In the down-county consortium, 8th graders rank their choices among the five schools: Blair, Northwood, Kennedy, Einstein, and Wheaton. If a student ranks their in-bound / home school as number 1, they are currently guaranteed to get a spot at that school. Each school offers some different programming options (independent of magnet programs), so kids choose different schools for different reasons.

Northwood will be housed at the brand new Woodward HS Campus in Rockville / N. Bethesda while Northwood undergoes renovation. Many people will find the commute a deterrent.

We’re a very happy Northwood family.

Blair is not the only decent high school in Silver Spring. I can’t speak to Northwood but it will soon have a nice new building. My kid goes to Einstein and is very happy there. I know kids who love Wheaton as well.

Anonymous wrote:I read positive things about TPMS and Montgomery Blair HS on this board. They’re a few homes we are looking at that feed to Northwood HS. Does anyone who has experience be willing to share? Is it an alternative to Montgomery Blair or is this the only decent HS (not interested in magnets for my child). Thank you!

Take a look at the school programs for both Blair and Northwood. By the time your children reach high school, these choices could change.

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04757.pdf

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04796.pdf

Anonymous wrote:Although I suspect the schools feeding into TMPS will continue to be zoned for Blair, be aware that the area is part of a larger boundary study that will redraw the high school zones. So with Blair vs Northwood, you can't be super sure what you're going to get. We're zoned for Blair and I'd love for it to stay that way but we're open to Northwood. My kids have friends currently zoned for both schools as well.

That study is currently called "The Woodward Study" because it began as a boundary/re-programming study for the future Woodward High School. It now encompasses all the south and east high schools, along with their feeder middle schools. MCPS should change the name of the study so it is clear to the public that 8 high schools are involved in this study.

https://gis.mcpsmd.org/boundarystudypdfs/WoodwardHS_BoundaryStudyScope.pdf

We’re in the catchment for Northwood and happy about it. Our kid is not yet in HS but the families around us with kids recently in HS have had them all over the place in the DCC. Northwood also has an awesome Middle College program that seems like it will be a good fit for our kid.

https://www.montgomerycollege.edu/high-school-students/dual-enrollment/degree-and-pathway-programs/middle-college-program.html

Although I suspect the schools feeding into TMPS will continue to be zoned for Blair, be aware that the area is part of a larger boundary study that will redraw the high school zones. So with Blair vs Northwood, you can't be super sure what you're going to get. We're zoned for Blair and I'd love for it to stay that way but we're open to Northwood. My kids have friends currently zoned for both schools as well.

If you're a few years out from HS, Northwood will be a fine choice. It is getting a new and larger building set to open in 2027. Between now and then, students will all be bussed over to the Woodward building on Old Georgetown Road, and it will be an inconvenient mess.

I read positive things about TPMS and Montgomery Blair HS on this board. They’re a few homes we are looking at that feed to Northwood HS. Does anyone who has experience be willing to share? Is it an alternative to Montgomery Blair or is this the only decent HS (not interested in magnets for my child). Thank you!