What are the most - and least - competitive MCPS high school programs (not in bounds, test in or lottery)?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Blair SMCS is the most competitive program in MCPS, mostly because it has the most applicants of any. Poolesville's program is similar in content but only half the size and has fewer applicants from less competitive pyramids.

How do you know there are fewer applicants in Poolesville SMCS, and less competitive pyramids? You must be a Blair parent tooting your own horn.

Don't worry pp. Just let them keep on assuming that. It's actually better for us, because it keeps our school smaller, people not wanting to move upcounty. These are folks that think every one point difference in MAP-M means their kids are smarter than ours.

It's not an assumption. MCPS has released this data in the past. Further, PHS STEM program has 50 slots whereas Blair has 100.

That makes sense because Poolesville's catchment area has about 17K HS students and Blair's has 34K.

Then this does not make Blaire MORE competitive.

Let's be honest the cream of the crop doesn't live way out in the boonies. The areas zoned for Blair's program include the more elite pyramids.

What an effed up mindset you have. So you're assuming that all kids from elite areas have the brains to be in magnet programs, and the kids who live in the boonies are less competitive? Yet, Poolesville is #1 in MD -- so maybe the kids in the boonies are A LOT SMARTER than your elite kids?

Half the kids at Poolesville HS aren't from Poolesville, and calling Germantown or Gaithersburg the boonies is a stretch. But the premise of the PP's post about "the cream of the crop" and "the elite pyramids" is also foolish.

They are pretty far out and those are among the lowest achieving high-schools in the county.

They are far out because Bethesda/Potomac/Silver Spring are too expensive for many families.

They are lower achieving because of lower median household incomes, which indicates overall less education in the families. And also less money for enrichment.

But the area is also highly immigrant, and that's a good thing, because no one works harder than immigrants and immigrants' children. I truly doubt the diversity of Blair's magnet reflects the diversity of its overall school. It's probably mainly Asian, just like PHS's.

Yes, highly immigrant for sure here in the boonies of "low achieving" Clarksburg where it's predominantly Asians driving Teslas and kids attending the PHS magnet. 4 kids on my street alone are in the PHS magnet program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Blair SMCS is the most competitive program in MCPS, mostly because it has the most applicants of any. Poolesville's program is similar in content but only half the size and has fewer applicants from less competitive pyramids.

How do you know there are fewer applicants in Poolesville SMCS, and less competitive pyramids? You must be a Blair parent tooting your own horn.

Don't worry pp. Just let them keep on assuming that. It's actually better for us, because it keeps our school smaller, people not wanting to move upcounty. These are folks that think every one point difference in MAP-M means their kids are smarter than ours.

It's not an assumption. MCPS has released this data in the past. Further, PHS STEM program has 50 slots whereas Blair has 100.

That makes sense because Poolesville's catchment area has about 17K HS students and Blair's has 34K.

Then this does not make Blaire MORE competitive.

Let's be honest the cream of the crop doesn't live way out in the boonies. The areas zoned for Blair's program include the more elite pyramids.

What an effed up mindset you have. So you're assuming that all kids from elite areas have the brains to be in magnet programs, and the kids who live in the boonies are less competitive? Yet, Poolesville is #1 in MD -- so maybe the kids in the boonies are A LOT SMARTER than your elite kids?

Half the kids at Poolesville HS aren't from Poolesville, and calling Germantown or Gaithersburg the boonies is a stretch. But the premise of the PP's post about "the cream of the crop" and "the elite pyramids" is also foolish.

They are pretty far out and those are among the lowest achieving high-schools in the county.

They are far out because Bethesda/Potomac/Silver Spring are too expensive for many families.

They are lower achieving because of lower median household incomes, which indicates overall less education in the families. And also less money for enrichment.

But the area is also highly immigrant, and that's a good thing, because no one works harder than immigrants and immigrants' children. I truly doubt the diversity of Blair's magnet reflects the diversity of its overall school. It's probably mainly Asian, just like PHS's.

Yes, highly immigrant for sure here in the boonies of "low achieving" Clarksburg where it's predominantly Asians driving Teslas and kids attending the PHS magnet. 4 kids on my street alone are in the PHS magnet program.

Most people think the world ends Bethesda on this forum - they know very little about who lives up here. But obviously there are some areas which are highly educated upcounty - and I doubt those kids are any less "elite" than the Blair kids. (I'm a PHS magnet parent living in Clarksburg lol).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Blair SMCS is the most competitive program in MCPS, mostly because it has the most applicants of any. Poolesville's program is similar in content but only half the size and has fewer applicants from less competitive pyramids.

How do you know there are fewer applicants in Poolesville SMCS, and less competitive pyramids? You must be a Blair parent tooting your own horn.

Don't worry pp. Just let them keep on assuming that. It's actually better for us, because it keeps our school smaller, people not wanting to move upcounty. These are folks that think every one point difference in MAP-M means their kids are smarter than ours.

It's not an assumption. MCPS has released this data in the past. Further, PHS STEM program has 50 slots whereas Blair has 100.

That makes sense because Poolesville's catchment area has about 17K HS students and Blair's has 34K.

Then this does not make Blaire MORE competitive.

Let's be honest the cream of the crop doesn't live way out in the boonies. The areas zoned for Blair's program include the more elite pyramids.

What an effed up mindset you have. So you're assuming that all kids from elite areas have the brains to be in magnet programs, and the kids who live in the boonies are less competitive? Yet, Poolesville is #1 in MD -- so maybe the kids in the boonies are A LOT SMARTER than your elite kids?

Half the kids at Poolesville HS aren't from Poolesville, and calling Germantown or Gaithersburg the boonies is a stretch. But the premise of the PP's post about "the cream of the crop" and "the elite pyramids" is also foolish.

They are pretty far out and those are among the lowest achieving high-schools in the county.

They are far out because Bethesda/Potomac/Silver Spring are too expensive for many families.

They are lower achieving because of lower median household incomes, which indicates overall less education in the families. And also less money for enrichment.

But the area is also highly immigrant, and that's a good thing, because no one works harder than immigrants and immigrants' children. I truly doubt the diversity of Blair's magnet reflects the diversity of its overall school. It's probably mainly Asian, just like PHS's.

Yes, highly immigrant for sure here in the boonies of "low achieving" Clarksburg where it's predominantly Asians driving Teslas and kids attending the PHS magnet. 4 kids on my street alone are in the PHS magnet program.

Most people think the world ends Bethesda on this forum - they know very little about who lives up here. But obviously there are some areas which are highly educated upcounty - and I doubt those kids are any less "elite" than the Blair kids. (I'm a PHS magnet parent living in Clarksburg lol).

+1

I'm also a PHS SMCS parent living in Clarksburg. These people saying the "boonie" kids are low-achieving haven't seen what we have here. Many of the parents I know (me and my husband included) have grad and doctorate degrees in STEM and IT who either have flexible work schedules or work from home 100% full time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

They are pretty far out and those are among the lowest achieving high-schools in the county.

They are far out because Bethesda/Potomac/Silver Spring are too expensive for many families.

They are lower achieving because of lower median household incomes, which indicates overall less education in the families. And also less money for enrichment.

But the area is also highly immigrant, and that's a good thing, because no one works harder than immigrants and immigrants' children. I truly doubt the diversity of Blair's magnet reflects the diversity of its overall school. It's probably mainly Asian, just like PHS's.


LOWER MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOMES and overall less education in the families? Woahhh...that's quite a reach. Should we start posting income tax return documents now for PHS catchment areas? You'll lose your argument if you look at the Germantown and especially Clarksburg boonie kids' families. Less money for enrichment? I'm a PHS SMCS parent and my kid takes classes from Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (8-week program costs between $1400-1800) and AoPS (yearly tuition is $1800). For sports, he does golf and archery. So you're barking at the wrong tree here, pp!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

They are pretty far out and those are among the lowest achieving high-schools in the county.

They are far out because Bethesda/Potomac/Silver Spring are too expensive for many families.

They are lower achieving because of lower median household incomes, which indicates overall less education in the families. And also less money for enrichment.

But the area is also highly immigrant, and that's a good thing, because no one works harder than immigrants and immigrants' children. I truly doubt the diversity of Blair's magnet reflects the diversity of its overall school. It's probably mainly Asian, just like PHS's.

LOWER MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOMES and overall less education in the families? Woahhh...that's quite a reach. Should we start posting income tax return documents now for PHS catchment areas? You'll lose your argument if you look at the Germantown and especially Clarksburg boonie kids' families. Less money for enrichment? I'm a PHS SMCS parent and my kid takes classes from Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (8-week program costs between $1400-1800) and AoPS (yearly tuition is $1800). For sports, he does golf and archery. So you're barking at the wrong tree here, pp!



Oh yeah, us BOONIE people are SO LOW INCOME! We do live in the boonies of Barnesville as we own a farm that is valued at $2.7 mill. and we do own livestock and horses which has another high value in additional to our land. My children are both equestrians, one is accomplished at 7 and the other is a trail rider who just HAPPENS to be in the top 1% of PHS and just HAPPENS to be in the SMCS magnet at Poolesville. She has an internship working with JWST, NASA and Johns Hopkins working on brown dwarf star data and analysis in addition to winning awards for inventions and leadership programs through PHS. But, yes, please believe that we are so LOW SES, and from an unintelligent pyramid. Let's keep this secret going so none of your ignorant children apply to our very diverse, kind and excellent Poolesville HS. Btw, you can now no longer make fun of our old and ugly building either as our children will enjoy a beautiful new facility next month.