Anonymous
Post 07/01/2025 20:34     Subject: Anyone w/ Recent experience at Argyle Middle School?

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thank you for the replies. My DC’s homeschool is technically better performing than Argyle but it doesn’t offer the magnet program classes that they’re interested in.

I’m not worried about high FARMS, as DC went to and thrived at a high FARMS DCC school. But the school was well run, largely peaceful, and my DC’s peers were serious about school and generally a great group of kids.

While I realize fights happen everywhere, I think this will be upsetting for DC - just not an environment he will be comfortable in if it’s a frequent issue.


Ok, then with that information, keep your DC at the home school. There are a good number of fights at Argyle.

And at the 5/22 BOE meeting, serious concerns about the physical condition of the building were shared by Bronwyn Philbeck, an 8th grader at Argyle, and his mother, Jennifer Todd.

Bronwyn's testimony describes a chaotic school environment with "a sea of students all pushing and shoving against each other like a stampede": https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/DGVKG851C3FB/$file/Bronwyn%20Philbeck%20BoE%20Testimony.pdf

His mother's impassioned testimony where she talked about a building that was plagued by "cockroaches, mice and rats" and with significant air quality issues in what deemed to be a "sick building."



Her testimony starts at 57:30.
Anonymous
Post 07/01/2025 20:17     Subject: Anyone w/ Recent experience at Argyle Middle School?

OP here - thank you for the replies. My DC’s homeschool is technically better performing than Argyle but it doesn’t offer the magnet program classes that they’re interested in.

I’m not worried about high FARMS, as DC went to and thrived at a high FARMS DCC school. But the school was well run, largely peaceful, and my DC’s peers were serious about school and generally a great group of kids.

While I realize fights happen everywhere, I think this will be upsetting for DC - just not an environment he will be comfortable in if it’s a frequent issue.
Anonymous
Post 07/01/2025 17:33     Subject: Anyone w/ Recent experience at Argyle Middle School?

Anonymous wrote:A good way to check for fit is to get a tour when school is in session. Of course it is too late for this if DC is starting school in August.

We did a tour for a different higher FARMS school, really liked what we saw and decided to go with it. Well-behaved students, great principal and staff.

In your situation—does your child blend well with those outside their ethnic group? If not, then I might stick with the home school.


How do you know what OP's ethnicity is? They might belong to the Black or Hispanic populations.
Anonymous
Post 07/01/2025 15:31     Subject: Anyone w/ Recent experience at Argyle Middle School?

A good way to check for fit is to get a tour when school is in session. Of course it is too late for this if DC is starting school in August.

We did a tour for a different higher FARMS school, really liked what we saw and decided to go with it. Well-behaved students, great principal and staff.

In your situation—does your child blend well with those outside their ethnic group? If not, then I might stick with the home school.
Anonymous
Post 07/01/2025 11:26     Subject: Anyone w/ Recent experience at Argyle Middle School?

The principal at Argyle is James Allrich - I have heard great things about him. Here's his background: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/argylems/letter/

Anonymous
Post 07/01/2025 09:03     Subject: Re:Anyone w/ Recent experience at Argyle Middle School?

Anonymous wrote:Believe the reviews.

Now that being said, your kid could still go there and be ok. But you have to adjust your expectations.

It’s a high FARMs, high minority school. Which means it comes with the challenges that typically come with those environments.

If you’re a pearl clutching about fights, misbehavior and lack of resources, then don’t go.

Also, this conversation is incomplete without knowing what your home MS will be. If your home MS is better than Argyle, than go there. But if Argyle is better, than go to Argyle.


All middle schools have fights. Even ones with lower FARMS rates.

I work in a school that feeds into Argyle. These kids are the same as any other elementary school—they like to play, they like music, they have drama, they are warm and loving. Just like in any school, some are well behaved and others aren’t.

A big difference is home life. A lot of my students live in apartments with several other families. They don’t usually have their own rooms, they may share a bed with several cousins. They do activities through the school, but most of them aren’t able to afford outside activities, summer camps, piano lessons, etc. Ideally your kid will still find things in common with them and look past the socioeconomic differences that may come up, but playdates may look different, especially if their parents don’t speak English.

Remember that your kid can always go back to the homeschool if they want, so why not give it a try?
Anonymous
Post 07/01/2025 08:51     Subject: Re:Anyone w/ Recent experience at Argyle Middle School?

Believe the reviews.

Now that being said, your kid could still go there and be ok. But you have to adjust your expectations.

It’s a high FARMs, high minority school. Which means it comes with the challenges that typically come with those environments.

If you’re a pearl clutching about fights, misbehavior and lack of resources, then don’t go.

Also, this conversation is incomplete without knowing what your home MS will be. If your home MS is better than Argyle, than go there. But if Argyle is better, than go to Argyle.
Anonymous
Post 07/01/2025 08:40     Subject: Anyone w/ Recent experience at Argyle Middle School?

There’s another thread but it’s several years old. DC got a spot at Argyle and is excited about their magnet program offerings.

I’m curious about the school culture and administration. Anyone have experience over the last year they could share? The reviews on GS aren’t great and the older thread flagged issues with fights, etc.

Thank you!