Pyle/Whitman or Westland/BCC cluster better fit?

[Anonymous]

Is OP for real or just a caricature of the type of poster that DCUM salivates over when they ask which of two very wealthy middle/high schools is somehow better but of course also more down-to-earth? When they jumped in quickly with the comment about drugs at Churchill, it seemed like maybe they were letting you know they shouldn’t be taken seriously.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Based on the MCPS school climate survey from 2018-19, it doesn't sound like the teachers at BCC were very happy at that time and for that reason alone I would avoid it assuming nothing has changed. That being said, BCC was rated as safer than Whitman by teachers.
https://sharedaccountability.mcpsmd.org/SurveyResults/content.php?l=0&sch=406&survey=2019SSE&type=Staff&comparison=2
https://sharedaccountability.mcpsmd.org/SurveyResults/content.php?l=0&sch=427&survey=2019SSE&type=Staff&comparison=2

Why would you assume nothing has changed? BCC got a new principal in 2020, among other things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DP. Before making any decision, you should know that Whitman has a far superior academic rep.


Whitman is #1 in MCPS rankings, #1 in Maryland rankings, and #104 in National Rankings.
https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/maryland/districts/montgomery-county-public-schools/walt-whitman-high-school-9150

BCC is #5 in MCPS rankings, #8 in Maryland rankings, and #491 in National Rankings.
https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/maryland/districts/montgomery-county-public-schools/bethesda-chevy-chase-high-school-9137

Notice the % meeting UofM standards to prep for college:

Whitman Profile:
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04427.pdf

BCC Profile:
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04406.pdf

Although Whitman did have a serious incident with it's students this year, those kids were not typical Whitman profile. They were from the Greentree Group Home in Bethesda. You can read about it here.

https://theblackandwhite.net/71161/news/three-whitman-students-charged-with-murder-after-bethesda-killing/

Subtract the group home and BCC is a tougher crowd overall.

https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/bethesda-chevy-chase-high-school-student-attacks-assaults-security-guard-montgomery-county-public-jacob-moore

https://wjla.com/news/local/bethesda-chevy-chase-hs-student-jumped-in-school-bathroom-taken-to-er-for-injuries

Overall, I think the parents advocating Whitman are giving you good advice. About what the other parent says about "my kid says Whitman has the best drugs" - do you really want to take advice from an anonymous drug using family?

Personally, if I were in your shoes, I would go with Whitman.

Good luck!

These schools are segregated so there are few low-income students dragging down their test averages. For the low FARMS rate their stats are not all that impressive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Based on the MCPS school climate survey from 2018-19, it doesn't sound like the teachers at BCC were very happy at that time and for that reason alone I would avoid it assuming nothing has changed. That being said, BCC was rated as safer than Whitman by teachers.
https://sharedaccountability.mcpsmd.org/SurveyResults/content.php?l=0&sch=406&survey=2019SSE&type=Staff&comparison=2
https://sharedaccountability.mcpsmd.org/SurveyResults/content.php?l=0&sch=427&survey=2019SSE&type=Staff&comparison=2

Why would you assume nothing has changed? BCC got a new principal in 2020, among other things.

Great! So can you share any details about how teacher morale has improved? I don't have any personal experience with the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is OP for real or just a caricature of the type of poster that DCUM salivates over when they ask which of two very wealthy middle/high schools is somehow better but of course also more down-to-earth? When they jumped in quickly with the comment about drugs at Churchill, it seemed like maybe they were letting you know they shouldn’t be taken seriously.

OP here - yes, I am real. Why are you asking? You probably did not carefully read my question. I asked which one might be a better fit for me and my kids, not which one is better. And I am the one who made the comment re: drugs at Churchill.

[Anonymous]

OP, I live close to downtown Bethesda and know Walter Johnson, BCC and Whitman. Honestly you can't go wrong with any of them! BCC has the IB program and way fewer AP classes than WJ or Whitman. WJ and BCC have more racial and socio-economic diversity than Whitman. They all have international families, but perhaps BCC has a slight edge there.

Also please be aware that there will be a new high school opening in a few years (was supposed to be 2025 but there may be a pandemic delay) called Woodward, north of WJ on Old Georgetown Rd, and therefore all the boundaries may be tweaked a little bit.

If your children ever need services and accommodations due to special needs, then the WJ cluster is your best bet. BCC and Whitman are less experienced in that regard.

Welcome to the neighborhood!

[Anonymous]

If teacher morale is a big issue to you, then talk to teachers at these schools. Morale is low at Pyle but it’s probably low everywhere right now. I can’t comment on the others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
OP, I live close to downtown Bethesda and know Walter Johnson, BCC and Whitman. Honestly you can't go wrong with any of them! BCC has the IB program and way fewer AP classes than WJ or Whitman. WJ and BCC have more racial and socio-economic diversity than Whitman. They all have international families, but perhaps BCC has a slight edge there.

Also please be aware that there will be a new high school opening in a few years (was supposed to be 2025 but there may be a pandemic delay) called Woodward, north of WJ on Old Georgetown Rd, and therefore all the boundaries may be tweaked a little bit.

If your children ever need services and accommodations due to special needs, then the WJ cluster is your best bet. BCC and Whitman are less experienced in that regard.

Welcome to the neighborhood!

Thank you PP; no, no need for special needs for my kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If teacher morale is a big issue to you, then talk to teachers at these schools. Morale is low at Pyle but it’s probably low everywhere right now. I can’t comment on the others.

OP here - I did not comment on teacher morale.

[Anonymous]

Based on your answers to other posters, OP, I'm not sure what information you're looking for exactly. But FWIW, I went to Whitman and have kids at B-CC. B-CC would be a good option because of the IB program and Whitman would be a good option because there are a lot of international families (I went there many many years ago, but I think it's still the case that there are many IMF, World Bank and embassy families there).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whitman is the richest school in the county. It will not be down to earth. Bcc is a mix of very wealthy to a mix of everything else. Google the w schools. Many have had serious issues this year and student deaths. Very tragic.

Mcps employee says BCCis the wealthiest school in the county, not Whitman.

Actually the real richest school in the county is Churchill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whitman is the richest school in the county. It will not be down to earth. Bcc is a mix of very wealthy to a mix of everything else. Google the w schools. Many have had serious issues this year and student deaths. Very tragic.

Mcps employee says BCCis the wealthiest school in the county, not Whitman.

Actually the real richest school in the county is Churchill.

No it is not. It is BCC.

[Anonymous]

OP - thanks everyone for your feedback. I wonder which one is more desirable, an AP program (Whitman) or an IB (BCC). Any views?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is OP for real or just a caricature of the type of poster that DCUM salivates over when they ask which of two very wealthy middle/high schools is somehow better but of course also more down-to-earth? When they jumped in quickly with the comment about drugs at Churchill, it seemed like maybe they were letting you know they shouldn’t be taken seriously.

OP here - yes, I am real. Why are you asking? You probably did not carefully read my question. I asked which one might be a better fit for me and my kids, not which one is better. And I am the one who made the comment re: drugs at Churchill.

OP you really do sound like a snobby caricature of a Whitman, Churchill or BCC parent. Don't worry. You will fit right in at any of those schools. BCC is slightly more diverse than Whitman and more urban in its location. That is really the big difference. If your kids do things like dance or sports you will find kids from all these clusters in their activities and you will quickly see that the parents are nearly all cut from the same mold. High achieving professionals, many who lived abroad or speak multiple languages, and went to Ivy League schools for either undergrad or graduate school.

If you want to avoid any type of diversity at all choose Whitman.

Unless you want your kids to go abroad for college the IB program makes no difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whitman is the richest school in the county. It will not be down to earth. Bcc is a mix of very wealthy to a mix of everything else. Google the w schools. Many have had serious issues this year and student deaths. Very tragic.

Mcps employee says BCCis the wealthiest school in the county, not Whitman.

Actually the real richest school in the county is Churchill.

No it is not. It is BCC.

This is a stupid argument.
BCC does pull from some more working class areas. Churchill has no working class areas that are inbounds I think.
Average home price in 20854 is something like 1.3 mil. In the BCC zip code it's under a mil. Are the very wealthy families in BCC as wealthy or wealthier than some at Churchill? Sure but again this is a stupid debate.