Anonymous wrote:Montgomery County schools are not what they used to be. the great schools are not allowed to be great anymore because everyone has to be equal.

They are better and more diverse

Montgomery County schools are not what they used to be. the great schools are not allowed to be great anymore because everyone has to be equal.

Anonymous wrote:My tip - and this is as a long time MoCo resident who just left is know your kid. The MCPS schools are massive and very impersonal. This was not for our 9th grader when we actually stopped and looked at it. These also should all be considered city schools - even Whitman - due to the sophistication of the population. Read fast. I would go with Wilson myself (hard to call it by it’s new name). The city kids here are actually grounded by parents who chose a city life even if they too live in million plus mansions.

LOL.
You DC folks are too delusional

Anonymous wrote:My tip - and this is as a long time MoCo resident who just left is know your kid. The MCPS schools are massive and very impersonal. This was not for our 9th grader when we actually stopped and looked at it. These also should all be considered city schools - even Whitman - due to the sophistication of the population. Read fast. I would go with Wilson myself (hard to call it by it’s new name). The city kids here are actually grounded by parents who chose a city life even if they too live in million plus mansions.

And be you think Wilson is not "massive"? Not "very impersonal"?

Anonymous wrote:My tip - and this is as a long time MoCo resident who just left is know your kid. The MCPS schools are massive and very impersonal. This was not for our 9th grader when we actually stopped and looked at it. These also should all be considered city schools - even Whitman - due to the sophistication of the population. Read fast. I would go with Wilson myself (hard to call it by it’s new name). The city kids here are actually grounded by parents who chose a city life even if they too live in million plus mansions.

Hard to see how a kid living in a SFH in Cleveland Park is any more grounded than a kid in a SFH in Potomac.

I would go with BCC or Whitman; that's what we are doing. Moved to MoCO for middle/high schools.

My tip - and this is as a long time MoCo resident who just left is know your kid. The MCPS schools are massive and very impersonal. This was not for our 9th grader when we actually stopped and looked at it. These also should all be considered city schools - even Whitman - due to the sophistication of the population. Read fast. I would go with Wilson myself (hard to call it by it’s new name). The city kids here are actually grounded by parents who chose a city life even if they too live in million plus mansions.

The only reason to choose Jackson Reed (which used to be called Wilson) is if you want to be DC. Personally, I prefer DC.

But BCC and Whitman are generally considered "better" schools. And living in Maryland gives you access to instate college. I prefer the diversity of BCC over WHitman and I also like the location because it is in downtown Bethesda. Bethesda is a suburb but that part has a bit of an urban center. Also BCC is more diverse. WHitman is incredibly white.

Where are you coming from? Do you prefer suburban or urban? Are you telecommuting or going into the office everyday?

Anonymous wrote:Greetings,
We are relocating this month to the area and will get several months of corporate housing through my partner's job (and eventually will officially relocate to a permanent home.) Job is downtown DC and we have options in BCC, Whitman, and possibly Jackson Reed. All get top scores on Great Schools. We have a rising 9th-grade boy who is coming from a large public school in Florida. Are each of these schools similar in culture & personality? They seem to be similar in size. Leaning towards BCC because of the convenience of the apartment (and extra bathroom) but open. Ideally, we would have done school visits with actual kids in the building. If your kid attends any of the schools mentioned will you tell me something you like about the school? I don't need to hear the bad- all schools are not perfect but we would like to get the lay of the land.

In terms of educational offerings, they're all comparable and fine. Pick whichever area you like best.

BCC is diverse, Whitman is not. My kids are at Whitman. It's got some fabulous teachers and some duds, the curriculum is the same as everywhere else but the cohort is mostly competitive, bright, striving kids. More advanced, honors classes than not. That's not to say they don't exist, they do.

Also every school has it's scandals - the rowing coach who had sex with students, the 3 boys who last December stabbed a dealer in Bethesda, the suicides and the drug overdoses. But you'll find that everywhere (sadly).

Whitman is much better.

I'm surprised this thread has gone an hour without anyone jumping in to bash any of the schools. Maybe there's hope for DCUM.

Whitman is definitely more of an UMC suburban feel, and there will be more housing options there for you when you go to buy.

BCC has the IB program, which definitely makes it a little different, and feels more like an urban HS. It pulls from some of the most expensive neighborhoods in Bethesda, but then also some more middle class or working class neighborhoods on the Eastern side of the County that have a further bus trip in.

DCPS is just a different system, so there will be differences there.

We're in the WJ neighborhood, but I guess you're not looking there, which makes sense if you want to be right on the DC border.

Does your spouse intend to drive or metro in? If driving, I'd give an advantage to the Whitman neighborhood over BCC, but the reverse if they plan to take metro.

BCC has the IB program, which can be a bonus if your kid is interested in that pathway, or even in taking some classes a la carte.

What is your kid into? BCC has an IB program. Whitman offers a bunch of foreign language options.

I wouldn't send my kid to Jackson Reed because of the 4x4 schedule
What level math is your coming in at?

Greetings,
We are relocating this month to the area and will get several months of corporate housing through my partner's job (and eventually will officially relocate to a permanent home.) Job is downtown DC and we have options in BCC, Whitman, and possibly Jackson Reed. All get top scores on Great Schools. We have a rising 9th-grade boy who is coming from a large public school in Florida. Are each of these schools similar in culture & personality? They seem to be similar in size. Leaning towards BCC because of the convenience of the apartment (and extra bathroom) but open. Ideally, we would have done school visits with actual kids in the building. If your kid attends any of the schools mentioned will you tell me something you like about the school? I don't need to hear the bad- all schools are not perfect but we would like to get the lay of the land.