Bethesda is not exactly like NYC.

BBC and Whitman seem to have more families where both parents work out of the home.

All three are very good schools, as is Churchill

[Anonymous]

If you are debating between those three schools, I would say focus on the neighborhoods over the schools, as all 3 are great. I grew up here and attended Whitman. We found a neighborhood we really like in the WJ area. Our street reminds me of the street I grew up on in Bethesda, before the houses all mushroomed into mansions--tree lined streets with sidewalks, lots of kids, walking distance to pool, mostly quiet, a mix of SAH parents and WOH parents... my kids are not yet in high school but so far we are very happy with our selection and have seen our neighbors kids do well at WJ.

[Anonymous]

I'd also think about transportation and how near the school you can buy. BCC is Metro accessible, as is its neighborhood. Your kid will have more independence.

If you buy on a cul-de-sac, you'll need to drive them everywhere - internships, jobs, etc. - and it's worse if you are not near the school, and you have to drive them to every club meeting or team practice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd also think about transportation and how near the school you can buy. BCC is Metro accessible, as is its neighborhood. Your kid will have more independence.

If you buy on a cul-de-sac, you'll need to drive them everywhere - internships, jobs, etc. - and it's worse if you are not near the school, and you have to drive them to every club meeting or team practice.

This is not that big a deal for us. Kid takes the school bus to school every day. Has sports practice after school and takes the ride on bus home, gets a ride or sometimes we pick him up. He can take ride on to the metro if needed but it isn't needed that much. There are certainly good reasons to be near public transit but I am not sure it is that critical for MoCo high school kids.