We are in Wootton cluster. Not a fan. Too many drugs and parents who don't care as long as the kids make the grades.

My kid started taking AP from freshman year. Yes, it is a pressure cooker.

Anonymous wrote:Please don't jump on me. I'm not focusing on a specific school, but just listing several that are well regarded according to the recently published report. I ask this as an elementary school parent slated for a "W" school and contrary to what some may think, it actually scares me greatly when I read the report because it looks like 75-90% of the students are taking AP exams. My kids hold their own and have a ways to go before HS, and yes I know that competition is good for them, but sometimes it scares me to think about the standards they have to meet to keep up around here. Does anybody ever just think about moving away from the DC area to a place where it will be easier for your kids to be big fish in a small pond? I suppose it's the grass is always greener illusion.

I think about it all the time. And we are in a W. School district.

I work at a W school. A student can earn an A first quarter, an A second quarter, and a C on the final and still earn an A in the class. Change that final exam grade to a D and the student still takes home a B. In short, the answer to your question is no. http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/schools/blakehs/staff/finalgradecalc.pdf

Parent of a Churchill Junior here.
Here's what I've gotten out of my son:

The school is a mix of stress levels. Sure, there's the extremely high achieving bunch, and yes, most of them are Asians (east Asians and Indians), but that's actually a minority. Most of the school is NOT like that - first AP is usually Junior year, maybe Sophomore year with NSL (US Government and Politics).
Yes, almost everyone will take at least one AP class. But, Churchill isn't all filled with geniuses. Some APs (like for example AP Psych, far and away the most popular AP class) are fairly easy...probably easier than an honors English class. The subject material is interesting to most kids and the work load isn't absurd. Not all the APs are created equal. Not every single kid is taking AP BC Calculus.
But, keep in mind that the top is waaaaaaaay up there. 13+ APs by graduation is more or less the norm with people aiming for Harvard, most of which are 5s. If you want your kid to be at the top without having to try very hard...don't send them to Churchill.

If I were you I'd worry more about cliques. Churchill is pretty cliquey.

Anonymous wrote:enjoy it don't try to keep up with the Joneseseesses

you will find yourself and your kid a lot happier.

Very simply, this is just about the best advice you can get, not only for school but life in general. It's just a pity so few have the fortitude and confidence to live this way.

I have heard grads from some of these schools say they are pressure cookers and that they are soooooo glad to be in college where things seem easier and more enjoyable. Doesn't seem right to burn your child out in high school. Such is life in the DMV...

I am thinking it has just changed alot since I was in HS when most kids never took an AP class. Now kids start with them freshman year. I wonder if the standards have been lowered. I had to apply with essays and teacher recs. Now they seem very open.

enjoy it don't try to keep up with the Joneseseesses

you will find yourself and your kid a lot happier.

If you think that DCC and NEC schools give children a good education then stay away from the schools you named with the exception of QO.

Not the OP's point. They are all challenging academic schools in their own right.

One of these peas is not like the others...

Anonymous wrote:Please don't jump on me. I'm not focusing on a specific school, but just listing several that are well regarded according to the recently published report. I ask this as an elementary school parent slated for a "W" school and contrary to what some may think, it actually scares me greatly when I read the report because it looks like 75-90% of the students are taking AP exams. My kids hold their own and have a ways to go before HS, and yes I know that competition is good for them, but sometimes it scares me to think about the standards they have to meet to keep up around here. Does anybody ever just think about moving away from the DC area to a place where it will be easier for your kids to be big fish in a small pond? I suppose it's the grass is always greener illusion.

The 75-90-% figure just mean a kid takes at least one AP course before he or she graduates. That is not a big deal, because the schools prepare them for the materials.

I don't want to move away from the DC area (too many advantages), but we encourage our kids to consider colleges and universities outside the DC/MD/VA area if they want to be around more people who have grown up in less intense environments.

I wouldn't jump on you, it's a fair thing to ponder, especially in light of the recent suicides at other area pressure-cooker high schools.

Please don't jump on me. I'm not focusing on a specific school, but just listing several that are well regarded according to the recently published report. I ask this as an elementary school parent slated for a "W" school and contrary to what some may think, it actually scares me greatly when I read the report because it looks like 75-90% of the students are taking AP exams. My kids hold their own and have a ways to go before HS, and yes I know that competition is good for them, but sometimes it scares me to think about the standards they have to meet to keep up around here. Does anybody ever just think about moving away from the DC area to a place where it will be easier for your kids to be big fish in a small pond? I suppose it's the grass is always greener illusion.