Laytonsville Elementary

[Anonymous]

Does anyone have any experience with Laytonsville ES? We fell in love with the neighborhood but we are worried about the middle school and especially the high school. Oldest will be starting in K next year and we plan to stay here long-term.

[Anonymous]

I can't speak to the MS or HS. I have a good friend who is a teacher at Laytonsville ES and very happy there. I think there is a new principal this year which can sometimes come with higher than usual staff turnover too. Also, since there's a new principal, people's prior experiences may or may not apply as much. It is a smaller school for the County with 40-80 kids per grade rather than 100-120 per grade as in some elementary schools.

[Anonymous]

Laytonsville Elementary has a wonderful reputation in the local area. I know quite a few people who've been very happy with the school and went on to send their kids to the public middle and high schools with positive results. Do not believe the negative things you read about Gaithersburg High on this board; the people writing those things generally have no experience with the school and don't even live in the local area. There are kids from very nice families who have gone from LES all the way through graduation at GHS and remained in the same friend group, and Laytonsville has a nice small-town sense of community. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

You won't hear many good things about the middle school and high school. If you like the feel of the area, look toward homes feeding more into MacGruder high school or any of the Olney Schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You won't hear many good things about the middle school and high school. If you like the feel of the area, look toward homes feeding more into MacGruder high school or any of the Olney Schools.

And when you hear the un-good things, you should ask the people saying those things about their first-hand, personal experiences with the middle school and high school.

I mean, I have no first-hand, personal experiences with either school, but I could also say, "Mmm, mmm, Gaithersburg MS and Gaithersburg HS, I've heard that those are bad schools." But all that would really mean is, "There are a lot of poor kids who go to Gaithersburg MS and Gaithersburg HS."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You won't hear many good things about the middle school and high school. If you like the feel of the area, look toward homes feeding more into MacGruder high school or any of the Olney Schools.

You apparently aren't even from the area, considering that you didn't even spell Magruder High correctly...and the fact that it doesn't exactly have a wonderful reputation.

[Anonymous]

I'm a Laytonsville parent. I couldn't be happier. The school culture is warm and supportive, the teachers are fabulous. and the kids don't seem to be very cliquey at all. We're happy with the concept that every child should have a job (they bid for volunteer jobs each year), as it teaches responsibility and a sense of community. My kid helps the special ed kids go to and from their bus, and its something my kid views as really fun and special.

We don't have kids in GMS or GHS yet. We used to think we would send them to private. However, after living here for a few years and interacting with kids going to those schools, I have no apprehension about sending my kids there. GMS has an excellent Model UN program and they take a trip to Spain every other year. The academics are excellent (when you look at the scores, seperate out the scores of your demographic rather than looking at the scores as a whole). As for GHS, the kids I know who go there are great kids and are being challenged academically.

Overall, we love it here. This area is more than we could have asked for.

[Anonymous]

LES is an excellent school. Probably one of the oldest and smallest school in MCPS. It has certain charm that’s hard to find in other schools. My 3 kids went there. I won’t lie to you that MS and HS situation is less than ideal. Four options - magnet, private, move, or try GMS/GHS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a Laytonsville parent. I couldn't be happier. The school culture is warm and supportive, the teachers are fabulous. and the kids don't seem to be very cliquey at all. We're happy with the concept that every child should have a job (they bid for volunteer jobs each year), as it teaches responsibility and a sense of community. My kid helps the special ed kids go to and from their bus, and its something my kid views as really fun and special.

We don't have kids in GMS or GHS yet. We used to think we would send them to private. However, after living here for a few years and interacting with kids going to those schools, I have no apprehension about sending my kids there. GMS has an excellent Model UN program and they take a trip to Spain every other year. The academics are excellent (when you look at the scores, seperate out the scores of your demographic rather than looking at the scores as a whole). As for GHS, the kids I know who go there are great kids and are being challenged academically.

Overall, we love it here. This area is more than we could have asked for.

I will also add, if you decide GHS isn't right for your children and would rather go private, there's a Good Council bus stop in Laytonsville.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a Laytonsville parent. I couldn't be happier. The school culture is warm and supportive, the teachers are fabulous. and the kids don't seem to be very cliquey at all. We're happy with the concept that every child should have a job (they bid for volunteer jobs each year), as it teaches responsibility and a sense of community. My kid helps the special ed kids go to and from their bus, and its something my kid views as really fun and special.

We don't have kids in GMS or GHS yet. We used to think we would send them to private. However, after living here for a few years and interacting with kids going to those schools, I have no apprehension about sending my kids there. GMS has an excellent Model UN program and they take a trip to Spain every other year. The academics are excellent (when you look at the scores, seperate out the scores of your demographic rather than looking at the scores as a whole). As for GHS, the kids I know who go there are great kids and are being challenged academically.

Overall, we love it here. This area is more than we could have asked for.

+1
I'm in the Goshen ES/Forest Oak MS/GHS pathway, but have a lot of friends in the Laytonsville ES pathway. Families with advanced students find plenty to like and plenty of opportunity in these schools. Don't believe everything you read on DCUM, especially when it comes from people who don't have kids in those schools.

[Anonymous]

LES is great. GMS/GHS not so much.

[Anonymous]

Just sharing our experience- hope it will help others. We had a mixed experience at Laytonsville ES. While there are a few truly dedicated teachers, the overall communication and leadership (principal specifically) left us disappointed. Concerns were often brushed off, and the school didn’t feel very welcoming or inclusive. I wish families felt more heard and respected especially when trying to support their children. Just something to keep in mind if you’re considering the school.

[Anonymous]

I'm part of the GHS cluster, and while my DD didn't go to Laytonsville, I had a friend whose DD went to Laytonsville and the school is amazing. Since this school is part of the GHS cluster I would say that while Laytonsville is nice, GMS is a bit of a lackluster compared to the elementary schools (it's middle school honestly, so whatever).

Gaithersburg High however gets a lot of hate and bad rep in DCUM and honestly with the experiences my DD had, she actually liked GHS. Sure, GHS is definitely one of the weaker high schools in MCPS, but there's definitely some improvement I've seen going on in the school. It has a great music program there if your child is interested in music in the future and there are some programs that aren't offered that much compared to it's neighboring schools. I would say that there's very little extracurriculars and events for students, so the social life is a bit lacking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:LES is an excellent school. Probably one of the oldest and smallest school in MCPS. It has certain charm that’s hard to find in other schools. My 3 kids went there. I won’t lie to you that MS and HS situation is less than ideal. Four options - magnet, private, move, or try GMS/GHS.

Unfortunately, in our experience, things have changed significantly since the new principal took over in 2018. It just hasn’t felt the same since. The atmosphere, the leadership style, and the overall experience for families have all shifted and honestly, not in a positive direction.

[Anonymous]

Question isn’t about LES OP. It’s what comes after that. Our three kids went to LES but took magnet path for MS and HS. Our plan was if they couldn’t get in to magnets, we were willing to send private. GMS might work, GHS no way for us. Think about your options after LES. LES is a beautiful school. We loved it.