Planning a move to Wootton HS School District

[Anonymous]

I honestly don’t understand why people get so defensive and take everything so personally. Just because someone wants to do something different than you, doesn’t mean you made a bad decision or that someone is making a bad decision. Let others be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ OP is probably looking for a school that her daughter can thrive without having to commute to PHS. Just a guess.

But OP stated her daughter got into the APPS program at Clarksburg which is practically a school for the high achieving kids within that HS. If it were me, I would see if daughter got into Poolesville magnet; if yes, great since Clarksburg is not far from Poolesville. If no, then stay at Clarksburg in the APPS program. To me it's not worth moving to attend Wootton when your kid is already in Clarksburg APPS.

No, it's not.

Here we go.

Op, moving when you have two reasonably good options seem overkill to me. Clarksburgvis not too far from PHS, why not send her to PHS?

I'm the PP you're responding to. My child is in APPS at Clarksburg HS. The program is fine. Clarksburg HS is fine. I have no complaints. But it's not accurate to say that the APPS program is practically a school for the high-achieving kids at Clarksburg HS. It's not. APPS kids tend to hang out with other APPS kids, but those kids would probably hang out together even if there weren't APPS.

I'm the PP you're responding to. I agree with you. I think you misunderstood what I'm saying. The APPS program is a program for high-achieving kids in that HS; so those kids will tend to hang out as a result. That's all I meant but yes, I agree that those kids would most likely hang out to begin with even without the APPS program; which proves my point that OP doesn't need to be scared that her child won't find other motivated kids with engaged parents in that school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wooton is a fine school. Like all MCPS high-schools, it has a high-performing cohort where your child would do similarly to where she is now. Unlike many schools, Wooton isn't very diverse and there are negligible FARMS so their test averages seem higher because there are fewer low performers... The main difference you'll find at Wooton is 4 sections of AP English instead of 3.

What do you mean by "NEGLIGIBLE FARMS" ??

4 sections of AP English ?? How is that an asset....i am not clear ? Please elaborate

I think that was their point. It isn't an asset.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, Clarksburg and Wootton are in the same school district. I am not just saying that to be pedantic. They're both high schools in MCPS. The academic offerings are basically the same.

Do you only want to move from Clarksburg to Potomac for Wootton HS, or are there other reasons for your move?

But you are.

Obviously you knew to read District as Cluster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I honestly don’t understand why people get so defensive and take everything so personally. Just because someone wants to do something different than you, doesn’t mean you made a bad decision or that someone is making a bad decision. Let others be.

I don't think people are getting defensive. Maybe the other Clarksburg parent, but that's understandable. Posters just think OP hasn't looked at the bigger picture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wooton is a fine school. Like all MCPS high-schools, it has a high-performing cohort where your child would do similarly to where she is now. Unlike many schools, Wooton isn't very diverse and there are negligible FARMS so their test averages seem higher because there are fewer low performers... The main difference you'll find at Wooton is 4 sections of AP English instead of 3.

You will also find lots of Type A parents which tend to result in high achieving Type A kids. Peers matter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes there are other reasons for the move (commute etc) but my priority is doing right by the kids.

APPS is a great program however my problem is the environment that CHS has to offer...not very motivated kids and parents that just dont care and are not engaged.

WOOTTON - i believe would push her academically more than CHS perhaps - however, i dont want her to go to a pressure cooker type environment that drives her crazy. I want her to indulge in extra curreculars while not killing herself with HW etc. Thus all these questions.

Poolesville - also i am not sure about. Would involve an hour commute both ways. Plus i am not sure she knows as yet what she wants to do....so i dont want to push her into humanties or global without her being sold on the program.

LOL.
You don't want a pressure cooker but you want to send her to Wootton? ?

[Anonymous]

Wootton kids are very friendly in our experience. While many have known each other since elementary school, a good number of students move into the area between upper elementary and 9th grade. Its so common that the elementary schools in the cluster are all substantially under enrolled while Wootton is at capacity. My kid's friends' groups have always accepted new kids and many have joined in over the years. Music and band are very good at Wootton. There are many STEM electives and AP options. Wootton has been STEM oriented forever. The humanities courses are good. We have never felt any pressure to be perfect. The workload is high and the teachers are great with appropriate expectations. One of my kids really struggled when she took a foreign language and the teacher was very helpful. There are plenty of kids who are smart but not geniuses.

Sports are not a huge thing at Wootton. Swim teams are big for the kids that still swim. There is a large to good sized Indian, Russian, Chinese, Iranian, and Korean population. We also have friends who grew up in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, France, Germany, Nigeria, Columbia, El Salvador, and Ghana. Many of our friends and our kids friends who grew up in other countries mix with everyone else and also do things within their communities. Ie local churches, festivals etc.

[Anonymous]

No i have a younger one as well...who will be going to MS next year. Good time to transition for both.

Frost is amazing! I think MS is the hardest time but the teachers there were excellent. I also liked that the entire school goes onto Wootton. Areas in the Stone Mill ES split off between Wootton and Cabin John but the neighborhoods that split from CJ come back to Wootton. If you are moving here when the youngest is entering MS I'd recommend finding a house that fees for Frost so he doesn't have to worry that his new friends wont be going to the same high school.

[Anonymous]

Wootton kids are very friendly in our experience. While many have known each other since elementary school, a good number of students move into the area between upper elementary and 9th grade. Its so common that the elementary schools in the cluster are all substantially under enrolled while Wootton is at capacity.

Are you kidding me? The reason Wootton cluster elementary schools are under-enrolled is because Wootton parents actively fight any effort that might result in kids of middle-class or working-class parents to be in Wootton boundaries -- and god forbid FARMS students pollute their precious schools.

[Anonymous]

We've been in the Wootton cluster and active in the PTA for 20 years. I have never seen Wootton parents fight against sending FARMS kids to Wootton. The elementary schools are under enrolled and Wootton is at capacity because a lot of people move to go to Frost/Wootton.

OP if you end up in the Travilah/Dufief area join Westleigh swim club down the road. It is not fancy, just a neighborhood pool but its a great way to meet new families. I think Fallsmead has something similar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Wootton kids are very friendly in our experience. While many have known each other since elementary school, a good number of students move into the area between upper elementary and 9th grade. Its so common that the elementary schools in the cluster are all substantially under enrolled while Wootton is at capacity.

Are you kidding me? The reason Wootton cluster elementary schools are under-enrolled is because Wootton parents actively fight any effort that might result in kids of middle-class or working-class parents to be in Wootton boundaries -- and god forbid FARMS students pollute their precious schools.

What "effort" were you referring to? Please elaborate so that people know whether these "efforts" were reasonable or not.

[Anonymous]

OP- I'd move. If you're getting a better commute and better school options. The commute alone would do it for me. Its obviously not as good for a commute to DC or VA as close in Potomac/Bethesda but its not bad if you go south and take River Road into DC commuting before or after the MCPS busses. If you need to go east or up to Baltimore you can take the ICC.

Wootton also has a better chance of holding its value than areas further out. The only caveat is that houses that over 1 M sit for a long time. Most of the Wootton houses are in the 700-800 range. You can find houses in the 600 range but they go fast. There are townhouses ranging from 400-700K. (I would not suggest the 700K THs, Feels over priced for this area). Most of the houses on the market at any given time are the over 900K ones. If you plan to look in the higher end range, look up the history to understand whether the seller has been trying to sell it for years. Make a lower offer if no one has bitten at the high price in over a year.

Renting is a good option too. We know several people who rent. They are waiting until the new homes on Travilah/Dufief Rd start being built.

I love Wootton but Churchill is another good option. Houses that feed into Beverly Farms ES or Bells Mills ES are not much more expensive than houses in Wootton and you are even closer to VA and DC for commuting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Wootton kids are very friendly in our experience. While many have known each other since elementary school, a good number of students move into the area between upper elementary and 9th grade. Its so common that the elementary schools in the cluster are all substantially under enrolled while Wootton is at capacity.

Are you kidding me? The reason Wootton cluster elementary schools are under-enrolled is because Wootton parents actively fight any effort that might result in kids of middle-class or working-class parents to be in Wootton boundaries -- and god forbid FARMS students pollute their precious schools.

You sound unhinged. Can’t afford Wootton district huh?

[Anonymous]

Wootton is a very competitive environment, but if your DC is a top student that is great. It is almost plurality asian, the main student body difference is the lack of hispanic/black/low income students at Wootton. I think your DC will be perfectly fine at Clarksburg so I don't really think it is worth it to move, but if your DC really wants Wootton then I would say go for it. It is really good for Asian students with more resources and clubs geared towards that demographic.