Our daughter went through Newport Mill and is now at Einstein. We love the community. Her teachers were all excellent with the exception of one or two, who weren't awful, just not spectacular like the rest. She is an academic and very social kid and thrived there, found several great friend groups, was very involved in sports, and has a great school spirit. We were surprisingly happy with Newport Mill but even happier with Einstein. My kid loves it there.

Has there ever been conversation at Sligo about adding Middle Years IB Programme like there is at Newport Mill? Since both feed into an IB school (Einstein) it would seem to make sense...and it's one of the few (or only?) middle schools in the DCC that doesn't have a special program.

Announced today: Sligo MS is getting a new principal, after one year of an interim.

The administration at Sligo is excellent. Very responsive and communicative. Great PTA. no complaints

p.s. And the smaller size of both schools seems like a plus, especially for a middle schooler.

OP here. Thank you all for the links and replies. It sounds like either MS would be a good option.

I would check out the Sligo thread from a few weeks ago.

We didn't go to Newport Mills but are happy with Sligo - they have an invitation only humanities program that is solid, and we've been happy with the language program. The theater and band programs are excellent. Math and science are fine but didn't blow me away. We've been happy with the administration overall, the PTSA is very engaged, and they have a good amount of after school clubs, sports, and activities.

Einstein has an amazing theater program and visual arts program, as well as the IB program, tons of AP classes, etc.

We’ve been happy with Newport Mill. No complaints. The teachers my child has had are good. Meaning, my child likes the teachers and the classes, and I’ve found the teachers to be responsive and caring. The counselors are also really nice and helpful. I haven’t had any personal interaction with the principal or AP, but I recall the principal held several meet and greets at the beginning of the year or over the summer. The school offers advanced math and history tracks, which is probably standard. The elective offerings seem fairly broad. Socially, it seems pretty good considering it’s middle school, and my child has made new friends there.

There was a thread on Sligo recently. I have a 7th grader and we’re very happy with the school overall. Most of his teachers have been great. Administration is very communicative and responsive. Community events are picking up as Covid is waning. PTSA is active. My main gripe is discipline and hearing a lot about kids fighting (mostly minor). I think that’s not unique to Sligo and MCPS as a whole isn’t good at discipline.

My kids are in an elementary that feeds to Newport Mill, and neighbors with older kids really like the school. Apparently they have a new-ish principal and really like her, there's a good sense of community, class variety, etc. It's also not overenrolled, unlike many schools here.

No personal experience but hopefully this will help a little.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/03792.pdf

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/03778.pdf

We are moving from out of state and eyeing the Einstein cluster. Could any Newport Mill or Sligo families please share their recent experiences with either school? Any insight is helpful regarding school climate/environment, teacher quality & morale, academic offerings, parent involvement, etc. Thanks!