At 11:30 each day go sit around the Rockville Town Center, that is during lunch time at RM. You will see a good representation of the kids

I live in Rockville. While I am in the Wootton cluster I have friends in the JW / RM cluster. They are really happy with the schools and the programs that are offered. Both schools are fairly large so it is important for the kids to have a close group of friends - which if you are new to the area, maybe you can encourage your kids to participate in after school programs (theatre, sports, etc.) so they can have an opportunity to make friends that share the same interests. GL!

I an the PP who has never heard of that neighborhood. I lived in Rockville in the 90's and was not aware of open air drug markets and shootings. I did google in and apparently there was a low income housing projec there once that was torn down. Anyways, JW and RM pull kids from 4 elementary schools which each pull for multiple neighborhoods. None of the neighborhoods from those with million dollar homes to lower income dominate the school...which is what I think is great about the area.

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thank you for your responses. There it is again...the negative opinions, I agree, I would love to have a reason behind what is being said.

My daughter along with my husband did visit both schools and while my daughter focused on the brand new building and fell in love with it, my husband thought that everything seemed great and was satisfied with all that he learned. We are not interested in the IB courses but my daughter is in the advanced program right now. Do they offer AP courses there too?
I don't know how to go about speaking with current students/parents there. Any ideas?

I just read the last post...so Lincoln Park is not a safe area? I am new to the area and don't know much about Montgomery county.

Didn't mean to scare you. Lincoln Park is an all-black enclave on the north side of Rockville. Back in the 70's through 90's it was a dangerous area with shootings and open air drug markets. You can still buy just about anything you want there but the street violence is way down. Unfortunately the students that live there take their beefs to school with them but it does not affect anyone else. As the Churchill principal most famously said two years ago, "you don't need to be concerned because its black on black crime".

My daughter is at RM - not in the IB program. She is getting a very good education, and we haven't noticed any problem with violence. She's a happy kid with a great group of friends.

RM does have a robust AP program, which is the path my daughter prefers.

No school is perfect, of course, but we've been pleased.

I have a son at Julius West and he has not been involved in any violence or has reported seeing any. It is more diverse than schools in Bethesda or Potomac but I feel my children are getting a good education. Yes there was an incident with a JW teacher and a 16 year old but that is not a reflection on the school as a whole. RM has many many advanced classes that is what makes it ranked so well on the HS challenge indexes. JW (along with most MCPS middle schools) has heterogeneous groupings with differentiation within the class (this part is a bit controversial as to how much teachers actually do..I think it depends on the teacher). I have not heard of Lincoln Park so I can't comment on the neighborhood.

OP here, thank you for your responses. There it is again...the negative opinions, I agree, I would love to have a reason behind what is being said.

My daughter along with my husband did visit both schools and while my daughter focused on the brand new building and fell in love with it, my husband thought that everything seemed great and was satisfied with all that he learned. We are not interested in the IB courses but my daughter is in the advanced program right now. Do they offer AP courses there too?
I don't know how to go about speaking with current students/parents there. Any ideas?

I just read the last post...so Lincoln Park is not a safe area? I am new to the area and don't know much about Montgomery county.

Both schools draw from Lincoln Park so that is where the violence comes from.

I would try not to base too much on what you hear on anonymous forums. (Ha, maybe that means you don't have to listen to me either.) But try to meet people in the neighborhood who send their kids there, maybe tour the schools and talk to the administration. You cannot find a guarantee that a school will be right for your children, but more information from direct sources may calm your fears.

The PE teacher at Julius West who coached track at RM got arrested for sleeping wit a student but the charges got dropped on a technicality but he still did it

I agree with 16:30. I live in the cluster and our babysitter goes there. She has a lot of great things to say about the school. In my mind most of the negative posts on DCUM about the cluster center around the race and class diversity that exists in the cluster, both are welcome additions for my family.

Richard Montgomery and Julius West are the best public schools in Rockville. They have a lot of Asian students that are several grades ahead in math. I have not heard of violence in these schools.

New poster here.

15:39, your response has nothing supporting your statement. Either give some details, or don't comment.

I live in the RM cluster and have only heard good things. I have a vested interest in RM. Please share evidence - or give some sort of detail.

If my child couldn't get into the IB program at Richard Montgomery, I wouldn't send him there.

We are looking into moving to the area and a good school is high priority. I know that both schools score well and am not very concerned about that. What concerns me that on every forum discussion about these schools I see someone talking about violence, class disruptions in no advanced classes etc. They make me uncomfortable. My DD will be starting Middle school next year and I have a little guy who will be starting Kindergarten soon. I just need to know that my kids will get a well rounded education, with many opportunities in a safe environment (which they lack in their current schools). We made the mistake of not researching well the first time and so are trying to be careful this time around.
I know there are better schools out there but we are not able to find a home that fits our needs there.
I would really love some opinions from people who have been to these schools etc. Thank you in advance!