Walter Johnson HS vs. Quince Orchard HS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, your son will do great in either school. He'll find academically-inclined kids in both schools and kids who care about sports. I do have a slight preference for QO because I think their school spirit and sense of community are amazing.

because of sports, not academics. QO revolves around their sports.

"School spirit and sense of community" means sports. Sports is what "school spirit and sense of community" means.

You mean people are not throwing rallies around SAT test day. Lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, your son will do great in either school. He'll find academically-inclined kids in both schools and kids who care about sports. I do have a slight preference for QO because I think their school spirit and sense of community are amazing.

because of sports, not academics. QO revolves around their sports.

"School spirit and sense of community" means sports. Sports is what "school spirit and sense of community" means.

This ⬆️.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, your son will do great in either school. He'll find academically-inclined kids in both schools and kids who care about sports. I do have a slight preference for QO because I think their school spirit and sense of community are amazing.

because of sports, not academics. QO revolves around their sports.

"School spirit and sense of community" means sports. Sports is what "school spirit and sense of community" means.

No. That's just what it means to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, your son will do great in either school. He'll find academically-inclined kids in both schools and kids who care about sports. I do have a slight preference for QO because I think their school spirit and sense of community are amazing.

because of sports, not academics. QO revolves around their sports.

"School spirit and sense of community" means sports. Sports is what "school spirit and sense of community" means.

No. That's just what it means to you.

DP.. at QO, it is the sports. They are very into their sports.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a big life move. And can't / won't base it on just neighborhood and housing. School is an important factor. For me, I am not overthinking it. Yes, data cannot predict his future. But for now, I can use the information I am aware of to make my best assessment - esp. since I like both of the neighborhoods and houses I can afford in each district. Thank you though for offering your perspective.

OP you are correct. You know your kid, you know your kid will be swayed by peer group. I agree peer group is HUGE on influencing a young person’s life. In the tween to teen years, children are naturally growing away from their parents, becoming independent, and friends’ opinions become more important to them. I agree it is crucial to find a school where academics is considered a high priority by students, parents and teachers alike.

I can’t speak about WJ but with QO, while there is a solid group of academically minded students, there are also many students where sports - not academics - is king. It sounds like your son could easily fall into that crowd, so WJ may be the way to go. Possibly you could check out Wootton too as academics are truly valued there, although it may be too much pressure.

There is also the massive issue where the 2 new high schools will cause an entire western district boundary change, so you have to buy a house very close to your desired school or there is no guarantee you’ll actually be zoned for it after ~4 years.

[Anonymous]

How is QO very into their sports?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How is QO very into their sports?

Are you new? Sports have always been big at QO.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/mainstory/story/682048/Quince-Orchard-Football/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is QO very into their sports?

Are you new? Sports have always been big at QO.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/mainstory/story/682048/Quince-Orchard-Football/

Yes, I knew they won the state championship and football is big. But what does that mean aside from the students attending football games? How do they get really into their sports? Please don't say the football team is really good.

What about other sports? Does the student body show the same enthusiasm for say girls lacrosse as they do football? Attend lacrosse home games, get super excited?

Do the girls softball players have the same level of "god like status" the football players have?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is QO very into their sports?

Are you new? Sports have always been big at QO.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/mainstory/story/682048/Quince-Orchard-Football/

Yes, I knew they won the state championship and football is big. But what does that mean aside from the students attending football games? How do they get really into their sports? Please don't say the football team is really good.

What about other sports? Does the student body show the same enthusiasm for say girls lacrosse as they do football? Attend lacrosse home games, get super excited?

Do the girls softball players have the same level of "god like status" the football players have?

You can do a search on this forum regarding sports culture at QO. Life in QOHS revolves around their football.

OP, another alternative is RM which has the IB program, and it's in between QO and WJ. Any student in the RM cluster can apply to join the IB diploma program in 11th grade, or if they don't want to join the program, they can still take the IB classes, and of course, plenty of AP classes to choose from just like the other schools. One advantage of the AP classes at RM over the QO or WJ is that the peer cohort in those AP classes can include the IB magnet kids, so you get a much higher caliber peer cohort. IMO, best of both worlds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is QO very into their sports?

Are you new? Sports have always been big at QO.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/mainstory/story/682048/Quince-Orchard-Football/

Yes, I knew they won the state championship and football is big. But what does that mean aside from the students attending football games? How do they get really into their sports? Please don't say the football team is really good.

What about other sports? Does the student body show the same enthusiasm for say girls lacrosse as they do football? Attend lacrosse home games, get super excited?

Do the girls softball players have the same level of "god like status" the football players have?

You can do a search on this forum regarding sports culture at QO. Life in QOHS revolves around their football.

OP, another alternative is RM which has the IB program, and it's in between QO and WJ. Any student in the RM cluster can apply to join the IB diploma program in 11th grade, or if they don't want to join the program, they can still take the IB classes, and of course, plenty of AP classes to choose from just like the other schools. One advantage of the AP classes at RM over the QO or WJ is that the peer cohort in those AP classes can include the IB magnet kids, so you get a much higher caliber peer cohort. IMO, best of both worlds.

So football is insanely big at QO but not necessarily other sports. Instead of saying sports culture is big at QO, why can't you just say football is big at QO?

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you all for your thoughtful comments, and particularly the link to those HS data sheets. I'm not sure who roams the halls of DCUM's school forums, but I appreciate you do and the useful perspectives you offer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, your son will do great in either school. He'll find academically-inclined kids in both schools and kids who care about sports. I do have a slight preference for QO because I think their school spirit and sense of community are amazing.

because of sports, not academics. QO revolves around their sports.

"School spirit and sense of community" means sports. Sports is what "school spirit and sense of community" means.

No. That's just what it means to you.

Yes, a lot of people could care less about sports but value community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is QO very into their sports?

Are you new? Sports have always been big at QO.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/mainstory/story/682048/Quince-Orchard-Football/

Yes, I knew they won the state championship and football is big. But what does that mean aside from the students attending football games? How do they get really into their sports? Please don't say the football team is really good.

What about other sports? Does the student body show the same enthusiasm for say girls lacrosse as they do football? Attend lacrosse home games, get super excited?

Do the girls softball players have the same level of "god like status" the football players have?

You can do a search on this forum regarding sports culture at QO. Life in QOHS revolves around their football.

OP, another alternative is RM which has the IB program, and it's in between QO and WJ. Any student in the RM cluster can apply to join the IB diploma program in 11th grade, or if they don't want to join the program, they can still take the IB classes, and of course, plenty of AP classes to choose from just like the other schools. One advantage of the AP classes at RM over the QO or WJ is that the peer cohort in those AP classes can include the IB magnet kids, so you get a much higher caliber peer cohort. IMO, best of both worlds.

So football is insanely big at QO but not necessarily other sports. Instead of saying sports culture is big at QO, why can't you just say football is big at QO?

I remember seeing some posts about players getting into a big fight last fall that involved possible criminal charges. It seems like a culture most could live without.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is QO very into their sports?

Are you new? Sports have always been big at QO.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/mainstory/story/682048/Quince-Orchard-Football/

Yes, I knew they won the state championship and football is big. But what does that mean aside from the students attending football games? How do they get really into their sports? Please don't say the football team is really good.

What about other sports? Does the student body show the same enthusiasm for say girls lacrosse as they do football? Attend lacrosse home games, get super excited?

Do the girls softball players have the same level of "god like status" the football players have?

Do they have a black hawk helicopter land on their field like they did for football? No.
Did the girls soccer team get a clap out on their way to the state finals by the student body? Yes.
Does the student run sports network cover other games besides football? Yes.
Do they have star athletes in most every sport who go on to win college scholarships and go to Olympics? Yes.
Does the Red Army show up for other games like lacrosse and soccer? Yes.
Is football a better fan sport across the nation so it would make sense it has more support than say Bocce? Yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you for the links. I didn't know these type of data existed. However, they are not comparable, and different, in a way that I suspect reflects the school. Here are my observations, in case helpful to others:

GPA:
-- QO: If I read the table on top of p.2 to the left correctly - and I can't tell if I am -- 49% of the class of 2023 has a GPA between 3.51 - 4.00.
-- WJ: doesn't give average or range of GPAs. Instead it focuses on giving average and range of APs.

SATs and ACTs.
-- QO's gives average SATs, for both math and verbal. For ACTs, gives average for composite.
-- WJ's: for SAT gives average for math, verbal and composite; for ACT, gives average by subjects and the composite. WJ's SAT for math and verbal are ever so slightly higher; but same as QO for ACT composite.

APs:
-- WJ really shines here, listing various AP honors (eg: Scholar, with Distinction, etc.) and listing out each AP with scores and number of students that achieved each score.
-- QO only gives total students tested, total number of tests, and %age that scored 3 or higher is 66% (but can't tell if this means %age of students or %age of tests taken.)

QO notes:
-- only 70% go onto 4 year college, and the remainder to 2 yr. colleges. Although, with college costs as they are, and QO area not being as wealthy, perhaps families are strategizing by sending their kids to community colleges. I'm considering the same.
-- WJ has no data on %age going to 4yr vs. 2yr.


So if a kid scores "above average" in QO in terms of AP -- it'll be easier to -- and it'll stand out more.

But, ... despite assurances provided by some posters (and I appreciate it) I don't think my son would do the same at either school. I think he'll need a strong culture of academics, or else will easily slide into not caring too much.

I went to one of the infamous NYC magnet schools. Some teachers were good; some were bad; there weren't enough college counselors. So, with parents who didn't know anything about the college landscape (except recognizing the name of Ivies), I relied on my peers, and the older students to guide me. We amongst ourselves just shared a lot of information and tips.

First, you analyzed the wrong links.
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04125.pdf
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04424.pdf

Here's a summary of how they stack up.
WJ QO
67.1% 63.7% Meeting UofM Entrance Req (e.g. "college ready")
<= 5% <= 5%Dropout Rate
<= 3% <= 3% Suspension Rate
>=95% 91.7% Graduation Rate
93.8% 91.2% Attendance Rate
74.8% 57.0% SAT Tested
1234 1120 SAT Avg
70.8% 55.3% 3+ AP or 4+ IB

Honestly, if you're that concerned about academics and shaving points; Poolesville, Whitman, Churchill, Wootton, RM, BCC, I'm pretty sure all have higher averages than either WJ or QO?