Most recent info on Walter Johnson/Woodward HS...

[Anonymous]

Folks don't need 18 months to digest the boundary study. No one else has gotten 18 months. Get the construction back no track (in fact accelerate it), get the boundary study complete and move on. Dragging this out isn't helping anyone and capacity problems are just getting worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The latest info is that Woodward will be opening in August 2027, after Northwood uses the site as a holding school for 3 years.

This is the site for the Woodward project:

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/facilities/construction/project/woodwardhs

I'm not sure if I'm the only WJ parent that is super irritated by this. WJ is (I think) the most over-capacity school in the County. It is the 6th largest HS in the state and has the highest student to teacher ratio in the county. It's been a problem for over a decade and keeps getting worse, and to tell parents that it will be another three years in which the population continues to grow is totally unacceptable. In the past two years, they've pushed back the opening two years, so at this rate it will literally never open. I don't see why they can't find another spot for the Northwood kids--it was all really lousy planning on MCPS's part.

Such as?

How many portables does WJ have?

15

Blair has 25 portables.

WJ added more and is now at 19. The freshmen class is about 900 students, far more than last year’s senior class. Blair’s overcrowding could easily be relieved by moving the magnet programs to Woodward when it opens.

I just looked back at the previous enrollment numbers for NB and Tilden and they are both under 400 for that class — where did those extra 100+ students come from?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The latest info is that Woodward will be opening in August 2027, after Northwood uses the site as a holding school for 3 years.

This is the site for the Woodward project:

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/facilities/construction/project/woodwardhs

I'm not sure if I'm the only WJ parent that is super irritated by this. WJ is (I think) the most over-capacity school in the County. It is the 6th largest HS in the state and has the highest student to teacher ratio in the county. It's been a problem for over a decade and keeps getting worse, and to tell parents that it will be another three years in which the population continues to grow is totally unacceptable. In the past two years, they've pushed back the opening two years, so at this rate it will literally never open. I don't see why they can't find another spot for the Northwood kids--it was all really lousy planning on MCPS's part.

Such as?

How many portables does WJ have?

15

Blair has 25 portables.

WJ added more and is now at 19. The freshmen class is about 900 students, far more than last year’s senior class. Blair’s overcrowding could easily be relieved by moving the magnet programs to Woodward when it opens.

I just looked back at the previous enrollment numbers for NB and Tilden and they are both under 400 for that class — where did those extra 100+ students come from?

Official enrollment numbers are as of September 30 each year, so if new students enroll after that date, they are not counted. Could be a combination of that plus students who attended private MS enrolling at WJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have an MS student zoned for WJ. This is the latest news we received from the Cluster Rep:

Fall 2024: Phase 1 construction complete; Northwood HS students begin attending Woodward during 3 year Northwood HS construction; Phase 2 construction begins; RFP for Boundary Study released
November 2024: Board of Education to announce consultant for Boundary Study
January to October 2025: Community engagement around Boundary Study, consultant completes Boundary Study
December 2025: Superintendent receives Boundary Study Report, including boundary adjustment options
March 2026: Boundary changes adopted
Fall 2027: Woodward HS reopens, other boundary change decisions in effect

Phase 2 construction at Woodward will complete various parts of the school, including athletic fields and more classroom space. Due to budget constraints, the school auditorium will be a "shell" when the school reopens in 3 years, with additional funding needed to build out the interior. I'll share opportunities for our community to lobby for the funding needed to complete the auditorium on time for our students.

The Boundary Study is how MCPS will decide which students in our cluster will attend Woodward, Walter Johnson, or another area high school. Expect community engagement meetings in 2025, followed by Board of Ed meetings to consider the recommended options in early 2026.

What is the planned capacity of Woodward? Phase 1 (current) capacity is about 2000 students, and Phase 2 capacity will be about 2250 students.

Will Woodward host a magnet program (like arts, aerospace, etc.)? There is no current plan for a magnet program at Woodward. The boundary study may recommend such a program to help fully utilize the capacity of the new school.

When will Woodward officially reopen (not just as a holding school)? The current plan is for Woodward to reopen Fall 2027. This allows 3 years to complete construction at Northwood, and 18 months for our community to "digest" the adopted boundary changes.

Will Woodward open with all grades, just 9th grade, or some other combination? We don't know yet - the boundary study will recommend various options for the Superintendent and Board of Education to choose from in early 2026. We've heard that seniors are not likely to be required to change schools, but all other grades could be reassigned. So, for current middle school students zoned for WJ:
8th graders will attend WJ for 9th and 10th grade, possibly reassigned for 11th grade
7th graders will attend WJ for 9th grade, possibly reassigned for 10th grade
6th graders possibly reassigned for 9th grade

I think reassigning 11th graders is really cruel and will not only affect one school but many.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have an MS student zoned for WJ. This is the latest news we received from the Cluster Rep:

Fall 2024: Phase 1 construction complete; Northwood HS students begin attending Woodward during 3 year Northwood HS construction; Phase 2 construction begins; RFP for Boundary Study released
November 2024: Board of Education to announce consultant for Boundary Study
January to October 2025: Community engagement around Boundary Study, consultant completes Boundary Study
December 2025: Superintendent receives Boundary Study Report, including boundary adjustment options
March 2026: Boundary changes adopted
Fall 2027: Woodward HS reopens, other boundary change decisions in effect

Phase 2 construction at Woodward will complete various parts of the school, including athletic fields and more classroom space. Due to budget constraints, the school auditorium will be a "shell" when the school reopens in 3 years, with additional funding needed to build out the interior. I'll share opportunities for our community to lobby for the funding needed to complete the auditorium on time for our students.

The Boundary Study is how MCPS will decide which students in our cluster will attend Woodward, Walter Johnson, or another area high school. Expect community engagement meetings in 2025, followed by Board of Ed meetings to consider the recommended options in early 2026.

What is the planned capacity of Woodward? Phase 1 (current) capacity is about 2000 students, and Phase 2 capacity will be about 2250 students.

Will Woodward host a magnet program (like arts, aerospace, etc.)? There is no current plan for a magnet program at Woodward. The boundary study may recommend such a program to help fully utilize the capacity of the new school.

When will Woodward officially reopen (not just as a holding school)? The current plan is for Woodward to reopen Fall 2027. This allows 3 years to complete construction at Northwood, and 18 months for our community to "digest" the adopted boundary changes.

Will Woodward open with all grades, just 9th grade, or some other combination? We don't know yet - the boundary study will recommend various options for the Superintendent and Board of Education to choose from in early 2026. We've heard that seniors are not likely to be required to change schools, but all other grades could be reassigned. So, for current middle school students zoned for WJ:
8th graders will attend WJ for 9th and 10th grade, possibly reassigned for 11th grade
7th graders will attend WJ for 9th grade, possibly reassigned for 10th grade
6th graders possibly reassigned for 9th grade

I think reassigning 11th graders is really cruel and will not only affect one school but many.

Last time they did a HS boundary change, they did not reassign the 11th or 12th graders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have an MS student zoned for WJ. This is the latest news we received from the Cluster Rep:

Fall 2024: Phase 1 construction complete; Northwood HS students begin attending Woodward during 3 year Northwood HS construction; Phase 2 construction begins; RFP for Boundary Study released
November 2024: Board of Education to announce consultant for Boundary Study
January to October 2025: Community engagement around Boundary Study, consultant completes Boundary Study
December 2025: Superintendent receives Boundary Study Report, including boundary adjustment options
March 2026: Boundary changes adopted
Fall 2027: Woodward HS reopens, other boundary change decisions in effect

Phase 2 construction at Woodward will complete various parts of the school, including athletic fields and more classroom space. Due to budget constraints, the school auditorium will be a "shell" when the school reopens in 3 years, with additional funding needed to build out the interior. I'll share opportunities for our community to lobby for the funding needed to complete the auditorium on time for our students.

The Boundary Study is how MCPS will decide which students in our cluster will attend Woodward, Walter Johnson, or another area high school. Expect community engagement meetings in 2025, followed by Board of Ed meetings to consider the recommended options in early 2026.

What is the planned capacity of Woodward? Phase 1 (current) capacity is about 2000 students, and Phase 2 capacity will be about 2250 students.

Will Woodward host a magnet program (like arts, aerospace, etc.)? There is no current plan for a magnet program at Woodward. The boundary study may recommend such a program to help fully utilize the capacity of the new school.

When will Woodward officially reopen (not just as a holding school)? The current plan is for Woodward to reopen Fall 2027. This allows 3 years to complete construction at Northwood, and 18 months for our community to "digest" the adopted boundary changes.

Will Woodward open with all grades, just 9th grade, or some other combination? We don't know yet - the boundary study will recommend various options for the Superintendent and Board of Education to choose from in early 2026. We've heard that seniors are not likely to be required to change schools, but all other grades could be reassigned. So, for current middle school students zoned for WJ:
8th graders will attend WJ for 9th and 10th grade, possibly reassigned for 11th grade
7th graders will attend WJ for 9th grade, possibly reassigned for 10th grade
6th graders possibly reassigned for 9th grade

I think reassigning 11th graders is really cruel and will not only affect one school but many.

Last time they did a HS boundary change, they did not reassign the 11th or 12th graders.

I think they should just reassign the incoming 9th graders. It’s also very cruel to ask kids who already attended the high school to leave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have an MS student zoned for WJ. This is the latest news we received from the Cluster Rep:

Fall 2024: Phase 1 construction complete; Northwood HS students begin attending Woodward during 3 year Northwood HS construction; Phase 2 construction begins; RFP for Boundary Study released
November 2024: Board of Education to announce consultant for Boundary Study
January to October 2025: Community engagement around Boundary Study, consultant completes Boundary Study
December 2025: Superintendent receives Boundary Study Report, including boundary adjustment options
March 2026: Boundary changes adopted
Fall 2027: Woodward HS reopens, other boundary change decisions in effect

Phase 2 construction at Woodward will complete various parts of the school, including athletic fields and more classroom space. Due to budget constraints, the school auditorium will be a "shell" when the school reopens in 3 years, with additional funding needed to build out the interior. I'll share opportunities for our community to lobby for the funding needed to complete the auditorium on time for our students.

The Boundary Study is how MCPS will decide which students in our cluster will attend Woodward, Walter Johnson, or another area high school. Expect community engagement meetings in 2025, followed by Board of Ed meetings to consider the recommended options in early 2026.

What is the planned capacity of Woodward? Phase 1 (current) capacity is about 2000 students, and Phase 2 capacity will be about 2250 students.

Will Woodward host a magnet program (like arts, aerospace, etc.)? There is no current plan for a magnet program at Woodward. The boundary study may recommend such a program to help fully utilize the capacity of the new school.

When will Woodward officially reopen (not just as a holding school)? The current plan is for Woodward to reopen Fall 2027. This allows 3 years to complete construction at Northwood, and 18 months for our community to "digest" the adopted boundary changes.

Will Woodward open with all grades, just 9th grade, or some other combination? We don't know yet - the boundary study will recommend various options for the Superintendent and Board of Education to choose from in early 2026. We've heard that seniors are not likely to be required to change schools, but all other grades could be reassigned. So, for current middle school students zoned for WJ:
8th graders will attend WJ for 9th and 10th grade, possibly reassigned for 11th grade
7th graders will attend WJ for 9th grade, possibly reassigned for 10th grade
6th graders possibly reassigned for 9th grade

I think reassigning 11th graders is really cruel and will not only affect one school but many.

Last time they did a HS boundary change, they did not reassign the 11th or 12th graders.

I think they should just reassign the incoming 9th graders. It’s also very cruel to ask kids who already attended the high school to leave.

Then they'd not be relieving very much of the overcrowding at several schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have an MS student zoned for WJ. This is the latest news we received from the Cluster Rep:

Fall 2024: Phase 1 construction complete; Northwood HS students begin attending Woodward during 3 year Northwood HS construction; Phase 2 construction begins; RFP for Boundary Study released
November 2024: Board of Education to announce consultant for Boundary Study
January to October 2025: Community engagement around Boundary Study, consultant completes Boundary Study
December 2025: Superintendent receives Boundary Study Report, including boundary adjustment options
March 2026: Boundary changes adopted
Fall 2027: Woodward HS reopens, other boundary change decisions in effect

Phase 2 construction at Woodward will complete various parts of the school, including athletic fields and more classroom space. Due to budget constraints, the school auditorium will be a "shell" when the school reopens in 3 years, with additional funding needed to build out the interior. I'll share opportunities for our community to lobby for the funding needed to complete the auditorium on time for our students.

The Boundary Study is how MCPS will decide which students in our cluster will attend Woodward, Walter Johnson, or another area high school. Expect community engagement meetings in 2025, followed by Board of Ed meetings to consider the recommended options in early 2026.

What is the planned capacity of Woodward? Phase 1 (current) capacity is about 2000 students, and Phase 2 capacity will be about 2250 students.

Will Woodward host a magnet program (like arts, aerospace, etc.)? There is no current plan for a magnet program at Woodward. The boundary study may recommend such a program to help fully utilize the capacity of the new school.

When will Woodward officially reopen (not just as a holding school)? The current plan is for Woodward to reopen Fall 2027. This allows 3 years to complete construction at Northwood, and 18 months for our community to "digest" the adopted boundary changes.

Will Woodward open with all grades, just 9th grade, or some other combination? We don't know yet - the boundary study will recommend various options for the Superintendent and Board of Education to choose from in early 2026. We've heard that seniors are not likely to be required to change schools, but all other grades could be reassigned. So, for current middle school students zoned for WJ:
8th graders will attend WJ for 9th and 10th grade, possibly reassigned for 11th grade
7th graders will attend WJ for 9th grade, possibly reassigned for 10th grade
6th graders possibly reassigned for 9th grade

I think reassigning 11th graders is really cruel and will not only affect one school but many.

Last time they did a HS boundary change, they did not reassign the 11th or 12th graders.

I think they should just reassign the incoming 9th graders. It’s also very cruel to ask kids who already attended the high school to leave.

Then they'd not be relieving very much of the overcrowding at several schools.

It's an interesting idea though. Obviously it would be kind of wasteful to run a mostly empty school building, but it might substantially reduce opposition to boundary changes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From what I understand, the Northwood construction is already behind schedule

Was t Northwood updated in the early 2000s?

A little bit around the edges, yes. But the old building was still largely in place.

And all of it, older and newer, is being demolished right now. I drove by yesterday, and it looks like about 30% of the building has been taken down so far.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The latest info is that Woodward will be opening in August 2027, after Northwood uses the site as a holding school for 3 years.

This is the site for the Woodward project:

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/facilities/construction/project/woodwardhs

I'm not sure if I'm the only WJ parent that is super irritated by this. WJ is (I think) the most over-capacity school in the County. It is the 6th largest HS in the state and has the highest student to teacher ratio in the county. It's been a problem for over a decade and keeps getting worse, and to tell parents that it will be another three years in which the population continues to grow is totally unacceptable. In the past two years, they've pushed back the opening two years, so at this rate it will literally never open. I don't see why they can't find another spot for the Northwood kids--it was all really lousy planning on MCPS's part.

Such as?

How many portables does WJ have?

15

Blair has 25 portables.

WJ added more and is now at 19. The freshmen class is about 900 students, far more than last year’s senior class. Blair’s overcrowding could easily be relieved by moving the magnet programs to Woodward when it opens.

I just looked back at the previous enrollment numbers for NB and Tilden and they are both under 400 for that class — where did those extra 100+ students come from?

Official enrollment numbers are as of September 30 each year, so if new students enroll after that date, they are not counted. Could be a combination of that plus students who attended private MS enrolling at WJ.

Thanks — I was trying to figure out if the so-called demographic cliff after 2009 will help the overcrowding at all but it doesn’t look like the NB or Tilden numbers droo for kids born after 2009.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From what I understand, the Northwood construction is already behind schedule

Was t Northwood updated in the early 2000s?

A little bit around the edges, yes. But the old building was still largely in place.

And all of it, older and newer, is being demolished right now. I drove by yesterday, and it looks like about 30% of the building has been taken down so far.

Yes, there was some initial consideration given to keeping the newer parts of the building and demolishing just the old, but they went with a whole new building with a different footprint.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have an MS student zoned for WJ. This is the latest news we received from the Cluster Rep:

Fall 2024: Phase 1 construction complete; Northwood HS students begin attending Woodward during 3 year Northwood HS construction; Phase 2 construction begins; RFP for Boundary Study released
November 2024: Board of Education to announce consultant for Boundary Study
January to October 2025: Community engagement around Boundary Study, consultant completes Boundary Study
December 2025: Superintendent receives Boundary Study Report, including boundary adjustment options
March 2026: Boundary changes adopted
Fall 2027: Woodward HS reopens, other boundary change decisions in effect

Phase 2 construction at Woodward will complete various parts of the school, including athletic fields and more classroom space. Due to budget constraints, the school auditorium will be a "shell" when the school reopens in 3 years, with additional funding needed to build out the interior. I'll share opportunities for our community to lobby for the funding needed to complete the auditorium on time for our students.

The Boundary Study is how MCPS will decide which students in our cluster will attend Woodward, Walter Johnson, or another area high school. Expect community engagement meetings in 2025, followed by Board of Ed meetings to consider the recommended options in early 2026.

What is the planned capacity of Woodward? Phase 1 (current) capacity is about 2000 students, and Phase 2 capacity will be about 2250 students.

Will Woodward host a magnet program (like arts, aerospace, etc.)? There is no current plan for a magnet program at Woodward. The boundary study may recommend such a program to help fully utilize the capacity of the new school.

When will Woodward officially reopen (not just as a holding school)? The current plan is for Woodward to reopen Fall 2027. This allows 3 years to complete construction at Northwood, and 18 months for our community to "digest" the adopted boundary changes.

Will Woodward open with all grades, just 9th grade, or some other combination? We don't know yet - the boundary study will recommend various options for the Superintendent and Board of Education to choose from in early 2026. We've heard that seniors are not likely to be required to change schools, but all other grades could be reassigned. So, for current middle school students zoned for WJ:
8th graders will attend WJ for 9th and 10th grade, possibly reassigned for 11th grade
7th graders will attend WJ for 9th grade, possibly reassigned for 10th grade
6th graders possibly reassigned for 9th grade

I think reassigning 11th graders is really cruel and will not only affect one school but many.

Last time they did a HS boundary change, they did not reassign the 11th or 12th graders.

I think they should just reassign the incoming 9th graders. It’s also very cruel to ask kids who already attended the high school to leave.

Then they'd not be relieving very much of the overcrowding at several schools.

It's an interesting idea though. Obviously it would be kind of wasteful to run a mostly empty school building, but it might substantially reduce opposition to boundary changes.

That would be incredibly wasteful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have an MS student zoned for WJ. This is the latest news we received from the Cluster Rep:

Fall 2024: Phase 1 construction complete; Northwood HS students begin attending Woodward during 3 year Northwood HS construction; Phase 2 construction begins; RFP for Boundary Study released
November 2024: Board of Education to announce consultant for Boundary Study
January to October 2025: Community engagement around Boundary Study, consultant completes Boundary Study
December 2025: Superintendent receives Boundary Study Report, including boundary adjustment options
March 2026: Boundary changes adopted
Fall 2027: Woodward HS reopens, other boundary change decisions in effect

Phase 2 construction at Woodward will complete various parts of the school, including athletic fields and more classroom space. Due to budget constraints, the school auditorium will be a "shell" when the school reopens in 3 years, with additional funding needed to build out the interior. I'll share opportunities for our community to lobby for the funding needed to complete the auditorium on time for our students.

The Boundary Study is how MCPS will decide which students in our cluster will attend Woodward, Walter Johnson, or another area high school. Expect community engagement meetings in 2025, followed by Board of Ed meetings to consider the recommended options in early 2026.

What is the planned capacity of Woodward? Phase 1 (current) capacity is about 2000 students, and Phase 2 capacity will be about 2250 students.

Will Woodward host a magnet program (like arts, aerospace, etc.)? There is no current plan for a magnet program at Woodward. The boundary study may recommend such a program to help fully utilize the capacity of the new school.

When will Woodward officially reopen (not just as a holding school)? The current plan is for Woodward to reopen Fall 2027. This allows 3 years to complete construction at Northwood, and 18 months for our community to "digest" the adopted boundary changes.

Will Woodward open with all grades, just 9th grade, or some other combination? We don't know yet - the boundary study will recommend various options for the Superintendent and Board of Education to choose from in early 2026. We've heard that seniors are not likely to be required to change schools, but all other grades could be reassigned. So, for current middle school students zoned for WJ:
8th graders will attend WJ for 9th and 10th grade, possibly reassigned for 11th grade
7th graders will attend WJ for 9th grade, possibly reassigned for 10th grade
6th graders possibly reassigned for 9th grade

I think reassigning 11th graders is really cruel and will not only affect one school but many.

Since 11th grade is such an important year, I really hope they don't reassign them.

[Anonymous]

Saw that RFP process is extended and BOE will keep people updated.

[Anonymous]

Taylor is recommending FLO Analytics as the boundary study consultant. The board votes on approving the contract on Thursday.

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/DB5TS478B637/$file/Cont%20Apprv%20RFP%204998.1%20Boundary%20Study%20Consultant%20241121%20PPT.pdf