Best high schools for African American students?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Just pointing out for those who may not have noticed: OP's child is a rising kindergartener.

While that is true, I want to move to cluster that she can go to from K-12. I want this to be a one time move.

I understand. If you're considering any of the Downcounty Consortium (DCC) schools, be advised that there will be a boundary study soon, which may redraw the middle and high school boundaries. Elementary boundaries are not included. The NEC does not have any imminent boundary studies.

Yes, I'd be especially aware of property close to Woodward or any of the adjacent schools like Wheaton, WJ, Einstein and BCC.

Sure, but also the lines between Blair and Northwood and Kennedy are likely to change too to help with Blair's overcrowding.

I would also expect that to the South between BCC and Blair since BCC is so closer to many in the part of Silver Spring just east of the park.

If you mean just east of Rock Creek Park, that part is already zoned to BCC.

Some are some aren't.... There are many in that area assigned to Einstein or Blair but physically closer to BCC.

Einstein's boundary only goes to the eastern half of the Summit Hills apartment buildings. The western half are assigned to BCC. And no, no one assigned to Blair is physically closer to BCC than Blair.

That's really odd. My kids go to RMIB but Blair is our home school. From where we live according to Google Maps BCC and Blair are both 15-16 minutes.

[Anonymous]

My theory as an outsider is if they are brave they will reassign Woodlin ES to BCC and Kensington-Parkwood ES to Einstein (and move another Einstein feeder to Wheaton HS, and some Wheaton feeders to Woodward, and a BCC feeder to Whitman). It will make everyone really angry though lol. I'm not sure who would be more angry, the KP families or people who can't handle Woodlin families benefiting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just pointing out for those who may not have noticed: OP's child is a rising kindergartener.

While that is true, I want to move to cluster that she can go to from K-12. I want this to be a one time move.

I understand. If you're considering any of the Downcounty Consortium (DCC) schools, be advised that there will be a boundary study soon, which may redraw the middle and high school boundaries. Elementary boundaries are not included. The NEC does not have any imminent boundary studies.

Yes, I'd be especially aware of property close to Woodward or any of the adjacent schools like Wheaton, WJ, Einstein and BCC.

How’s Woodward? This is the first time I heard this name.

It won't be open for a couple of years like 2027. It will draw heavily from WJ and Einstein and likely other adjacent boundaries like BCC and Wheaton. I'm sure it will be a fine like all MCPS schools.

Except there are massive differences in how students and teachers rate different high schools and the less wealthy schools get the lowest ratings.
https://sharedaccountability.mcpsmd.org/SurveyResults/content.php
https://reportcard.msde.maryland.gov/

That's not all that meaningful. Most schools have a sufficiently large high-performing cohort where the same kid can do just as well as they would someplace else. Even wealthy schools like BCC have problems like gang fights, car jackings and kids passing out drunk in the bathrooms just in this past year.

I am this PP. You don't think how teachers and students rate their own schools is meaningful? SMH.

As a future DCC parent, I see these ratings and they make me really angry. The disparity between the wealthy and non wealthy schools is appalling and disgraceful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My theory as an outsider is if they are brave they will reassign Woodlin ES to BCC and Kensington-Parkwood ES to Einstein (and move another Einstein feeder to Wheaton HS, and some Wheaton feeders to Woodward, and a BCC feeder to Whitman). It will make everyone really angry though lol. I'm not sure who would be more angry, the KP families or people who can't handle Woodlin families benefiting.

I agree with this as one possible rearrangement. But we really have no idea how this will happen because Seth Adams and Adrienne Karamihas have both left, and they've been the ones running the boundary studies for years.

[Anonymous]

Near Silver Spring, I'd go for Wheaton. Wheaton is one of the top three in MCPS.

A lot of DCUMS will steer you to Blair ("Blair envy" is a myth perpetuated from when Blair was a top school 10-15 years ago). Nowadays it's not that good a school. Check the school profile and you'll see what I mean.

If you were not set on Silver Spring, a school that African Americans excel in is Poolsville (currently the top school in MCPS).

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

My mistake - I meant to say Whitman not Wheaton. I'd avoid Wheaton as well. Wheaton isn't a top-three.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Near Silver Spring, I'd go for Wheaton. Wheaton is one of the top three in MCPS.

A lot of DCUMS will steer you to Blair ("Blair envy" is a myth perpetuated from when Blair was a top school 10-15 years ago). Nowadays it's not that good a school. Check the school profile and you'll see what I mean.

If you were not set on Silver Spring, a school that African Americans excel in is Poolsville (currently the top school in MCPS).

Good luck!

Except that is not a majority African Americans school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Near Silver Spring, I'd go for Wheaton. Wheaton is one of the top three in MCPS.

A lot of DCUMS will steer you to Blair ("Blair envy" is a myth perpetuated from when Blair was a top school 10-15 years ago). Nowadays it's not that good a school. Check the school profile and you'll see what I mean.

If you were not set on Silver Spring, a school that African Americans excel in is Poolsville (currently the top school in MCPS).

Good luck!

Except that is not a majority African Americans school.

Does Poolesville even have any AA students?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Near Silver Spring, I'd go for Wheaton. Wheaton is one of the top three in MCPS.

A lot of DCUMS will steer you to Blair ("Blair envy" is a myth perpetuated from when Blair was a top school 10-15 years ago). Nowadays it's not that good a school. Check the school profile and you'll see what I mean.

If you were not set on Silver Spring, a school that African Americans excel in is Poolsville (currently the top school in MCPS).

Good luck!

You clearly have no idea of what you're talking about, and I even doubt you live the county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Near Silver Spring, I'd go for Wheaton. Wheaton is one of the top three in MCPS.

A lot of DCUMS will steer you to Blair ("Blair envy" is a myth perpetuated from when Blair was a top school 10-15 years ago). Nowadays it's not that good a school. Check the school profile and you'll see what I mean.

If you were not set on Silver Spring, a school that African Americans excel in is Poolsville (currently the top school in MCPS).

Good luck!

Poolesville ES is 9.0% African-American. Monocacy ES is <5.0%. John Poole MS is 7.2%. I am not African-American, but based on history alone, I would not recommend Poolesville.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Near Silver Spring, I'd go for Wheaton. Wheaton is one of the top three in MCPS.

A lot of DCUMS will steer you to Blair ("Blair envy" is a myth perpetuated from when Blair was a top school 10-15 years ago). Nowadays it's not that good a school. Check the school profile and you'll see what I mean.

If you were not set on Silver Spring, a school that African Americans excel in is Poolsville (currently the top school in MCPS).

Good luck!

Poolesville ES is 9.0% African-American. Monocacy ES is <5.0%. John Poole MS is 7.2%. I am not African-American, but based on history alone, I would not recommend Poolesville.

Why?

[Anonymous]

In general, Blair is the best option for most situations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda. You will not find a "significant" number of AA students but you will find the best schools / teachers and that benefits all kids.

BCC cluster and Churchill have more diversity than Whitman's area but all those schools are v strong.

Are there more than one AA students in classes? I don’t want my child to be in an environment where she’s the only AA in her class.

I'm in Churchill cluster. All three of mine were the only black girl in their classes, I think probably every year from K-3. There was generally also a boy, maybe two. They all were drafted to play 'Rosa Parks' in a class skit during February. From 4th, classes get bigger and I think they weren't alone.

By MS, the classes are bigger and they definitely found a more diverse friend group. By HS, more yet (and the social dynamic is such that who is strictly in your class doesn't really matter).

[Anonymous]

The key to finding the right fit for you is this. Ultimately, HS will matter in terms of quality of school. We started out in silver spring (loved the ES) and ended up moving because of HS quality in the HS we were mapped to).

But in HS, kids will pretty much always be able to find their group. The schools are so huge that even if the kid is in a minority, they can join the BSA or whatever and find a good group, if that's what they're looking for.

At the ES level, it's much easier to find pockets of good schools, but the classes are so small that the lack of diversity is very obvious.

I don't have a good recommendation or answer. But I'd suggest you use the statistics (test scores, stats on disciplinary measures, and school climate surveys) to identify a group of HSs you'll be happy with. And from that, take a look at the feeder ESs in terms of diversity numbers (these can be pretty different across the ESs within a given HS cluster).

Note, however, that you've seen inklings of this in this thread, and there's a ton on the DCUM board in general-- they are doing HS boundary studies for a bunch of schools to make way for some new HSs. So nothing is set in stone, HS-wise. The closer the neighborhood is to a given HS, the more likely the boundary won't change (they're wanting them to be as walkable as possible).

[Anonymous]

Poolesville.