What can you tell about these middle schools?

[Anonymous]

A relative of mine is moving to Silver Spring, looking in the 20904 and 20905 zipcodes. She has a son that will be a 7th grader in the fall. The schools in the area she's looking are White Oak, Francis Scott Key, and Briggs Chaney. Are any of these middle schools good schools? My child is starting kindergarten this fall so obviously I don't have any personal experience with the middle schools in the area. Any info would be helpful. TIA!

[Anonymous]

Why is she looking in those zip codes? The most I can say (as someone who lives in Silver Spring and likes it here) is that I have heard the least amount of bad things about Key.
There are parts of Silver spring that feed into Takoma Park MS, Silver Spring International MS, Newport Mill MS, Sligo MS - all better schools than the three you listed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is she looking in those zip codes? The most I can say (as someone who lives in Silver Spring and likes it here) is that I have heard the least amount of bad things about Key.
There are parts of Silver spring that feed into Takoma Park MS, Silver Spring International MS, Newport Mill MS, Sligo MS - all better schools than the three you listed.

Closer to her job and she's found some homes in her range there.

[Anonymous]

I think that area is great!!
And traffic is not insanely crazy.

[Anonymous]

Briggs Chaney in particular is located in a rough area with high (for MoCo) crime stats. I don't know much about the school, but I wouldn't recommend living in that area.

White Oak and Key are better situated neighborhood-wise, but are similarly diverse and serve a higher needs population than some other Silver Spring middle schools. That being said, I know staff, students, and parents at White Oak and Key that love their schools, and the curriculum is that same at all MoCo middle schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Briggs Chaney in particular is located in a rough area with high (for MoCo) crime stats. I don't know much about the school, but I wouldn't recommend living in that area.

White Oak and Key are better situated neighborhood-wise, but are similarly diverse and serve a higher needs population than some other Silver Spring middle schools. That being said, I know staff, students, and parents at White Oak and Key that love their schools, and the curriculum is that same at all MoCo middle schools.

Thank you. That was helpful. There was a house she's interested in that is zoned for Clovery elementary (she has a rising 1st grader as well), Briggs Chaney Middle School, and I believe Paint Branch. I'll let her know about the crime in Briggs Chaney.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Briggs Chaney in particular is located in a rough area with high (for MoCo) crime stats. I don't know much about the school, but I wouldn't recommend living in that area.

White Oak and Key are better situated neighborhood-wise, but are similarly diverse and serve a higher needs population than some other Silver Spring middle schools. That being said, I know staff, students, and parents at White Oak and Key that love their schools, and the curriculum is that same at all MoCo middle schools.

Thank you. That was helpful. There was a house she's interested in that is zoned for Clovery elementary (she has a rising 1st grader as well), Briggs Chaney Middle School, and I believe Paint Branch. I'll let her know about the crime in Briggs Chaney.

If she's looking in Cloverly, which is a really nice area, her budget also would likely work for Stonegate, which is White Oak. All of these areas are in the Northeast Consortium, so there is high school choice. So, if she bought in Cloverly, her kids would not be restricted to Paint Branch. They would also have the option of Springbrook or Blake. I do know a couple of people whose kids go to Briggs Chaney and they don't complain about the school. That's about as much as I can tell you about it.

I know tons of parents who send their kids to White Oak (me included). We all have been extremely happy and have no major complaints. There is not a real active PTA, but recently a handful of parents have been really working toward changing that. One of the things that I've always loved about White Oak is that my kids get a lot of support and individual attention. One of my son's hates all of the electives but one and the school has made an exception and allowed him to repeat the same elective both semesters each year. Another of my kids struggled with school and I found that the teachers in White Oak would go find him at lunch and work with him. I don't know what else to tell you, but if you have specific questions, I'll try to answer them.

The real key to success in those zip codes is joining Stonegate Swim Club. The entire social structure of those areas happens through the pool and carries over through the year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Briggs Chaney in particular is located in a rough area with high (for MoCo) crime stats. I don't know much about the school, but I wouldn't recommend living in that area.

White Oak and Key are better situated neighborhood-wise, but are similarly diverse and serve a higher needs population than some other Silver Spring middle schools. That being said, I know staff, students, and parents at White Oak and Key that love their schools, and the curriculum is that same at all MoCo middle schools.

I live in northern Silver Spring (Colesville) and recommend going the Cloverly->Briggs Chaney MS route. Briggs Chaney MS is not located near the Briggs Chaney shopping center, which as the PP alluded to has high crime stats. Briggs Chaney MS is surrounded by majority SFH and a few townhouses, while the shopping center is majority apartments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Briggs Chaney in particular is located in a rough area with high (for MoCo) crime stats. I don't know much about the school, but I wouldn't recommend living in that area.

White Oak and Key are better situated neighborhood-wise, but are similarly diverse and serve a higher needs population than some other Silver Spring middle schools. That being said, I know staff, students, and parents at White Oak and Key that love their schools, and the curriculum is that same at all MoCo middle schools.

I live in northern Silver Spring (Colesville) and recommend going the Cloverly->Briggs Chaney MS route. Briggs Chaney MS is not located near the Briggs Chaney shopping center, which as the PP alluded to has high crime stats. Briggs Chaney MS is surrounded by majority SFH and a few townhouses, while the shopping center is majority apartments.

Thanks for clearing that up!

[Anonymous]

You can check stats for each school on the MCPS website.
Here is the report for Key: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/03311.pdf
For White Oak: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/03811.pdf

For Briggs Chaney: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/03335.pdf