Pls tell me about the RM school cluster

[Anonymous]

We are contemplating moving to this cluster and have identified a couple of ESs that would be fine but not sure about Julius West MS and Richard Montgomery HS. What can you tell me about these schools? I have looked at Montgomery County Schools at a Glance but in this instance it is confusing to me because it seems that the IB program provides distrorted statistics -- in particular, the diversity and the test scores, especially SAT scores, are skewed by these students. Is there a way to get this same information minus the IB program students? Also, I have heard some mixed things about Julius West MS so would appreciate the guidance -- what are the pros and cons of this school? The HS too, please? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I have one child at RM and one who is just finishing up at JW.

My feelings about these schools:

JW - It's overcrowded, and in general I think that middle school is the weak link of the US education system. That being said, both of my children had a pretty good experience at JW. They learned a lot, and they have great friends. I've never been concerned about their safety or about the quality of instruction. The one big unknown is that JW's longtime principal is retiring, so there will be a new principal next year.

RM - My daughter is not in the IB program, as she didn't like the prescribed nature of the curriculum. There seems to be the idea floating around that there are the smart IB kids and then everyone else at the school is uninterested in learning and possibly thuggish (not that I think that's what you're saying, but I've seen/heard this idea expressed a lot). In fact, RM has a robust AP program in addition to the IB magnet. My daughter is taking a variety of AP/honors classes, and she's thriving. Some of her friends are in the IB program, and some of them are mixing honors and AP classes like she is - it's not like there's no interaction between the two groups.

I don't know how statistics break out by IB/non-IB - I've never seen MCPS release the data that way.

Now certainly, there are some rougher kids at the school, but my daughter hasn't really had any interaction with them.

(Both kids have friends from the dreaded Twinbrook neighborhood, and they're normal, bright kids from functional, middle-class families.)

While I don't think either school is perfect by any means, I've been generally pleased with the level of education my children have received. My elder child will be off to college in a couple of years, and right now - at the very beginning of the admissions process - I'm not at all worried about her prospects.

[Anonymous]

Thank you, this is really very helpful. One question - why do you think JW is the weak link?

[Anonymous]

Not the PP, but I think the point was that middle school, in general, is the weak link. Not JW specifically.

[Anonymous]

14:18 here - yes, I think middle school, in general, is a weak spot in our education system.

[Anonymous]

I have two kids at JW..finishing 6th and 8th and they are both doing fine. We wish there was more differentiation but that is a county wide issue. One has enjoyed a series of film classes as elective and the other is involved in music. They both have a nice circle of friends. We are not at the high school yet but we have many neighborhood kids there and have no concerns about staying in the cluster. The magnet is about 20% of the school so that certainly affects the scores..but does not totally change them.

[Anonymous]

They would never give out the scores without them. They need them to even them out. MCPS brings the the IB, G&T, Magnet programs to schools whose scores suck - to bring them up. Some people will fight that or say it is wrong for me to say but I am not politically correct and it is what it is. And yes there are thugs in the school but you just have to make sure your kids doesn't hang with them. There are thugs in almost every school. Even rich white boys can be thugs.

I have a son in JW and a daughter in private. Not too happy with JW but I don't have much to compare to - meaning another public middle school. The school is just dark and too overcrowded. WAY overcrowded. The halls are just too packed and bullying occurs and does not get noticed by any teachers, even many students. The curriculum is not that challenging except his Algebra I class. The main difference I can tell from my daughter's school is that it is cool to be dumb and popular at JW. The smart kids are picked on as for some dumb reason MCPS intermingles the lowest and smartest kids in all core subjects but math. I guess it is the politically correct thing to do but it doesn't work for anyone. Not the teachers, not the dumb kids and certainly not the smart kids who are bored. It isn't a fun environment for learning. But again, my guess is that can be anywhere. PTA is pathetic. The grounds look horrible, the broken dark red sign is over a year old and not fixed. It just doesn't feel welcoming.

[Anonymous]

If the magnets were only at schools with poor scores, I think you would find them at many east county schools before RM. I am not saying that the scores are not boosted by the magnet but I don't think Poolesville and RM are at the bottom of MCPS scores if the magets were removed.

[Anonymous]

the Magnet moved to RM 20 years ago and while the reasons for the move may have been low scores back then I am not sure the same is true now.

[Anonymous]

01:02: Smart kids get picked on everywhere, unless they are at a school which is FULLY magnet. This isn't specific to JW or MCPS or the 2010s.

Signed,
smart kid from SC from the 80s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:01:02: Smart kids get picked on everywhere, unless they are at a school which is FULLY magnet. This isn't specific to JW or MCPS or the 2010s.

Signed,
smart kid from SC from the 80s.

Not true. That is what college prep schools are for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:01:02: Smart kids get picked on everywhere, unless they are at a school which is FULLY magnet. This isn't specific to JW or MCPS or the 2010s.

Signed,
smart kid from SC from the 80s.

Not true. My smart kid was one of the most popular in his MoCo elementary altho he's now in a magnet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the magnets were only at schools with poor scores, I think you would find them at many east county schools before RM. I am not saying that the scores are not boosted by the magnet but I don't think Poolesville and RM are at the bottom of MCPS scores if the magets were removed.

Poolsville is 3/4 magnet (out of the 4 houses that everyone belongs to, 3 are magnet houses and admission is by application and admissions test). So I am sure the scores would be impacted...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:01:02: Smart kids get picked on everywhere, unless they are at a school which is FULLY magnet. This isn't specific to JW or MCPS or the 2010s.

Signed,
smart kid from SC from the 80s.

Not at Wootton High School. That's why it's better to surround your kids around other like-minded kids. Academic excellence is valued in some cultures, but not in others.

[Anonymous]

Since RM has one of the county's most competitive magnets, I would hardly think bright kids are a small picked on minority.