Montgomery vs. Howard vs Anne Arundal for hs?
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Anonymous
Since 2014, I remember seeing River Hill, Marriotts Ridge, Centennial, and possibly even Howard High School among the top 10 at least once. There were years where some of the W schools weren’t even ranked at all. I’d consider the top 20-25 high schools in MD the “highest ranking” just because there’s so many super high performing schools in the state that it’s impossible to fit them into a top 10 ranking. |
Anonymous
It's usually only one in the top 10 (usually River Hill) and once in a while, you might have a second one. |
Anonymous
| OP, Walter Johnson and BCC in Montgomery county are considered top schools but are less of a pressure cooker than other Bethesda/Chevy Chase/Potomac schools. Also closer to DC than the other counties you are considering. Also Poolesville is number 1 in Maryland and has 2 magnet programs. You can purchase a nicer and newer home there with bigger lots for around $800K. |
Anonymous
Oh come on, this is silly. Howard County is a wonderful county for public schools, though MoCo also undoubtably has great schools. Anyone can pick and choose their rankings. Look, I did so here: https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/search/counties-with-the-best-public-schools/ And here is a recent US News that puts Howard County way ahead of Montgomery County for overall QOL in regard to education, poverty, and life expectancy: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/economy/2018/02/05/25-best-counties-u-s-live-based-education-poverty-and-life-expectancy/1062019001/ OP, either HoCo or MoCo are considered the best counties for public schools in the state--though AA has some standouts as mentioned, particularly in Severna Park. I do think the commute from that area of AA is much rougher than if you're commuting in from HoCo--as long as you're near a MARC station. MoCo commutes will generally be easier, given proximity, but if you're looking at Poolesville then your commute is going to be just as bad, if not worse, than coming from other counties. In regard to HoCo and MoCo, the general cultures are quite different. Probably safe to generalize and say that Howard is more laid back and less in-your-face competitive, but the real difference stems from the fact that you have a mix of D.C. and Baltimore-centric parents in regard to careers as opposed to the very D.C.-focused MoCo. Howard County's identity is just more "Maryland" than D.C. and all the good and bad that brings with it. We live in the Marriotts Ridge HS district in Howard County but our kid is in elementary school. Happy to share anything about the area though. |
Anonymous
| MoCo high schools are generally larger than HoCo or AA schools. Not sure if that would influence your decision or not. |
Anonymous
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Y’all know when you’re picking top schools it just means “schools with kids from higher income households” right? The curriculum is the same everywhere.
Some of these top schools your kid can’t get on a sports team without extensive training - sometimes middle of the road does the trick. |
Anonymous
This poster makes two good points to consider. I've observed, as part of micro-managing my child's learning during COVID, that the school curriculum is pushed down from Central Office and is identical across schools - so it doesn't really doesn't matter if you are at Severna Park (high income) or Glen Burnie (low income). It's the same exact set of lessons. And the high school sports teams at the "top" high schools in Anne Arundel are brutal with cuts. We have a friend that tried out for the HS lacrosse team at one of the "top" schools and over 50% of the kids were cut. Think that's pretty common - if you haven't been playing at the club $$$ level for years you have no shot at making the team. |
Anonymous
Exactly. All this debate about “better schools???” It’s the same curriculum. |
Anonymous
| What’s the best lockdown high school in Maryland |
Anonymous
| Schools dont matter much. It is how involve as a parent you will be every single day with your children. If both parents work and come back home at 7 PM every night don't think the teachers will babysit your kids to become the best they can be. It starts at home first. |
Anonymous
Oh boy. Yes, it is impossible for parents who come home around 7pm every night to be good parents. They all definitely expect teachers to babysit their children, too. Give me a break. |
Anonymous
At 50K a year.. that is 200K total.. Considering that you could add this to his college found or buy better home and invest now I would think going with smaller and better managed school system seems like no brainer. In case you have the money to spend and a choice that most don't. |
Anonymous
Could you write this again slowly? 
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Anonymous
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I would say focus on where you want to live/how long of a commute your spouse is willing to make. We chose Davidsonville because of the great community, good AA school zones and quick(er) access to DC (Severna park is close but significantly longer of a commute to DC because of traffic/distance from 50). All these schools are relatively good in the counties you speak of... your child will only be there for 4 years, but you might live there longer. So find an area you want to call home, has a commute your spouse can tolerate, and allow your child to make the best of the 4 years of the high school where you land.
Good luck! We loved living in DC but we really love life out here now. |
Anonymous
We sold. Moved to the suburbs, "for the schools". We were very disappointed. We now pay for a SFH in the burbs and private schools. Look at your entire lifestyle and decide where you want to raise your family. The public schools are about the same anywhere - including DC publics. |