Overwhelmed with moving to MCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you coming from a small school district? Are you happy with current class sizes? If you are happy with it, I'd think twice about moving here.

Elementary class sizes are pretty small in the DCC.

Not in Takoma Park. They are larger.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So I moved to Bethesda, "the rich part of MoCo", 14 years ago to get my oldest with special needs into K. You know why I picked that location?

Because rich parents are more attuned to and have more resources to get their children evaluated (it's terribly expensive), and they feel more entitled to pressure their school to give their kids services and accommodations. Also there are slightly fewer poverty-associated social issues in the schools. This all combines to give schools in wealthy areas of MoCo an edge in giving out IEPs and 504s, because they're pushed by parents and they aren't focused on solving more dire student problems.

My kid was given an IEP even without a full neuro, on the base of his developmental pediatrician's assessment he possibly had ADHD (not even a definitive diagnosis). He did present with visible behavioral differences, so for Bethesda Elementary, it was a no-brainer. He received a ton of services in elementary I hadn't even though to ask for. I will forever be grateful to them.

I know it's not politically correct to write all these things, but I made the cold hard calculus that paying through the nose for housing was worth it in the end to not have to fight every year for services and accommodations. My son kept his IEP until 11th grade, well past the stage where he actually needed it, and then was given a 504 in 12th, to help him transition to college. We literally bought the cheapest house there was that year, inbounds for that elementary school

OP, this post is one of the ones to be leery of. If someone has zero experience with schools beyond the wealthy ones, they're not qualified to opine on the differences between wealthy and less wealthy. We're inbounds for Oakland Terrace Elementary, which ultimately feeds to Einstein. We've had zero trouble establishing an IEP for our son with SLD (dyslexia). We know many other families who also have IEPs, for this or other reasons, in our school. While the services aren't perfect, no one with whom I've spoken had significant difficulty getting these established and implemented reasonably well. Because we're a Focus school, we have small class sizes in elementary; my kids never had more than 18 kids in a class from K-2, and usually more like 16 kids. There are tons of highly educated parents here and, surprise, we're not the only ones who care about our kids' educations. Parents of all backgrounds show at back to school night, concerts, events, etc. Middle school (Newport Mill) has been a positive experience so far.

I could go on. You've gotten great advice. We have lots of friends at Flora Singer and they seem very happy there. OTES is great, but the dual language immersion isn't ideal for some kids with special needs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are considering a move to MCPS from a small school district in the PNW. I am incredibly overwhelmed with all the schools and options.

I have one kid in middle school and one in elementary. Both are neurodivergent. Older kid is a high performer in all areas; was in the gifted program in her previous district. Younger kid is strong in math, not reading, and has other special needs.

It seems we are too late to get into magnet programs, and it’s difficult to find out about the honors and elective offerings for middle school.

I’m trying to decide what areas to focus on and I’m overwhelmed. We don’t have the budget for the top-performing areas. I keep finding articles about fights and drugs and weapons, and I’m nervous about safety.

Which schools or areas should I look into?

Some areas we are considering based on current research are:
-Takoma Park
-Four Corners
-Olney
-Damascus
-Clarksburg
-Urbana (not in MCPS and would be a longer than ideal commute, but seems to have a strong school system with less red-tape to navigate)

You must be kidding!

No to Damascus and olney and Clarksburg. All are too maga morons.

Look you want good schools W clusters or possibly Quince Orchid.

Otherwise move to Howard county. Better schools at this moment in time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Four corners is good for ES. Pinecrest ES is excellent. Eastern MS' great strength is its magnet. Takoma Park has city and county taxes - be prepared to pay on that score if that is a concern. TPES and Piney Branch ES are good, but overcrowded. Takoma Park MS is excellent.

I don't know much about the other areas.

Am I correct in my understanding that kids who are zoned for the school but not in the magnet do not have access to the magnet classes? So it’s almost like two “schools” in one building?

I think that's correct in ES. Don't know about MS. At Blair, if students demonstrated they could do the math and science, they were welcomed into individual magnet classes.

It's a little complicated in MS. I can't speak to the up-county magnets, but have experience with both MS magnets within the last four years.

At TPMS and Eastern, the "magnet" classes are only for kids in the program, but they have also been known to backfill magnet spots from the home school population. I have zero clue as to how that happens, but can confirm that in both schools, my kids got a handful of new-to-the-program classmates over the course of their time. In both cases, there were also electives that heavily appealed to the magnet kids and were open to anyone in the school. At Eastern, that meant media and literature classes, and at TPMS that meant the technology electives.

Just as a plug, TPMS is an extremely well-run school even outside the magnet. New facilities and a strong administration make it a strong choice within the broader landscape of MCPS not always prioritizing middle school academics. Eastern offers a ton of opportunities, and I really like the new principal, but the physical building is a real problem and somehow always gets pushed back on the CIP calendar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With all the boundary changes, renting might be a good idea. We bought in North Bethesda as I needed to be on Red Line. With Woodward High School reopening, there will be some potentially lower cost real estate feeding into a brand new school that should be a really good school.

The new boundaries won't be finalized until March 2026, and will start taking effect in the fall of 2027.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are considering a move to MCPS from a small school district in the PNW. I am incredibly overwhelmed with all the schools and options.

I have one kid in middle school and one in elementary. Both are neurodivergent. Older kid is a high performer in all areas; was in the gifted program in her previous district. Younger kid is strong in math, not reading, and has other special needs.

It seems we are too late to get into magnet programs, and it’s difficult to find out about the honors and elective offerings for middle school.

I’m trying to decide what areas to focus on and I’m overwhelmed. We don’t have the budget for the top-performing areas. I keep finding articles about fights and drugs and weapons, and I’m nervous about safety.

Which schools or areas should I look into?

Some areas we are considering based on current research are:
-Takoma Park
-Four Corners
-Olney
-Damascus
-Clarksburg
-Urbana (not in MCPS and would be a longer than ideal commute, but seems to have a strong school system with less red-tape to navigate)

What's you political leaning? Areas of MoCo are quite divided. For instance, Damascus has a lot of MAGA rednecks while Takoma Park has a lot of insane purple-haired leftists.

[Anonymous]

OP I would strongly recommend you go for the best schools you can find and live in rented accommodation if necessary.

We lived in Bethesda for about 10 yrs and knew plenty of people who had moved there from places like Takoma Park which are great places to live, with beautiful old houses, but without adequate schooling.

The poster who said you need schools where rich parents wield influence, is correct. That is where you will find the most resources for your children.

[Anonymous]

There are good schools all over MCPS despite what DCUM would have you believe. If you’re an engaged parent, which it seems you are, your children will likely be fine. Choose an area you like where you can afford to live and can tolerate the commute. Only you know what factors matter most in terms of home style, size, amenities in neighborhood and surrounding community, diversity, etc.


If you need information about Spec Ed, MCPS has a wealth of it on their site. Like anywhere Spec Ed is going to take some work and involvement on your part. Come prepared with documentation from your current school district and any doctor evaluations/recommendations/diagnosis and be sure to speak up as you are your child’s best advocate.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/special-education/

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/special-education/secac/

And for the record the are people who like living in Damascus and Clarksburg just as much as some like living in Rockville or Bethesda.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP I would strongly recommend you go for the best schools you can find and live in rented accommodation if necessary.

We lived in Bethesda for about 10 yrs and knew plenty of people who had moved there from places like Takoma Park which are great places to live, with beautiful old houses, but without adequate schooling.

The poster who said you need schools where rich parents wield influence, is correct. That is where you will find the most resources for your children.

As a teacher, I would have to agree with the influence factor of parents in Bethesda. School administrators are more responsive to parents there and if you don't yet have IEPs for your students, and believe you need not only the IEPs, but the actual services that go along with IEPs, then move to Bethesda if you can. I teach in a Title I school. It takes a really long time for students to obtain IEPs. And then, nothing changes. They remain in the same classrooms with no interventions except reporting from classroom teachers on "progress."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP I would strongly recommend you go for the best schools you can find and live in rented accommodation if necessary.

We lived in Bethesda for about 10 yrs and knew plenty of people who had moved there from places like Takoma Park which are great places to live, with beautiful old houses, but without adequate schooling.

The poster who said you need schools where rich parents wield influence, is correct. That is where you will find the most resources for your children.

As a teacher, I would have to agree with the influence factor of parents in Bethesda. School administrators are more responsive to parents there and if you don't yet have IEPs for your students, and believe you need not only the IEPs, but the actual services that go along with IEPs, then move to Bethesda if you can. I teach in a Title I school. It takes a really long time for students to obtain IEPs. And then, nothing changes. They remain in the same classrooms with no interventions except reporting from classroom teachers on "progress."

But there are many more choices than just "Bethesda" or "Title I schools."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Four corners is good for ES. Pinecrest ES is excellent. Eastern MS' great strength is its magnet. Takoma Park has city and county taxes - be prepared to pay on that score if that is a concern. TPES and Piney Branch ES are good, but overcrowded. Takoma Park MS is excellent.

I don't know much about the other areas.

Am I correct in my understanding that kids who are zoned for the school but not in the magnet do not have access to the magnet classes? So it’s almost like two “schools” in one building?

It is correct that there is no access to the magnet classes for non magnet kids but it is not correct that it is like two schools. Magnet kids are mixed with everyone else for non magnet classes and the school works hard to make it clear that it is one school!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Check out special programs. You don't need to live in-bounds of that cluster, but if you live too far, the school bus will take a long time to get there. Would your kids qualify for the GT/LD program of MCPS? Gifted, talented and learning disabled. They require an IEP and a certain IQ score. My son was in the GT/LD program at North Bethesda MS then Walter Johnson HS. Houses are expensive there, but maybe you could buy a townhome, a condo, or live further north, in Rockville?

Neither have an IEP yet. Younger kid would probably qualify at some point (next year will be his first year in public school). Older kid did not qualify in previous school district.

It seems that all of the special programs are lottery, correct? So there’s a chance of not getting in?

We cannot afford a private school in that area, so I’m hesitant to count on a possible lottery without a good backup option.

No, not the special needs ones. If you qualify with the right diagnosis, etc, you're in. The 4th-5th grade CES (center for enriched studies) and middle and high school magnets, yes, those you need to prequalify by having decent MAP test scores, but then it's a lottery and plenty of bright kids don't get picked.

Perhaps you could call the division of special programs (not sure of the name) and inquire.

Your kids have current neuropsychological assessments? As in, in the past 4 years? To get an IEP they will need to see those reports.

Slight correction : High School magnets are not lotteries.

So are they just open to all who apply and qualify?

Qualify? You mean be a teachers pet to the teacher teaching the subject for which you want to magent in? Ok.

Huh? Teachers have no say in who gets in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Four corners is good for ES. Pinecrest ES is excellent. Eastern MS' great strength is its magnet. Takoma Park has city and county taxes - be prepared to pay on that score if that is a concern. TPES and Piney Branch ES are good, but overcrowded. Takoma Park MS is excellent.

I don't know much about the other areas.

Am I correct in my understanding that kids who are zoned for the school but not in the magnet do not have access to the magnet classes? So it’s almost like two “schools” in one building?

I think that's correct in ES. Don't know about MS. At Blair, if students demonstrated they could do the math and science, they were welcomed into individual magnet classes.

The question is about TPMS and no you cannot take magnet classes if you are not in the magnet. You can in Blair if you meet the prerequisites but few do

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are considering a move to MCPS from a small school district in the PNW. I am incredibly overwhelmed with all the schools and options.

I have one kid in middle school and one in elementary. Both are neurodivergent. Older kid is a high performer in all areas; was in the gifted program in her previous district. Younger kid is strong in math, not reading, and has other special needs.

It seems we are too late to get into magnet programs, and it’s difficult to find out about the honors and elective offerings for middle school.

I’m trying to decide what areas to focus on and I’m overwhelmed. We don’t have the budget for the top-performing areas. I keep finding articles about fights and drugs and weapons, and I’m nervous about safety.

Which schools or areas should I look into?

Some areas we are considering based on current research are:
-Takoma Park
-Four Corners
-Olney
-Damascus
-Clarksburg
-Urbana (not in MCPS and would be a longer than ideal commute, but seems to have a strong school system with less red-tape to navigate)

Anything here?:
https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/632710.page

[Anonymous]

Just a quick vote for Four Corners and agreement with the poster who said you need to take everything with a grain of salt on this site. Love this area, my son was zoned for Eastern, but goes to Parkland (choice based lottery) and is thriving. There are so many good options here.