Rockville schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in aspen hill and my child will attend Barnsley/wood/rockville. However I teach at RM and want to clarify that if your kid is in the RM cluster they can go into the IB diploma program in 11th grade even if they don't test into the magnet. There is not a separate entrance test - it's a choice for all rising juniors to enter the program.

If an in-cluster student elects to finish with an IB diploma, are the 11th- and 12th-grade classes he or she takes together with IB magnet students?

The reshuffling will only affect elementary schools.

I didn't get your response: it was a non sequitor. I was asking about whether the IB magnet students took the same classes together with those who were NOT in the IB magnet, but elected to continue with IB diploma in 11th grade. You answered about elementary school, which wasn't ever mentioned in my post.

Yes IB classes would include test in IB magnet kids,neighborhood kids who joined the diploma program,and for some classes neighborhood kids who are not in the diploma program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi everyone. Can you rank for me what you think are the best Rockville clusters? Best meaning not great schools rankings but in terms of whichever ones have great/involved commumities, safe areas, decent class sizes, reputations for having good teachers etc? So many neighborhoods and schools to choose from and Id like to hear from those who live there, work there or know people who live/work there. Thanks!

Wow...so lets look at clusters with a significant (though not necessarily majority) population WITHIN the Rockville City limits AND are in the city of Rockville:

Rockville High School
Richard Montgomery High School
Thomas Wootton High School

There are also other high schools that pull from Rockville City limits, but the school is not in the city limits:

Gaithersburg High School
Walter Johnson High School

For the sake of this discussion, I won't get too much into Walter Johnson or Gaithersburg, because both barely pull from Rockville City limits and NEITHER is within the city limits; however, you may want to consider them, as they are vicinity schools.

Back to the original 3....

Rockville High School:
There is only 1 middle school--Wood--and 5 elementary schools. Overall, the cluster has a small-town feel. High School population is very small, and they all went to middle school with each other. The demographics are generally middle class and well diverse. This is a very representative population of Montgomery County averages. Some of said that there are recent changes in the negative--partly due to new principle who came from a Potomac middle school and doesn't know so well how to deal with the different demographics from that school. Education is pretty solid still though, and housing is affordable. AP classes are offered--as is an opt-in, limited IB program.

Richard Montgomery High School:
There is only 1 middle school--Julius West--and 4 elementary schools. A 5th elementary school is being built to open fall 2018. Similarly to Rockville, the students all go to the same middle school, but this is a BIG cluster, so not the same small-town feel to it. All the elementary schools are WAY overcrowded except 1. The opening of the new elementary school will put the region at its capacity again though. Richard Montgomery has the first county IB program. All students actually begin participating in it from 6th grade in middle school. This is something to look into. Academics are strong and the program is hard--especially after 10th grade. College Gardens ES requires children to start an IB program in kindergarten. There are numerous AP offerings in the high school. Overall, the demographics of this school are equally mixed as Rockville, but with a greater spread of SES. That is, the average of the school fits the average of Montgomery County very well, but there are more richer demographics and poorer ones here than in Rockville.

Thomas Wootton High School:
There are 2 middle schools--Frost and Cabin John--but only Frost feeds everybody into Wottoon. Students from Cabin John split--some go to Wootton and others go to Churchill. There are 6 elementary schools The high school and middle schools operate at about capacity. The elementary schools are often significantly below capacity. There are considerations to merge students from other clusters into this one to increase elementary capacity in this cluster and reduce it in others--other Rockville schools are unaffected by this currently. The school has high academic standards and performance. Some may say this increases pressure. Demographics are generally biracial--Asian and White--not diverse. There is also generally high SES for facilities that attend the schools in the cluster--much more disposable income and very few FARMs. AP classes are offered and generally pretty good. There is a lot of competition though among students.

We're in the Rockville HS cluster and I think that's pretty accurate. And, nice of the PP to give such a detailed breakdown.

We couldn't afford a house in the Richard Montgomery cluster, so we're in Rockville. Only in MS, but if you have a choice (and can afford it), I'd go with the RM cluster over Rockville HS.

NP here. I grew up in the Wootton cluster and now live in the Rockville cluster. The above descriptions are very accurate. Quite honestly, if we had not chosen to go private, we would have moved to either the Wootton or RM clusters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Great breakdown, PP. We're house-hunting and have the entire Rockville HS cluster as one of our desired spots. Our other spots are certain paths for ES-MS-HS.

And guys, no, Wootton is not diverse. Two races divided evenly making up 80% of the school, under 5% ESOL, exactly 5% FARMs, does not make the school racially or socioeconomically diverse. It's not all white, you can say that, but it is not diverse, and certainly not "actually quite diverse."

But by far the highest test scores and involved parents. So who cares about diverse if you are looking at the best

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great breakdown, PP. We're house-hunting and have the entire Rockville HS cluster as one of our desired spots. Our other spots are certain paths for ES-MS-HS.

And guys, no, Wootton is not diverse. Two races divided evenly making up 80% of the school, under 5% ESOL, exactly 5% FARMs, does not make the school racially or socioeconomically diverse. It's not all white, you can say that, but it is not diverse, and certainly not "actually quite diverse."

But by far the highest test scores and involved parents. So who cares about diverse if you are looking at the best

It depends on how you define "the best", I guess. And your definition is evidently different from mine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi everyone. Can you rank for me what you think are the best Rockville clusters? Best meaning not great schools rankings but in terms of whichever ones have great/involved commumities, safe areas, decent class sizes, reputations for having good teachers etc? So many neighborhoods and schools to choose from and Id like to hear from those who live there, work there or know people who live/work there. Thanks!

Wow...so lets look at clusters with a significant (though not necessarily majority) population WITHIN the Rockville City limits AND are in the city of Rockville:

Rockville High School
Richard Montgomery High School
Thomas Wootton High School

There are also other high schools that pull from Rockville City limits, but the school is not in the city limits:

Gaithersburg High School
Walter Johnson High School

For the sake of this discussion, I won't get too much into Walter Johnson or Gaithersburg, because both barely pull from Rockville City limits and NEITHER is within the city limits; however, you may want to consider them, as they are vicinity schools.

Back to the original 3....

Rockville High School:
There is only 1 middle school--Wood--and 5 elementary schools. Overall, the cluster has a small-town feel. High School population is very small, and they all went to middle school with each other. The demographics are generally middle class and well diverse. This is a very representative population of Montgomery County averages. Some of said that there are recent changes in the negative--partly due to new principle who came from a Potomac middle school and doesn't know so well how to deal with the different demographics from that school. Education is pretty solid still though, and housing is affordable. AP classes are offered--as is an opt-in, limited IB program.

Richard Montgomery High School:
There is only 1 middle school--Julius West--and 4 elementary schools. A 5th elementary school is being built to open fall 2018. Similarly to Rockville, the students all go to the same middle school, but this is a BIG cluster, so not the same small-town feel to it. All the elementary schools are WAY overcrowded except 1. The opening of the new elementary school will put the region at its capacity again though. Richard Montgomery has the first county IB program. All students actually begin participating in it from 6th grade in middle school. This is something to look into. Academics are strong and the program is hard--especially after 10th grade. College Gardens ES requires children to start an IB program in kindergarten. There are numerous AP offerings in the high school. Overall, the demographics of this school are equally mixed as Rockville, but with a greater spread of SES. That is, the average of the school fits the average of Montgomery County very well, but there are more richer demographics and poorer ones here than in Rockville.

Thomas Wootton High School:
There are 2 middle schools--Frost and Cabin John--but only Frost feeds everybody into Wottoon. Students from Cabin John split--some go to Wootton and others go to Churchill. There are 6 elementary schools The high school and middle schools operate at about capacity. The elementary schools are often significantly below capacity. There are considerations to merge students from other clusters into this one to increase elementary capacity in this cluster and reduce it in others--other Rockville schools are unaffected by this currently. The school has high academic standards and performance. Some may say this increases pressure. Demographics are generally biracial--Asian and White--not diverse. There is also generally high SES for facilities that attend the schools in the cluster--much more disposable income and very few FARMs. AP classes are offered and generally pretty good. There is a lot of competition though among students.

We're in the Rockville HS cluster and I think that's pretty accurate. And, nice of the PP to give such a detailed breakdown.

We couldn't afford a house in the Richard Montgomery cluster, so we're in Rockville. Only in MS, but if you have a choice (and can afford it), I'd go with the RM cluster over Rockville HS.

NP here. I grew up in the Wootton cluster and now live in the Rockville cluster. The above descriptions are very accurate. Quite honestly, if we had not chosen to go private, we would have moved to either the Wootton or RM clusters.

Would you be willing to share which private? We're in the Rockville cluster and are considering private. Our neighbors have chosen Catholic schools but we're not Catholic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great breakdown, PP. We're house-hunting and have the entire Rockville HS cluster as one of our desired spots. Our other spots are certain paths for ES-MS-HS.

And guys, no, Wootton is not diverse. Two races divided evenly making up 80% of the school, under 5% ESOL, exactly 5% FARMs, does not make the school racially or socioeconomically diverse. It's not all white, you can say that, but it is not diverse, and certainly not "actually quite diverse."

But by far the highest test scores and involved parents. So who cares about diverse if you are looking at the best

It depends on how you define "the best", I guess. And your definition is evidently different from mine.

Agreed. My kids are going to do well anywhere. When I look for "the best," there are more factors than test scores and involved parents. But your mileage may vary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi everyone. Can you rank for me what you think are the best Rockville clusters? Best meaning not great schools rankings but in terms of whichever ones have great/involved commumities, safe areas, decent class sizes, reputations for having good teachers etc? So many neighborhoods and schools to choose from and Id like to hear from those who live there, work there or know people who live/work there. Thanks!

Wow...so lets look at clusters with a significant (though not necessarily majority) population WITHIN the Rockville City limits AND are in the city of Rockville:

Rockville High School
Richard Montgomery High School
Thomas Wootton High School

There are also other high schools that pull from Rockville City limits, but the school is not in the city limits:

Gaithersburg High School
Walter Johnson High School

For the sake of this discussion, I won't get too much into Walter Johnson or Gaithersburg, because both barely pull from Rockville City limits and NEITHER is within the city limits; however, you may want to consider them, as they are vicinity schools.

Back to the original 3....

Rockville High School:
There is only 1 middle school--Wood--and 5 elementary schools. Overall, the cluster has a small-town feel. High School population is very small, and they all went to middle school with each other. The demographics are generally middle class and well diverse. This is a very representative population of Montgomery County averages. Some of said that there are recent changes in the negative--partly due to new principle who came from a Potomac middle school and doesn't know so well how to deal with the different demographics from that school. Education is pretty solid still though, and housing is affordable. AP classes are offered--as is an opt-in, limited IB program.

Richard Montgomery High School:
There is only 1 middle school--Julius West--and 4 elementary schools. A 5th elementary school is being built to open fall 2018. Similarly to Rockville, the students all go to the same middle school, but this is a BIG cluster, so not the same small-town feel to it. All the elementary schools are WAY overcrowded except 1. The opening of the new elementary school will put the region at its capacity again though. Richard Montgomery has the first county IB program. All students actually begin participating in it from 6th grade in middle school. This is something to look into. Academics are strong and the program is hard--especially after 10th grade. College Gardens ES requires children to start an IB program in kindergarten. There are numerous AP offerings in the high school. Overall, the demographics of this school are equally mixed as Rockville, but with a greater spread of SES. That is, the average of the school fits the average of Montgomery County very well, but there are more richer demographics and poorer ones here than in Rockville.

Thomas Wootton High School:
There are 2 middle schools--Frost and Cabin John--but only Frost feeds everybody into Wottoon. Students from Cabin John split--some go to Wootton and others go to Churchill. There are 6 elementary schools The high school and middle schools operate at about capacity. The elementary schools are often significantly below capacity. There are considerations to merge students from other clusters into this one to increase elementary capacity in this cluster and reduce it in others--other Rockville schools are unaffected by this currently. The school has high academic standards and performance. Some may say this increases pressure. Demographics are generally biracial--Asian and White--not diverse. There is also generally high SES for facilities that attend the schools in the cluster--much more disposable income and very few FARMs. AP classes are offered and generally pretty good. There is a lot of competition though among students.

We're in the Rockville HS cluster and I think that's pretty accurate. And, nice of the PP to give such a detailed breakdown.

We couldn't afford a house in the Richard Montgomery cluster, so we're in Rockville. Only in MS, but if you have a choice (and can afford it), I'd go with the RM cluster over Rockville HS.

NP here. I grew up in the Wootton cluster and now live in the Rockville cluster. The above descriptions are very accurate. Quite honestly, if we had not chosen to go private, we would have moved to either the Wootton or RM clusters.

Would you be willing to share which private? We're in the Rockville cluster and are considering private. Our neighbors have chosen Catholic schools but we're not Catholic.

I know that there are a lot of factors that go into where you live and where you want to send your children for school, but I would consider NOT sending your child to private if religion and class size are not the biggest factors. Private school will cost $25,000+ a year. At $25,000 a year, you can apply $2,000 a month to a mortgage. Tax benefits aside, $2,000 a month can get you about $275,000 for a 15-year mortgage, which is about how many years you would pay for private school! On top of that, you get to deduct mortgage interest, the money you pay in principal goes back into your pocket, you can send as many children to a better school district without paying more, AND the amount you pay per month won't go up! So whatever house you are in now, add $275,000 for a second loan and consider where you might be able to move. If you live in a modest $400,000 house, you could buy a $675,000 house and get in a better school district and be better off financially!

[Anonymous]

If you want to get in a different school district, you will have to move to a different county or state. There is only one school district in Montgomery County, and it's Montgomery County Public Schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you want to get in a different school district, you will have to move to a different county or state. There is only one school district in Montgomery County, and it's Montgomery County Public Schools.

s/district/cluster/g

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Im the PP btw, so I feel I should also say that i live in the RM cluster and chose to live there for its benefits. We specifically chose against the Wootton cluster for lack of diversity and realistic demographics.

I can't speak about the elementary schools so much in other clusters, but RM's elementary schools generally have very involved parents. Each has a different personality though.

That was a great breakdown PP. We also live in the RM cluster. Chose this one over Wootton and Churchill. We chose RM for a few reasons:

1. diversity - race and SES. RM/JW has the closest even split of race you will find in MCPS (roughly: 25% Asian, 25% Hispanic, 30% White, 15% Black, 6% multi)

2. IB program - have no idea if kids will want to be in IB diploma program in HS, but the option is there if they want it. There are 25 spots for in cluster students. I also liked that CG/JW had the IB programs, too. I know it's not a huge deal, bt I like that they do attempt to interweave IB concepts into the curriculum, no matter how small.

Also, I had one kid go to Barnsley for HGC. It is a huge school because of the programs they have there. We weren't very involved with the school since DC was only there for two years, but from the few times we did attend school functions, parents there seemed quite engaged.


This is pretty much the reason why I'd say there is a lack of 'community feel' at Barnsley. Because of the HGC, some of the kids are only there for 2 years. Kids live out of boundary, and are less likely to come to school functions (as you said, you only attended school functions a 'few' times - rightfully so, since it's a hassle to come all the way back to the school if you live farther away!). And, the multiple programs - GT/LD and DHOH and HGC lead to it being a HUGE school.

PP here. I get the sense that the home school families have a great sense of community. But yes, the HGC cohorts don't mingle much with the homeschool kids, hence the lack of community feel as a whole.


Which schools are all home schools versus HGC?


You could try Rock Creek or Flower Valley which are both in the same cluster as Barnsley.


How are the class sizes and communities at these schools?

We're at Rock Creek Valley. The sense of community there is very strong. Class sizes are very small in the lower grades (neither of my kids had more than 16 kids in their class through 2nd grade) but increase in 3rd. We've been happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi everyone. Can you rank for me what you think are the best Rockville clusters? Best meaning not great schools rankings but in terms of whichever ones have great/involved commumities, safe areas, decent class sizes, reputations for having good teachers etc? So many neighborhoods and schools to choose from and Id like to hear from those who live there, work there or know people who live/work there. Thanks!

Wow...so lets look at clusters with a significant (though not necessarily majority) population WITHIN the Rockville City limits AND are in the city of Rockville:

Rockville High School
Richard Montgomery High School
Thomas Wootton High School

There are also other high schools that pull from Rockville City limits, but the school is not in the city limits:

Gaithersburg High School
Walter Johnson High School

For the sake of this discussion, I won't get too much into Walter Johnson or Gaithersburg, because both barely pull from Rockville City limits and NEITHER is within the city limits; however, you may want to consider them, as they are vicinity schools.

Back to the original 3....

Rockville High School:
There is only 1 middle school--Wood--and 5 elementary schools. Overall, the cluster has a small-town feel. High School population is very small, and they all went to middle school with each other. The demographics are generally middle class and well diverse. This is a very representative population of Montgomery County averages. Some of said that there are recent changes in the negative--partly due to new principle who came from a Potomac middle school and doesn't know so well how to deal with the different demographics from that school. Education is pretty solid still though, and housing is affordable. AP classes are offered--as is an opt-in, limited IB program.

Richard Montgomery High School:
There is only 1 middle school--Julius West--and 4 elementary schools. A 5th elementary school is being built to open fall 2018. Similarly to Rockville, the students all go to the same middle school, but this is a BIG cluster, so not the same small-town feel to it. All the elementary schools are WAY overcrowded except 1. The opening of the new elementary school will put the region at its capacity again though. Richard Montgomery has the first county IB program. All students actually begin participating in it from 6th grade in middle school. This is something to look into. Academics are strong and the program is hard--especially after 10th grade. College Gardens ES requires children to start an IB program in kindergarten. There are numerous AP offerings in the high school. Overall, the demographics of this school are equally mixed as Rockville, but with a greater spread of SES. That is, the average of the school fits the average of Montgomery County very well, but there are more richer demographics and poorer ones here than in Rockville.

Thomas Wootton High School:
There are 2 middle schools--Frost and Cabin John--but only Frost feeds everybody into Wottoon. Students from Cabin John split--some go to Wootton and others go to Churchill. There are 6 elementary schools The high school and middle schools operate at about capacity. The elementary schools are often significantly below capacity. There are considerations to merge students from other clusters into this one to increase elementary capacity in this cluster and reduce it in others--other Rockville schools are unaffected by this currently. The school has high academic standards and performance. Some may say this increases pressure. Demographics are generally biracial--Asian and White--not diverse. There is also generally high SES for facilities that attend the schools in the cluster--much more disposable income and very few FARMs. AP classes are offered and generally pretty good. There is a lot of competition though among students.

We're in the Rockville HS cluster and I think that's pretty accurate. And, nice of the PP to give such a detailed breakdown.

We couldn't afford a house in the Richard Montgomery cluster, so we're in Rockville. Only in MS, but if you have a choice (and can afford it), I'd go with the RM cluster over Rockville HS.

NP here. I grew up in the Wootton cluster and now live in the Rockville cluster. The above descriptions are very accurate. Quite honestly, if we had not chosen to go private, we would have moved to either the Wootton or RM clusters.

Would you be willing to share which private? We're in the Rockville cluster and are considering private. Our neighbors have chosen Catholic schools but we're not Catholic.

22:37 here. I moved into the neighborhood when my oldest was an infant. I moved into the neighborhood because we could afford the house and I had heard decent things about the schools. My oldest child has never gone to public school due to significant SN's. Basically no matter where we live my older child was not going to public school. My younger child did go to public school at first. We moved younger DC to a religious school with smaller classes as DC was having issues with the large classes. Fwiw, neither of my kids are at the big three or big five in the area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you want to get in a different school district, you will have to move to a different county or state. There is only one school district in Montgomery County, and it's Montgomery County Public Schools.

Yes, it's all one school district, but the facilities, teachers, class offerings varies DRAMATICALLY. We have family that live all over the county and there is a huge difference amongst schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi everyone. Can you rank for me what you think are the best Rockville clusters? Best meaning not great schools rankings but in terms of whichever ones have great/involved commumities, safe areas, decent class sizes, reputations for having good teachers etc? So many neighborhoods and schools to choose from and Id like to hear from those who live there, work there or know people who live/work there. Thanks!

Wow...so lets look at clusters with a significant (though not necessarily majority) population WITHIN the Rockville City limits AND are in the city of Rockville:

Rockville High School
Richard Montgomery High School
Thomas Wootton High School

There are also other high schools that pull from Rockville City limits, but the school is not in the city limits:

Gaithersburg High School
Walter Johnson High School

For the sake of this discussion, I won't get too much into Walter Johnson or Gaithersburg, because both barely pull from Rockville City limits and NEITHER is within the city limits; however, you may want to consider them, as they are vicinity schools.

Back to the original 3....

Rockville High School:
There is only 1 middle school--Wood--and 5 elementary schools. Overall, the cluster has a small-town feel. High School population is very small, and they all went to middle school with each other. The demographics are generally middle class and well diverse. This is a very representative population of Montgomery County averages. Some of said that there are recent changes in the negative--partly due to new principle who came from a Potomac middle school and doesn't know so well how to deal with the different demographics from that school. Education is pretty solid still though, and housing is affordable. AP classes are offered--as is an opt-in, limited IB program.

Richard Montgomery High School:
There is only 1 middle school--Julius West--and 4 elementary schools. A 5th elementary school is being built to open fall 2018. Similarly to Rockville, the students all go to the same middle school, but this is a BIG cluster, so not the same small-town feel to it. All the elementary schools are WAY overcrowded except 1. The opening of the new elementary school will put the region at its capacity again though. Richard Montgomery has the first county IB program. All students actually begin participating in it from 6th grade in middle school. This is something to look into. Academics are strong and the program is hard--especially after 10th grade. College Gardens ES requires children to start an IB program in kindergarten. There are numerous AP offerings in the high school. Overall, the demographics of this school are equally mixed as Rockville, but with a greater spread of SES. That is, the average of the school fits the average of Montgomery County very well, but there are more richer demographics and poorer ones here than in Rockville.

Thomas Wootton High School:
There are 2 middle schools--Frost and Cabin John--but only Frost feeds everybody into Wottoon. Students from Cabin John split--some go to Wootton and others go to Churchill. There are 6 elementary schools The high school and middle schools operate at about capacity. The elementary schools are often significantly below capacity. There are considerations to merge students from other clusters into this one to increase elementary capacity in this cluster and reduce it in others--other Rockville schools are unaffected by this currently. The school has high academic standards and performance. Some may say this increases pressure. Demographics are generally biracial--Asian and White--not diverse. There is also generally high SES for facilities that attend the schools in the cluster--much more disposable income and very few FARMs. AP classes are offered and generally pretty good. There is a lot of competition though among students.

We're in the Rockville HS cluster and I think that's pretty accurate. And, nice of the PP to give such a detailed breakdown.

We couldn't afford a house in the Richard Montgomery cluster, so we're in Rockville. Only in MS, but if you have a choice (and can afford it), I'd go with the RM cluster over Rockville HS.

NP here. I grew up in the Wootton cluster and now live in the Rockville cluster. The above descriptions are very accurate. Quite honestly, if we had not chosen to go private, we would have moved to either the Wootton or RM clusters.

Would you be willing to share which private? We're in the Rockville cluster and are considering private. Our neighbors have chosen Catholic schools but we're not Catholic.

I know that there are a lot of factors that go into where you live and where you want to send your children for school, but I would consider NOT sending your child to private if religion and class size are not the biggest factors. Private school will cost $25,000+ a year. At $25,000 a year, you can apply $2,000 a month to a mortgage. Tax benefits aside, $2,000 a month can get you about $275,000 for a 15-year mortgage, which is about how many years you would pay for private school! On top of that, you get to deduct mortgage interest, the money you pay in principal goes back into your pocket, you can send as many children to a better school district without paying more, AND the amount you pay per month won't go up! So whatever house you are in now, add $275,000 for a second loan and consider where you might be able to move. If you live in a modest $400,000 house, you could buy a $675,000 house and get in a better school district and be better off financially!

I'm the PP. Thanks so much! That is definitely sound advice and something to consider.

[Anonymous]

For those of you who live in the Rockville HS district but opted to go private or wished they were in a different district, would you please share your reasons? My husband and I are looking to move in the next year and Rockville High is one of our target areas. Since we are in this for the long haul, we need to make sure that Wood MS and RHS will provide a good solid education along with a great peer group for my kids. My kids are currently in 3rd and 2nd grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want to get in a different school district, you will have to move to a different county or state. There is only one school district in Montgomery County, and it's Montgomery County Public Schools.

Yes, it's all one school district, but the facilities, teachers, class offerings varies DRAMATICALLY. We have family that live all over the county and there is a huge difference amongst schools.

Completely agree and anyone who disagrees is just being naive. People would not pay significantly more for the exact same house in one school cluster over another if there was not a reason. Just because the MCPS curriculum is the same does not mean that it is implemented the same in every school. Peer groupings will also differ from one school cluster to another and it absolutely makes a difference. If a teacher has significant behavioral issues in their classes then it makes it much harder to teach. Also, if you look at the course bulletins for each high school in the county you will see the differences in class offerings. Like it or not, that's just the way it is.