Where do you consider MCPS high schools on a scale of good-bad

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
It is a pipe dream that people are all of a sudden going to stop moving to the outer burbs because of the walkability factor. One, developers understand the walkabality factor and hence are building new developments, even in far out ones that address this desire. Second- people are moving into this county year after year, NOT out. You don't think they're all moving to Bethesda and SS, do you? FYI-here's the most populated High Schools from largest to smallest:

Blair 3083
Northwest 2508
WJ 2475
RM 2428
Gaithersburg 2388
Clarksburg 2148
Wootton 2134
Churchill 2123
BCC 2102
Whitman 2085
QO 2031
Paintbrach 2000
Sherwood 1967
Wheaton 1958
Einstein 1803
Northwood 1731
Kennedy 1720
Blake 1624
Magruder 1617
Rockville 1476
Seneca Valley 1187

It's no surprise Blair is at the top of that list. People that live across the street from Blair are zoned for Northwood. Blair serves close-in suburbs of Takoma Park and parts of Silver Spring which are adjacent to DC.

BCC also covers a large portion of Maryland’s border with DC (the desirable part too) and a major Urban center and only has 2200 kids?

True the population of Bethesda has gone up about 10%, but the notion of what's desirable today is not the same as it was back in 1990. That's the point. Things are changing.

But note that Blair is the only school in the DCC and SS that's in the top 10 most populated. The rest of the DCC schools have pretty low numbers. All the W schools are in the top 10.

For now. Northwood is supposed to expand to 2700 capacity, and Kennedy's slated for a large addition too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm picking up a trend here where posters really lack analytical skills. In order to say that the list shows people desire close-in locations you have to ignore several of the top 5 highest population schools including the 2nd one. Its as if some posters can post any data, ignore what it does or doesn't show and see what they want. Very odd but seems to happen consistently with all things MoCo.

On another note , this is NOT a list where you want to be on the top. There are no bragging rights for your school being the educational equivalent of a mega mall.

Yup, and #2 and #6 on this list are upcounty schools that also happen to be the newest high schools in the county. Both are already overcapacity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm picking up a trend here where posters really lack analytical skills. In order to say that the list shows people desire close-in locations you have to ignore several of the top 5 highest population schools including the 2nd one. Its as if some posters can post any data, ignore what it does or doesn't show and see what they want. Very odd but seems to happen consistently with all things MoCo.

On another note , this is NOT a list where you want to be on the top. There are no bragging rights for your school being the educational equivalent of a mega mall.

Yup, and #2 and #6 on this list are upcounty schools that also happen to be the newest high schools in the county. Both are already overcapacity.

Clarksburg HS and Northwest HS are over capacity because of Clarksburg.

1. People's preferences are shifting towards being close-in.
2. Montgomery County is building a large, brand-new town (Clarksburg) far out in the I-270 corridor.

These are not mutually contradictory statements.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm picking up a trend here where posters really lack analytical skills. In order to say that the list shows people desire close-in locations you have to ignore several of the top 5 highest population schools including the 2nd one. Its as if some posters can post any data, ignore what it does or doesn't show and see what they want. Very odd but seems to happen consistently with all things MoCo.

On another note , this is NOT a list where you want to be on the top. There are no bragging rights for your school being the educational equivalent of a mega mall.

Yup, and #2 and #6 on this list are upcounty schools that also happen to be the newest high schools in the county. Both are already overcapacity.

Clarksburg HS and Northwest HS are over capacity because of Clarksburg.

1. People's preferences are shifting towards being close-in.
2. Montgomery County is building a large, brand-new town (Clarksburg) far out in the I-270 corridor.

These are not mutually contradictory statements.

The preference has always been there. Nothing new. But preference doesn't always equate to action. I preferred to be closer in but I moved further out. Until the county figures out how to make homes affordable in closer in areas then people will continue to move far out. We have a HHI above 250K and I still couldn't move closer in.

[Anonymous]

Ya, being close is nice, but not enough that I want to pay $900,000 to live in Petworth

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm picking up a trend here where posters really lack analytical skills. In order to say that the list shows people desire close-in locations you have to ignore several of the top 5 highest population schools including the 2nd one. Its as if some posters can post any data, ignore what it does or doesn't show and see what they want. Very odd but seems to happen consistently with all things MoCo.

On another note , this is NOT a list where you want to be on the top. There are no bragging rights for your school being the educational equivalent of a mega mall.

Yup, and #2 and #6 on this list are upcounty schools that also happen to be the newest high schools in the county. Both are already overcapacity.

Clarksburg HS and Northwest HS are over capacity because of Clarksburg.

1. People's preferences are shifting towards being close-in.
2. Montgomery County is building a large, brand-new town (Clarksburg) far out in the I-270 corridor.

These are not mutually contradictory statements.

The preference has always been there. Nothing new. But preference doesn't always equate to action. I preferred to be closer in but I moved further out. Until the county figures out how to make homes affordable in closer in areas then people will continue to move far out. We have a HHI above 250K and I still couldn't move closer in.

The closer-in preference IS new.

The county has figured out how to make homes more affordable in closer-in areas: by increasing the supply of homes in closer-in areas. But the response to this, from some residents of those closer-in areas, is: Rampant overdevelopment! Undermining of the social fabric! Betrayal of promises!

[Anonymous]

People prefer closer in but with families- schools are a priority too. Yes, I may be able to find an affordable home that is closer in but if it means sacrificing schools then forget it. Preference for families: schools, commute, house. Most of us can't have all 3 in this area and that's fine. It's the price you pay for living close to the capital of this country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People prefer closer in but with families- schools are a priority too. Yes, I may be able to find an affordable home that is closer in but if it means sacrificing schools then forget it. Preference for families: schools, commute, house. Most of us can't have all 3 in this area and that's fine. It's the price you pay for living close to the capital of this country.

What does "sacrificing schools" mean?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People prefer closer in but with families- schools are a priority too. Yes, I may be able to find an affordable home that is closer in but if it means sacrificing schools then forget it. Preference for families: schools, commute, house. Most of us can't have all 3 in this area and that's fine. It's the price you pay for living close to the capital of this country.

What does "sacrificing schools" mean?

It means having to go to a school that is not desirable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People prefer closer in but with families- schools are a priority too. Yes, I may be able to find an affordable home that is closer in but if it means sacrificing schools then forget it. Preference for families: schools, commute, house. Most of us can't have all 3 in this area and that's fine. It's the price you pay for living close to the capital of this country.

What does "sacrificing schools" mean?

It means having to go to a school that is not desirable.

Not desirable by whom, why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People prefer closer in but with families- schools are a priority too. Yes, I may be able to find an affordable home that is closer in but if it means sacrificing schools then forget it. Preference for families: schools, commute, house. Most of us can't have all 3 in this area and that's fine. It's the price you pay for living close to the capital of this country.

And people wonder why parents who live in places like Silver Spring get ticked off on this board, when people exclaim that sending their children to our schools would be “sacrificing schools.”

You wouldn’t be sacrificing schools. The schools exist. Say aloud what you would be sacrificing: highly white schools with high PARCC scores.

[Anonymous]

Right, so you can tell how many people who live in Bethesda or Potomac think that way based on comments of a few on this board? And everyone who lives there makes over $500,000 annually too. NOT.

Judgmental much? Most people want diverse neighborhood schools and the shortest commute they can afford. They want their kids to walk to the school, they want to be able to be active in the school community, they want their kids to attend after-school activities. That's harder if it's a bus ride away. While some do it for magnets, many choose not to.

[Anonymous]

The closer-in preference IS new.

The job growth in VA is really what is driving this for many people. There are too many people in MoCo who have at least one spouse commuting to VA. My commute to DC hasn't changed much in 15 years. Its actually gotten somewhat better when school is not in session but DH's commute to VA has doubled to tripled in time. If you're going to spend an hour on the bridge or beltway segment going from MD to VA in the morning and VA to MD in the evening then there isn't much left over time to spend going further out into MD. Its also maddening to see the opposite direction lanes being free and clear. Thanks MoCo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The closer-in preference IS new.

The job growth in VA is really what is driving this for many people. There are too many people in MoCo who have at least one spouse commuting to VA. My commute to DC hasn't changed much in 15 years. Its actually gotten somewhat better when school is not in session but DH's commute to VA has doubled to tripled in time. If you're going to spend an hour on the bridge or beltway segment going from MD to VA in the morning and VA to MD in the evening then there isn't much left over time to spend going further out into MD. Its also maddening to see the opposite direction lanes being free and clear. Thanks MoCo.

Maybe. But generally, people are wanting to be closer-in. Also, I'm not sure what you want Montgomery County to do about the fact that the jobs are generally in the center of the region, rather than at the outskirts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The closer-in preference IS new.

The job growth in VA is really what is driving this for many people. There are too many people in MoCo who have at least one spouse commuting to VA. My commute to DC hasn't changed much in 15 years. Its actually gotten somewhat better when school is not in session but DH's commute to VA has doubled to tripled in time. If you're going to spend an hour on the bridge or beltway segment going from MD to VA in the morning and VA to MD in the evening then there isn't much left over time to spend going further out into MD. Its also maddening to see the opposite direction lanes being free and clear. Thanks MoCo.

How many people in MoCo have two or three spouses (not necessarily do they have to commute to VA)?