Considering moving to MCPS for the schools - where should we move?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Acceptable Montgomery school clusters. Whitman, Bcc, Walter Johnson, Wooton, Quince Orchard, Poolesville, Churchill, Sherwood, Magruder, Blair, Damascus, Clarksville.

I've lived here forever and this is pretty much true but its Clarksburg not Clarksville (that's in HoCo.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:you really can't go wrong with any of the schools in the area. Some say Whitman is best but in the past it has and it has not improved over the years ( I went there myself) and it is great but the other schools have improved so much that Whitmans polish is starting to fade.

but agian all great schools, if you want your kid to go to a good college, you can't go wrong at any level.

Just curious what you think Whitman can do better. I agree that the other schools have improved dramatically - in fact I lived in the BCC district in high school and my parents sent me to private school because BCC wasn't considered at all good in those days. Now people move there for the school. But I have a child at Whitman now and we have been very pleased with the school. Excellent academics and academic performance, strong sports, strong drama and newspaper, very involved students with a wide range of interests, very involved parent body. The only shortcoming is that it probably isn't a great fit for an underachiever and maybe some of the other schools are better for that.

I agree with this. It is also not a good fit for a student who struggles, and/or who is not particularly academically-oriented. In fact, it is a nightmare for such students, who are left wondering what is wrong with them.

Many (maybe most) students who fit this description are not "underachievers." They have different interests and abilities than your average Whitman student does, but that doesn't make them underachievers.

Fair point - it was a bad choice of words on my part.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:you really can't go wrong with any of the schools in the area. Some say Whitman is best but in the past it has and it has not improved over the years ( I went there myself) and it is great but the other schools have improved so much that Whitmans polish is starting to fade.

but agian all great schools, if you want your kid to go to a good college, you can't go wrong at any level.

Just curious what you think Whitman can do better. I agree that the other schools have improved dramatically - in fact I lived in the BCC district in high school and my parents sent me to private school because BCC wasn't considered at all good in those days. Now people move there for the school. But I have a child at Whitman now and we have been very pleased with the school. Excellent academics and academic performance, strong sports, strong drama and newspaper, very involved students with a wide range of interests, very involved parent body. The only shortcoming is that it probably isn't a great fit for an underachiever and maybe some of the other schools are better for that.

I agree with this. It is also not a good fit for a student who struggles, and/or who is not particularly academically-oriented. In fact, it is a nightmare for such students, who are left wondering what is wrong with them.

Many (maybe most) students who fit this description are not "underachievers." They have different interests and abilities than your average Whitman student does, but that doesn't make them underachievers.

Fair point - it was a bad choice of words on my part.

Yes, it was a bad choice of words. Unfortunately, your (presumably reflexive) choice of words is emblematic of the Whitman attitude towards those kids who are not marching to the beat of the Ivy-Bound-At-All-Costs drummer. And therein lies the problem.

It is not a school for everyone, for sure. And even for kids who manage to find their place there, it is an extremely stressful place to be.

[Anonymous]

According the Gazette and most of the world, Bethesda and Chevy Chase are also downcounty (though not part of the Downcouty Consortium): http://www.gazette.net/stories/12292010/rocknew193306_32534.php

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Fair point - it was a bad choice of words on my part.

Yes, it was a bad choice of words. Unfortunately, your (presumably reflexive) choice of words is emblematic of the Whitman attitude towards those kids who are not marching to the beat of the Ivy-Bound-At-All-Costs drummer. And therein lies the problem.

It is not a school for everyone, for sure. And even for kids who manage to find their place there, it is an extremely stressful place to be.

I disagree about the stress - my child seems to have found his place, is doing well, and seems to be extremely unstressed (even right now during finals week). I don't see his friends stressing either.

[Anonymous]

I think it would be interesting if MC adopted the approach that the NC districts that's been in the news so much lately is considering changing - actively seeking to even out poverty levels more throughout the district rather than simply group students by geographical area. If it's so terrible as many have said that this NC district is abandoning that (pretty reasonable) strategy, why is it not a good one for other places to adopt?

I'm one that lives in one of the "not acceptable" clusters (and I'd agree it's not acceptable - we are researching where to move and be able to afford in another cluster), though, so I'm a bit biased.

[Anonymous]

Richard Montgomery is also acceptable

[Anonymous]

OP, based on your description of what you are seeking in a georgraphic area for your move, you will likely prefer Chevy Chase, Bethesda, and Silver Spring - those offer the shortest commutes into DC (although to different parts of DC respectively), many neighborhoods within each are walkable to shops/restaurants, and all have good schools. Bethesda/Chevy Chase have "better" schools than SS, at least high schools, but they are more expensive, and like various PPs have stated, many in SS shoot for the magnets for middle/high school. I suggest you start checking out neighborhoods to see what "feels" the most like you, and then you can tour the corresponding elem school.

[Anonymous]

20:54 How would you define what schools are "better"? See Blair's AP performance data in total as well as for subgroups that are underrepresented in the magnet/CAP (FARMs, African American, Hispanic): http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/pdf/10.12.03APAttachment_lw.pdf. I'm not sure what school can lay claim to be doing a better job for all of its students.