Anonymous wrote:I have a college kid and a high schooler who spent the majority of their school career in MCPS.

MCPS is one of the best public school systems in the country, mostly because it has a wide array of academic offerings, provides services and accommodations and magnet instruction, and gets reasonably decent scores in state and national testing.

For STEM, it's better than top privates. For Humanities and writing, it's not as good.

But parents need to understand that APs are the goal to be prepared for college and beyond. Honors is the new grade level; grade level is the new remedial; and remedial is what some kids need when they have significant disabilities, or are recovering from various setbacks in their lives.

MCPS' Achilles heel is English instruction, which needs to be entirely overhauled. The level of instruction and expectations in 9th and 10th grade "Honors" English in particular are abysmal.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a college kid and a high schooler who spent the majority of their school career in MCPS.

MCPS is one of the best public school systems in the country, mostly because it has a wide array of academic offerings, provides services and accommodations and magnet instruction, and gets reasonably decent scores in state and national testing.

For STEM, it's better than top privates. For Humanities and writing, it's not as good.

But parents need to understand that APs are the goal to be prepared for college and beyond. Honors is the new grade level; grade level is the new remedial; and remedial is what some kids need when they have significant disabilities, or are recovering from various setbacks in their lives.

MCPS' Achilles heel is English instruction, which needs to be entirely overhauled. The level of instruction and expectations in 9th and 10th grade "Honors" English in particular are abysmal.

STEM is not better than the top privates, outside of maybe the magnet programs.

This is a tired stereotype.

I have friends with kids at Sidwell, St Albans and Landon, and they are not learning anything more profound than what’s available to my kid in MCPS. She’d doing AP Physics C (mechanics and electricity & magnetism) and will have two years of math after AP Calc BC.

I KNOW privates can’t compete with MCPS in math and science.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a college kid and a high schooler who spent the majority of their school career in MCPS.

MCPS is one of the best public school systems in the country, mostly because it has a wide array of academic offerings, provides services and accommodations and magnet instruction, and gets reasonably decent scores in state and national testing.

For STEM, it's better than top privates. For Humanities and writing, it's not as good.

But parents need to understand that APs are the goal to be prepared for college and beyond. Honors is the new grade level; grade level is the new remedial; and remedial is what some kids need when they have significant disabilities, or are recovering from various setbacks in their lives.

MCPS' Achilles heel is English instruction, which needs to be entirely overhauled. The level of instruction and expectations in 9th and 10th grade "Honors" English in particular are abysmal.

STEM is not better than the top privates, outside of maybe the magnet programs.

This is a tired stereotype.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell course catalog: https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1761922736/sidwell/nvrdst4fzkbiktxervc1/2025_26USCurriculumGuide1031.pdf

Blair magnet courses: https://old.mbhs.edu/departments/magnet/courses.php

I don’t at all see where Blair is stronger in STEM.

Come back to me once you're compared their respective MIT and Caltech acceptances over the past five years.

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell course catalog: https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1761922736/sidwell/nvrdst4fzkbiktxervc1/2025_26USCurriculumGuide1031.pdf

Blair magnet courses: https://old.mbhs.edu/departments/magnet/courses.php

I don’t at all see where Blair is stronger in STEM.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a college kid and a high schooler who spent the majority of their school career in MCPS.

MCPS is one of the best public school systems in the country, mostly because it has a wide array of academic offerings, provides services and accommodations and magnet instruction, and gets reasonably decent scores in state and national testing.

For STEM, it's better than top privates. For Humanities and writing, it's not as good.

But parents need to understand that APs are the goal to be prepared for college and beyond. Honors is the new grade level; grade level is the new remedial; and remedial is what some kids need when they have significant disabilities, or are recovering from various setbacks in their lives.

MCPS' Achilles heel is English instruction, which needs to be entirely overhauled. The level of instruction and expectations in 9th and 10th grade "Honors" English in particular are abysmal.

STEM is not better than the top privates, outside of maybe the magnet programs.

This is a tired stereotype.

Public is where Stem is better. The college acceptances tell us that as well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Or other kids you know who graduated from MCPS in the last decade? Did they attend UMD, other colleges in MD, community college, public or private located anywhere in the world, small/large, liberal arts college or other type?

Do you think MCPS prepared them well for college? Do you think it was mostly things student did outside MCPS that helped them while they were in college?

What did they end up doing after graduating from college?

Does MCPS collect longitudinal data of their graduates, e.g. to what colleges did MCPS students enroll for past decade? e.g. what they studied? Where can families see that information if it exists?

Four of my six went to MCPS.

Two went to boarding schools, DH family does this. Two wanted to rest did not.

All majored in Engineering/CS or Engineering Electrical

The four that went to MCPS went to MIT, Stanford, Georgia Tech & UC Berkeley.

All graduated in 4 years. All went to graduate school to specialize.

OP it's not only about MCPS they don't do it all. You as the parent are the reason whether they are successful in learning or not.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a college kid and a high schooler who spent the majority of their school career in MCPS.

MCPS is one of the best public school systems in the country, mostly because it has a wide array of academic offerings, provides services and accommodations and magnet instruction, and gets reasonably decent scores in state and national testing.

For STEM, it's better than top privates. For Humanities and writing, it's not as good.

But parents need to understand that APs are the goal to be prepared for college and beyond. Honors is the new grade level; grade level is the new remedial; and remedial is what some kids need when they have significant disabilities, or are recovering from various setbacks in their lives.

MCPS' Achilles heel is English instruction, which needs to be entirely overhauled. The level of instruction and expectations in 9th and 10th grade "Honors" English in particular are abysmal.

STEM is not better than the top privates, outside of maybe the magnet programs.

This is a tired stereotype.

Anonymous wrote:Or other kids you know who graduated from MCPS in the last decade? Did they attend UMD, other colleges in MD, community college, public or private located anywhere in the world, small/large, liberal arts college or other type?

Do you think MCPS prepared them well for college? Do you think it was mostly things student did outside MCPS that helped them while they were in college?

What did they end up doing after graduating from college?

Does MCPS collect longitudinal data of their graduates, e.g. to what colleges did MCPS students enroll for past decade? e.g. what they studied? Where can families see that information if it exists?

Anonymous wrote:I have a college kid and a high schooler who spent the majority of their school career in MCPS.

MCPS is one of the best public school systems in the country, mostly because it has a wide array of academic offerings, provides services and accommodations and magnet instruction, and gets reasonably decent scores in state and national testing.

For STEM, it's better than top privates. For Humanities and writing, it's not as good.

But parents need to understand that APs are the goal to be prepared for college and beyond. Honors is the new grade level; grade level is the new remedial; and remedial is what some kids need when they have significant disabilities, or are recovering from various setbacks in their lives.

MCPS' Achilles heel is English instruction, which needs to be entirely overhauled. The level of instruction and expectations in 9th and 10th grade "Honors" English in particular are abysmal.