What are the Ws?

[Anonymous]

When I started reading DCUM about 6 years ago, I found out I have been rising my kids in "Ganglandia." Could have fooled me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When people refer to the W schools, they are generally referring to Walt Whitman, Walter Johnson, and Winston Churchill. It is a loaded term, often said disparagingly or enviously. But those three schools tend to be the high performing non-magnet public schools in Montgomery Country. Their demographics are largely white and asian. Income is high. Parents tend to be well educated and invested in their kids education. The schools are safe. They all offer the most advanced classes. Their students tend to have good college outcomes. The main downside is that the schools can feel like pressure cookers for some students since the expectations are so high.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When people refer to the W schools, they are generally referring to Walt Whitman, Walter Johnson, and Winston Churchill. It is a loaded term, often said disparagingly or enviously. But those three schools tend to be the high performing non-magnet public schools in Montgomery Country. Their demographics are largely white and asian. Income is high. Parents tend to be well educated and invested in their kids education. The schools are safe. They all offer the most advanced classes. Their students tend to have good college outcomes. The main downside is that the schools can feel like pressure cookers for some students since the expectations are so high.

There are high-performing cohorts at those schools just like there are at almost every MCPS HS. The real difference is a lack of poverty. W schools have <5% FARMS in a county with median shy of 40%. The reality is they have fewer low-income students dragging down their test averages which is a bit different than high-performing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I started reading DCUM about 6 years ago, I found out I have been rising my kids in "Ganglandia." Could have fooled me.

Me too. I raised my kids in ganglandia. They somehow managed to attend magnets all the way through which outperform W's in terms of college outcomes SAT averages and awards. The point being there are great options available for anyone who is interested. You don't have to live in Potomac.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Ws are traditionally the MCPS high schools near-ish Bethesda that have higher SES and perform well.

They are:
- Walt Whitman
- Winston Churchill
- Walter Johnson
- Wootton
- maybe Woodward will be one when it opens because it's in the middle of all of these, but who knows

These are the schools where a huge proportion of the class has an outstanding GPA, the graduation rates are high, the family investment in education is high, and the extracurriculars about. Most are primarily populated by White and Asian students. Most will go on to "a good college."

BCC is also a good school and pulls from a higher SES demographic. But it has "uniquely urban" problems that the above schools do not, so it's not really a W. We send our kid to one of the above but I wouldn't hesitate to send my kid to BCC and when we were looking for houses a few years ago when they were in MS we looked in the BCC pyramid.

The expectations of excellence aren't limited to the families. Those schools are run by administrators who value education and expect excellence from each child no matter their familial background, economic status, special needs, etc.
Can't speak to bcc but there is a glaring difference in how students are supported at W schools and non.

Whereas in the Ganglandia schools, all of the administrators hate education and expect each child to fail no matter their familial background, economic status, special needs, etc.!

Or something.

Snort. As a Ganglandia parent, I find the characterization of our schools by parents who don't live here to be laughable. And the W parents are supposed to be the smart ones? Pffft.

Your characterization of W students and families is likewise ridiculous and offensive.

Maybe it is time for everyone to drop it and focus on our common interests in educating our kids. The system has major needs throughout and fighting in this petty manner distracts from the real problems d their solutions.

People in DCC in particular on this thread seem really invested in a W vs DCC narrative. It is time for it to end.

No one I know in real life says anything like ganglandia.

The only comment I made about W parents was pointing out the irony that people who fancy themselves smarter than everyone else seem to make a lot of unfounded assumptions about other people's schools. That's all.

I've had plenty of people IRL roll their eyes or make rude comments about DCC schools, which my kids attend. They may not use the term ganglandia, but the opinion is clear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When people refer to the W schools, they are generally referring to Walt Whitman, Walter Johnson, and Winston Churchill. It is a loaded term, often said disparagingly or enviously. But those three schools tend to be the high performing non-magnet public schools in Montgomery Country. Their demographics are largely white and asian. Income is high. Parents tend to be well educated and invested in their kids education. The schools are safe. They all offer the most advanced classes. Their students tend to have good college outcomes. The main downside is that the schools can feel like pressure cookers for some students since the expectations are so high.

There are high-performing cohorts at those schools just like there are at almost every MCPS HS. The real difference is a lack of poverty. W schools have <5% FARMS in a county with median shy of 40%. The reality is they have fewer low-income students dragging down their test averages which is a bit different than high-performing.

Facts seem to really bother people here.

Do they all have a FARMs rate less than 5? No. Sorry the data doesn’t support your narrative.

The school at a glance for WJ 2022-23 shows that the FARMs rate is 16%. Last time I checked 16 is less than 35 and more than 5.

Racial demographics for WJ 2022-23:
49.9% are white;
17.8% are Hispanic;
14.7% are Asian;
0.1% are American Indian/Native American; 11.2% are Black/African American;
6.2% are two or more races; and
0.1% are Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

Last time I checked 49.9 is not all.

https://ww2.montgomerysch.../04424.pdf

[Anonymous]

What are the L schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When people refer to the W schools, they are generally referring to Walt Whitman, Walter Johnson, and Winston Churchill. It is a loaded term, often said disparagingly or enviously. But those three schools tend to be the high performing non-magnet public schools in Montgomery Country. Their demographics are largely white and asian. Income is high. Parents tend to be well educated and invested in their kids education. The schools are safe. They all offer the most advanced classes. Their students tend to have good college outcomes. The main downside is that the schools can feel like pressure cookers for some students since the expectations are so high.

There are high-performing cohorts at those schools just like there are at almost every MCPS HS. The real difference is a lack of poverty. W schools have <5% FARMS in a county with median shy of 40%. The reality is they have fewer low-income students dragging down their test averages which is a bit different than high-performing.

Facts seem to really bother people here.

Do they all have a FARMs rate less than 5? No. Sorry the data doesn’t support your narrative.

The school at a glance for WJ 2022-23 shows that the FARMs rate is 16%. Last time I checked 16 is less than 35 and more than 5.

Racial demographics for WJ 2022-23:
49.9% are white;
17.8% are Hispanic;
14.7% are Asian;
0.1% are American Indian/Native American; 11.2% are Black/African American;
6.2% are two or more races; and
0.1% are Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

Last time I checked 49.9 is not all.

https://ww2.montgomerysch.../04424.pdf

Some people are allergic to complete URLs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When people refer to the W schools, they are generally referring to Walt Whitman, Walter Johnson, and Winston Churchill. It is a loaded term, often said disparagingly or enviously. But those three schools tend to be the high performing non-magnet public schools in Montgomery Country. Their demographics are largely white and asian. Income is high. Parents tend to be well educated and invested in their kids education. The schools are safe. They all offer the most advanced classes. Their students tend to have good college outcomes. The main downside is that the schools can feel like pressure cookers for some students since the expectations are so high.

There are high-performing cohorts at those schools just like there are at almost every MCPS HS. The real difference is a lack of poverty. W schools have <5% FARMS in a county with median shy of 40%. The reality is they have fewer low-income students dragging down their test averages which is a bit different than high-performing.

Facts seem to really bother people here.

Do they all have a FARMs rate less than 5? No. Sorry the data doesn’t support your narrative.

The school at a glance for WJ 2022-23 shows that the FARMs rate is 16%. Last time I checked 16 is less than 35 and more than 5.

Racial demographics for WJ 2022-23:
49.9% are white;
17.8% are Hispanic;
14.7% are Asian;
0.1% are American Indian/Native American; 11.2% are Black/African American;
6.2% are two or more races; and
0.1% are Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

Last time I checked 49.9 is not all.

https://ww2.montgomerysch.../04424.pdf

This seems segregated compared to the rest of MCPS and which W has a FARMS rate >5% again?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When people refer to the W schools, they are generally referring to Walt Whitman, Walter Johnson, and Winston Churchill. It is a loaded term, often said disparagingly or enviously. But those three schools tend to be the high performing non-magnet public schools in Montgomery Country. Their demographics are largely white and asian. Income is high. Parents tend to be well educated and invested in their kids education. The schools are safe. They all offer the most advanced classes. Their students tend to have good college outcomes. The main downside is that the schools can feel like pressure cookers for some students since the expectations are so high.

There are high-performing cohorts at those schools just like there are at almost every MCPS HS. The real difference is a lack of poverty. W schools have <5% FARMS in a county with median shy of 40%. The reality is they have fewer low-income students dragging down their test averages which is a bit different than high-performing.

Facts seem to really bother people here.

Do they all have a FARMs rate less than 5? No. Sorry the data doesn’t support your narrative.

The school at a glance for WJ 2022-23 shows that the FARMs rate is 16%. Last time I checked 16 is less than 35 and more than 5.

Racial demographics for WJ 2022-23:
49.9% are white;
17.8% are Hispanic;
14.7% are Asian;
0.1% are American Indian/Native American; 11.2% are Black/African American;
6.2% are two or more races; and
0.1% are Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

Last time I checked 49.9 is not all.

https://ww2.montgomerysch.../04424.pdf

The student populations are Whitman, Churchill, Wootton, and Johnson have a much higher percentage of white students and a much lower percentage of students from low-income families than the overall high school population in MCPS.

Whitman: 60.4% white, 6.9% ever FARMS
Churchill: 43.1% white, 12.6% ever FARMS
Wootton: 37.3% white, 16.1% ever FARMS
Johnson: 49.9% white, 23.4% ever FARMS

MCPS high school overall: 25.2% white, 49.8% ever FARMS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Of couse BCC is not a W. Where is there a W in the name? Wheaton, on the other hand, now THAT's a W.

LOL

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When people refer to the W schools, they are generally referring to Walt Whitman, Walter Johnson, and Winston Churchill. It is a loaded term, often said disparagingly or enviously. But those three schools tend to be the high performing non-magnet public schools in Montgomery Country. Their demographics are largely white and asian. Income is high. Parents tend to be well educated and invested in their kids education. The schools are safe. They all offer the most advanced classes. Their students tend to have good college outcomes. The main downside is that the schools can feel like pressure cookers for some students since the expectations are so high.

There are high-performing cohorts at those schools just like there are at almost every MCPS HS. The real difference is a lack of poverty. W schools have <5% FARMS in a county with median shy of 40%. The reality is they have fewer low-income students dragging down their test averages which is a bit different than high-performing.

Facts seem to really bother people here.

Do they all have a FARMs rate less than 5? No. Sorry the data doesn’t support your narrative.

The school at a glance for WJ 2022-23 shows that the FARMs rate is 16%. Last time I checked 16 is less than 35 and more than 5.

Racial demographics for WJ 2022-23:
49.9% are white;
17.8% are Hispanic;
14.7% are Asian;
0.1% are American Indian/Native American; 11.2% are Black/African American;
6.2% are two or more races; and
0.1% are Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

Last time I checked 49.9 is not all.

https://ww2.montgomerysch.../04424.pdf

This seems segregated compared to the rest of MCPS and which W has a FARMS rate >5% again?

Is 16 greater than or less than 5?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When people refer to the W schools, they are generally referring to Walt Whitman, Walter Johnson, and Winston Churchill. It is a loaded term, often said disparagingly or enviously. But those three schools tend to be the high performing non-magnet public schools in Montgomery Country. Their demographics are largely white and asian. Income is high. Parents tend to be well educated and invested in their kids education. The schools are safe. They all offer the most advanced classes. Their students tend to have good college outcomes. The main downside is that the schools can feel like pressure cookers for some students since the expectations are so high.

There are high-performing cohorts at those schools just like there are at almost every MCPS HS. The real difference is a lack of poverty. W schools have <5% FARMS in a county with median shy of 40%. The reality is they have fewer low-income students dragging down their test averages which is a bit different than high-performing.

Facts seem to really bother people here.

Do they all have a FARMs rate less than 5? No. Sorry the data doesn’t support your narrative.

The school at a glance for WJ 2022-23 shows that the FARMs rate is 16%. Last time I checked 16 is less than 35 and more than 5.

Racial demographics for WJ 2022-23:
49.9% are white;
17.8% are Hispanic;
14.7% are Asian;
0.1% are American Indian/Native American; 11.2% are Black/African American;
6.2% are two or more races; and
0.1% are Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

Last time I checked 49.9 is not all.

https://ww2.montgomerysch.../04424.pdf

The student populations are Whitman, Churchill, Wootton, and Johnson have a much higher percentage of white students and a much lower percentage of students from low-income families than the overall high school population in MCPS.

Whitman: 60.4% white, 6.9% ever FARMS
Churchill: 43.1% white, 12.6% ever FARMS
Wootton: 37.3% white, 16.1% ever FARMS
Johnson: 49.9% white, 23.4% ever FARMS

MCPS high school overall: 25.2% white, 49.8% ever FARMS

Correct.

Higher percentage of white is not “all white”

Lower percentage of ever FARMS is not “all rich”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When people refer to the W schools, they are generally referring to Walt Whitman, Walter Johnson, and Winston Churchill. It is a loaded term, often said disparagingly or enviously. But those three schools tend to be the high performing non-magnet public schools in Montgomery Country. Their demographics are largely white and asian. Income is high. Parents tend to be well educated and invested in their kids education. The schools are safe. They all offer the most advanced classes. Their students tend to have good college outcomes. The main downside is that the schools can feel like pressure cookers for some students since the expectations are so high.

There are high-performing cohorts at those schools just like there are at almost every MCPS HS. The real difference is a lack of poverty. W schools have <5% FARMS in a county with median shy of 40%. The reality is they have fewer low-income students dragging down their test averages which is a bit different than high-performing.

Facts seem to really bother people here.

Do they all have a FARMs rate less than 5? No. Sorry the data doesn’t support your narrative.

The school at a glance for WJ 2022-23 shows that the FARMs rate is 16%. Last time I checked 16 is less than 35 and more than 5.

Racial demographics for WJ 2022-23:
49.9% are white;
17.8% are Hispanic;
14.7% are Asian;
0.1% are American Indian/Native American; 11.2% are Black/African American;
6.2% are two or more races; and
0.1% are Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

Last time I checked 49.9 is not all.

https://ww2.montgomerysch.../04424.pdf

The student populations are Whitman, Churchill, Wootton, and Johnson have a much higher percentage of white students and a much lower percentage of students from low-income families than the overall high school population in MCPS.

Whitman: 60.4% white, 6.9% ever FARMS
Churchill: 43.1% white, 12.6% ever FARMS
Wootton: 37.3% white, 16.1% ever FARMS
Johnson: 49.9% white, 23.4% ever FARMS

MCPS high school overall: 25.2% white, 49.8% ever FARMS

Correct.

Higher percentage of white is not “all white”

Lower percentage of ever FARMS is not “all rich”

Nobody on this thread has said "all white" or "all rich" so I don't know why you're putting those phrases in quotation marks?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When people refer to the W schools, they are generally referring to Walt Whitman, Walter Johnson, and Winston Churchill. It is a loaded term, often said disparagingly or enviously. But those three schools tend to be the high performing non-magnet public schools in Montgomery Country. Their demographics are largely white and asian. Income is high. Parents tend to be well educated and invested in their kids education. The schools are safe. They all offer the most advanced classes. Their students tend to have good college outcomes. The main downside is that the schools can feel like pressure cookers for some students since the expectations are so high.

There are high-performing cohorts at those schools just like there are at almost every MCPS HS. The real difference is a lack of poverty. W schools have <5% FARMS in a county with median shy of 40%. The reality is they have fewer low-income students dragging down their test averages which is a bit different than high-performing.

Facts seem to really bother people here.

Do they all have a FARMs rate less than 5? No. Sorry the data doesn’t support your narrative.

The school at a glance for WJ 2022-23 shows that the FARMs rate is 16%. Last time I checked 16 is less than 35 and more than 5.

Racial demographics for WJ 2022-23:
49.9% are white;
17.8% are Hispanic;
14.7% are Asian;
0.1% are American Indian/Native American; 11.2% are Black/African American;
6.2% are two or more races; and
0.1% are Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

Last time I checked 49.9 is not all.

https://ww2.montgomerysch.../04424.pdf

This seems segregated compared to the rest of MCPS and which W has a FARMS rate >5% again?

Is 16 greater than or less than 5?

I don't know. I didn't go to a W school.