Moving to Montgomery County from Central Texas

[Anonymous]

We are moving from the Austin-San Antonio area to the Rockville area for my husband's job. What is it like around Norbeck/Burnside/Bauer Drive(s)? We also found a place on-line in Olney that looks pretty nice, but again, it's on-line. Texas schools are pretty bad, to say the least (one of the poorest systems in the nation in every measure), so it is hard for me to reconcile the criticisms of MCPS with what I read and hear about their high quality. We have one son, who is super-smart and really bored in school, so a great school that will challenge him is our first priority. Thanks for any and all insights!

[Anonymous]

Welcome!

Yes, the MoCo system is excellent compared to any low-performing district. Can't say what Austin is like in comparison, though.

Have you looked at the Schools at a Glance? It's a one pager of data regarding things like pass rates for standardized tests, suspension rates, attendance rates, diversity, FARMS rates (one indicator of low-income/poverty).

Type in the addresses of the houses you like in the school locator, and check out the various schools.

I think Norbeck goes to Rockville High. Don't know much about it. Some love it. Some hate it. I don't think you can go wrong with Olney. I live in northern Rockville and we are zoned for Wootton, which is a good school. I'm a big fan if Quince Orchard which is a little north of Rockville.

Are you looking for urban, suburban, or rural living?

Don't forget to check out magnet programs too.

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/

[Anonymous]

Olney and Brookeville have excellent schools. They are somewhat racially diverse, but not very socioeconomically diverse (ie: no low income families; solidly upper middle class to wealthy (million dollar homes in parts of Brookeville). Norbeck/Bauer Drive is more diverse, and schools aren't the best. What's your price range?

[Anonymous]

Re schools: greenwood is the elem in Brookeville. The middle school is rosa parks, and the HS is Sherwood. All are excellent. There's a highly gifted center that kids can test into. Part of Olney feeds into Rosa as well. And all of Olney feeds into Sherwood for HS.

Post back with specific questions if you like.

[Anonymous]

Welcome! We have lived in New Mexico and in Kentucky so really, we have no complaints about MoCo schools! Keep in mind, there are a lot of people here who understandably, want what is best for their children. They just don't recognize how good they've got it! Good luck to you and your family!

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the quick responses! I'll check everything out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are moving from the Austin-San Antonio area to the Rockville area for my husband's job. What is it like around Norbeck/Burnside/Bauer Drive(s)? We also found a place on-line in Olney that looks pretty nice, but again, it's on-line. Texas schools are pretty bad, to say the least (one of the poorest systems in the nation in every measure), so it is hard for me to reconcile the criticisms of MCPS with what I read and hear about their high quality. We have one son, who is super-smart and really bored in school, so a great school that will challenge him is our first priority. Thanks for any and all insights!

You are moving from the worst to the best school system you ever will encounter. If you post the address or even the street I can tell you about the neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

NP, here. I agree with previous posters. Olney-Brookeville is your best bet. Look for elementaries that feed in to Rosa Parks MS and Sherwood HS. Yes, Greenwood is very good but so are some of the others.
Please post info. on the house you are looking at. You will get a lot more information.

[Anonymous]

I live right in that neighborhood. Are you looking at 20853? Agree that if you post the house, you might get better input. We're in 20853, which is zoned for Rockville High School. That is the smallest HS in the county.

We've been very happy here! Good luck to you!

[Anonymous]

We moved from Corpus to Rockville several years ago. Initially I was pretty hyper about findind the very best school, but then I reminded myself that the worst MoCo school was probably better than the best Corpus school.

We looked mostly in the Wooton, Walter Johnson, and Richard Montgomery clusters and ended up with RM. We've been pretty happy. I agree with the posters above that Olney is also a good choice.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Just know that this board is filled with people who are very happy with their home schools but this is rather antithetical to the data. The county schools get better as you head further west. I've lived here for 10 years. Can't afford the best districts but wouldn't move to Silver Spring or the Rockville HS footprint if you paid me. I'm just one person though - many, many people on this board have different opinions. Just look at the data as well as the anecdotes....

[Anonymous]

Op- where will your husband's office be and what is your budget?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just know that this board is filled with people who are very happy with their home schools but this is rather antithetical to the data. The county schools get better as you head further west. I've lived here for 10 years. Can't afford the best districts but wouldn't move to Silver Spring or the Rockville HS footprint if you paid me. I'm just one person though - many, many people on this board have different opinions. Just look at the data as well as the anecdotes....

Actually, the test scores get better as you head further west, and the population gets more Caucasian. Whether the schools themselves get better is debatable.

We are glad that no one is paying you to move to Silver Spring. Stay where you are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just know that this board is filled with people who are very happy with their home schools but this is rather antithetical to the data. The county schools get better as you head further west. I've lived here for 10 years. Can't afford the best districts but wouldn't move to Silver Spring or the Rockville HS footprint if you paid me. I'm just one person though - many, many people on this board have different opinions. Just look at the data as well as the anecdotes....

Actually, the test scores get better as you head further west, and the population gets more Caucasian. Whether the schools themselves get better is debatable.

We are glad that no one is paying you to move to Silver Spring. Stay where you are.

Yep, this is just a stupid comment. Silver Spring can be great. It can be not so great, so you have to do your research.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks so much for taking the time to respond! I work in the assessment and accountability office for a public school district here in Texas, so I did look over the schools at a glance and other information like the course guides and graduation plans (impressive!). Just from my perspective, having worked at poor and middle class schools, and now as a data analyst for a very mixed, albeit small, district, it's generally easier for affluent schools to post great scores, so we're looking for big gaps--if a school is very affluent, but not doing significantly better than a school with a much higher FARM population, I have to wonder about the true overall quality of the more affluent school. I really do appreciate all the different perspectives, and we went over them last night on the phone.

My husband is going to look at a house located at 5550 Burnside Drive, and one on Parkvale right around the corner, both condos. We currently live in a very old house on an acre of land and we need a break from maintenence. Old houses eat their young! Also, it's my understanding that there is a great deal of choice when it comes to high schools, and that our son is not obligated to go to Rockville HS if he can get into a magnet program, so we are more concerned about safety and proximity right now (husband is working for HHS near the Twinbrook station).