New boundary study for Churchill, Clarksburg, Damascus, Gaithersburg, RM, Northwest, Poolesville, QO, SV, WM, Wootton

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dufief, Travilah, Stone Mill, Jones Lane, Thurgood Marshall, Darnestown to QO.

Are we just going to close Wootton?

? Crown isn't going to be *that* big. There are enough students from the surrounding over capacity HS -- RM, GHS, QO -- to keep Wootton open.

[Anonymous]

Lower income parts of GH will move to Crown. Upper income parts of RM will move to Gaithersburg. Maybe just King Farm or maybe Derwood too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are probably going to put all the lower income neighborhoods in the area at crown.

Nope. They will put Falls Grove there, and that area is a mix of SES, including some higher income families.

Falls Grove goes to Ritchie Park. If they cannot break up an ES boundary, they aren't likely to do this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lower income parts of GH will move to Crown. Upper income parts of RM will move to Gaithersburg. Maybe just King Farm or maybe Derwood too.

In 10 years, Gaithersburg High may look completely different than it does now. If RM and Fallsgrove and maybe Derwood leave that cluster, RM won't be what it used to be either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are probably going to put all the lower income neighborhoods in the area at crown.

Nope. They will put Falls Grove there, and that area is a mix of SES, including some higher income families.

Falls Grove goes to Ritchie Park. If they cannot break up an ES boundary, they aren't likely to do this.

It's called split articulation, which Wootton also has.

The split articulation happens after middle school - JWMS. Cold Spring ES split articulation starts in MS -- Cabin John vs Frost.

FG is going to Crown. It should. It's a few blocks from Crown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Giving this one its own thread.

This morning, MCPS staff proposed combining the boundary studies for Crown and Damascus high schools into one large study with the following high schools and their feeder middle schools in scope: Churchill, Clarksburg, Damascus, Gaithersburg, Richard Montgomery, Northwest, Poolesville, Quince Orchard, Seneca Valley, Watkins Mill, and Wootton.

The boundary study process would happen during 2025, and the final boundary vote would be in March 2026.

Detailed timeline:

Spring 2024--Request for Proposal released
Summer 2024--Board approves consultant
Fall 2024--Prepare for community engagement
Early 2025-Fall/Winter 2025--Boundary study process
January 2026--Boundary Study Report released
Early February 2026--Recommendation released
Late February-March 2026--Board work sessions, public hearings and action

This study has been proposed, but not approved by the board yet. That would happen at their March 19th meeting.

Early April 2026 - some parents complain about change
Summer 2026 - board votes to leave it the way its been for 40+ years

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lower income parts of GH will move to Crown. Upper income parts of RM will move to Gaithersburg. Maybe just King Farm or maybe Derwood too.

In 10 years, Gaithersburg High may look completely different than it does now. If RM and Fallsgrove and maybe Derwood leave that cluster, RM won't be what it used to be either.

This is true. All of those schools will look a bit differently after the move.

This happened to RMHS after the boundary changes in the 80s. It went from a low income, dying school, to a mix SES school with one of the best magnet programs in the area. RM is a success story when it comes to drawing the higher income families to the school.

-RMHS parent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are probably going to put all the lower income neighborhoods in the area at crown.

Nope. They will put Falls Grove there, and that area is a mix of SES, including some higher income families.

Falls Grove goes to Ritchie Park. If they cannot break up an ES boundary, they aren't likely to do this.

It's called split articulation, which Wootton also has.

The split articulation happens after middle school - JWMS. Cold Spring ES split articulation starts in MS -- Cabin John vs Frost.

FG is going to Crown. It should. It's a few blocks from Crown.

Wootton's split articulation occurs between middle school and high school. There is no such split from elementary school to middle school that I am aware of.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are probably going to put all the lower income neighborhoods in the area at crown.

Nope. They will put Falls Grove there, and that area is a mix of SES, including some higher income families.

Falls Grove goes to Ritchie Park. If they cannot break up an ES boundary, they aren't likely to do this.

It's called split articulation, which Wootton also has.

The split articulation happens after middle school - JWMS. Cold Spring ES split articulation starts in MS -- Cabin John vs Frost.

FG is going to Crown. It should. It's a few blocks from Crown.

Wootton's split articulation occurs between middle school and high school. There is no such split from elementary school to middle school that I am aware of.

Several elementary schools do have split articulation to two different middle schools.
Cloverly
Fairland
Gibbs
Laytonsville
Pine Crest
Sally Ride
Stedwick
Stonegate

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are probably going to put all the lower income neighborhoods in the area at crown.

Nope. They will put Falls Grove there, and that area is a mix of SES, including some higher income families.

Falls Grove goes to Ritchie Park. If they cannot break up an ES boundary, they aren't likely to do this.

It's called split articulation, which Wootton also has.

The split articulation happens after middle school - JWMS. Cold Spring ES split articulation starts in MS -- Cabin John vs Frost.

FG is going to Crown. It should. It's a few blocks from Crown.

Wootton's split articulation occurs between middle school and high school. There is no such split from elementary school to middle school that I am aware of.

Several elementary schools do have split articulation to two different middle schools.
Cloverly
Fairland
Gibbs
Laytonsville
Pine Crest
Sally Ride
Stedwick
Stonegate

Are any of those schools as small as Ritchie Park?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are probably going to put all the lower income neighborhoods in the area at crown.

Nope. They will put Falls Grove there, and that area is a mix of SES, including some higher income families.

Falls Grove goes to Ritchie Park. If they cannot break up an ES boundary, they aren't likely to do this.

It's called split articulation, which Wootton also has.

The split articulation happens after middle school - JWMS. Cold Spring ES split articulation starts in MS -- Cabin John vs Frost.

FG is going to Crown. It should. It's a few blocks from Crown.

Wootton's split articulation occurs between middle school and high school. There is no such split from elementary school to middle school that I am aware of.

Several elementary schools do have split articulation to two different middle schools.
Cloverly
Fairland
Gibbs
Laytonsville
Pine Crest
Sally Ride
Stedwick
Stonegate

Are any of those schools as small as Ritchie Park?

Laytonsville is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dufief, Travilah, Stone Mill, Jones Lane, Thurgood Marshall, Darnestown to QO.

Are we just going to close Wootton?

Wooton needs to make room for 600 units at The Grove.

[Anonymous]

I would love to see Wootton close but I know it won't happen. I can see them using Crown as a holding school while they redo Wootton but then when they are both open at full capacity their will not be enough kids to fill them. As a taxpayer I find that very frustrating.

- Wootton Parent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dufief, Travilah, Stone Mill, Jones Lane, Thurgood Marshall, Darnestown to QO.

Are we just going to close Wootton?

? Crown isn't going to be *that* big. There are enough students from the surrounding over capacity HS -- RM, GHS, QO -- to keep Wootton open.

Ritchie Park will end up going to Wootton as it should since it is walking distance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Giving this one its own thread.

This morning, MCPS staff proposed combining the boundary studies for Crown and Damascus high schools into one large study with the following high schools and their feeder middle schools in scope: Churchill, Clarksburg, Damascus, Gaithersburg, Richard Montgomery, Northwest, Poolesville, Quince Orchard, Seneca Valley, Watkins Mill, and Wootton.

The boundary study process would happen during 2025, and the final boundary vote would be in March 2026.

Detailed timeline:

Spring 2024--Request for Proposal released
Summer 2024--Board approves consultant
Fall 2024--Prepare for community engagement
Early 2025-Fall/Winter 2025--Boundary study process
January 2026--Boundary Study Report released
Early February 2026--Recommendation released
Late February-March 2026--Board work sessions, public hearings and action

This study has been proposed, but not approved by the board yet. That would happen at their March 19th meeting.

Early April 2026 - some parents complain about change
Summer 2026 - board votes to leave it the way its been for 40+ years

This schedule is what everyone should be talking about and advocating to be accelerated. There is no reason this should take until 2026.