Anonymous
04/03/2024 16:47
Subject: Where to get a primer on high schools
Anonymous wrote:+1 for Quince Orchard high school. Very well rounded in sports, the arts, and academics.
QO is rah rah about football, if that's your thing.
Anonymous
04/03/2024 15:53
Subject: Where to get a primer on high schools
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Moving to the area. Don’t know where to start. 2 bright kids. One into sports. One a theater/ music / creative type. One on the spectrum. Both iffy at math. Where do we begin figuring out where to buy or rent?
Einstein and Blake are schools that have a good reputation for theater/ music / creative types.
Richard Montgomery HS has the oldest, and most prestigious theater program.
They produce some really great shows.
RMHS also has the IBDP program for in cluster students, and RMIB magnet program that RM students can also apply to or join in 11th.
I don't know that much about their sports programs, but recently, I think some of their sports teams won regional and/or state.
It has the oldest theater program because it's the oldest high school...
Okay, that's kind of funny. I guess they also have the most prestigious football team, cafeteria tray sledding team, and Home Ec department as well.
To return to OP's question, there are good and bad things about almost every high school in MCPS. If you share just general commute, what kind of quality of life you are looking for, and a budget range, we can probably make some recommendations.
If we assume commute and money are no object, the "best" HS is probably Whitman just in terms of sheer wealth available to supplement existing school resources. If you want an "urban" quality of life with good access to transportation, but money is still no object, B-CC is a great choice. If you want a traditional American HS experience with football and homecoming and all that jazz, Quince Orchard is generally regarded as the most "normal" HS in the area.
FWIW I always think Einstein has the best performing arts too. I'm sure RM is great just never heard that about it before.
Anonymous
04/03/2024 15:51
Subject: Where to get a primer on high schools
+1 for Quince Orchard high school. Very well rounded in sports, the arts, and academics.
Anonymous
04/03/2024 15:48
Subject: Where to get a primer on high schools
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Moving to the area. Don’t know where to start. 2 bright kids. One into sports. One a theater/ music / creative type. One on the spectrum. Both iffy at math. Where do we begin figuring out where to buy or rent?
Einstein and Blake are schools that have a good reputation for theater/ music / creative types.
Richard Montgomery HS has the oldest, and most prestigious theater program.
They produce some really great shows.
RMHS also has the IBDP program for in cluster students, and RMIB magnet program that RM students can also apply to or join in 11th.
I don't know that much about their sports programs, but recently, I think some of their sports teams won regional and/or state.
It has the oldest theater program because it's the oldest high school...
Okay, that's kind of funny. I guess they also have the most prestigious football team, cafeteria tray sledding team, and Home Ec department as well.
To return to OP's question, there are good and bad things about almost every high school in MCPS. If you share just general commute, what kind of quality of life you are looking for, and a budget range, we can probably make some recommendations.
If we assume commute and money are no object, the "best" HS is probably Whitman just in terms of sheer wealth available to supplement existing school resources. If you want an "urban" quality of life with good access to transportation, but money is still no object, B-CC is a great choice. If you want a traditional American HS experience with football and homecoming and all that jazz, Quince Orchard is generally regarded as the most "normal" HS in the area.
Wouldn't the best have the most NMSF or best college outcomes?
Anonymous
04/03/2024 15:47
Subject: Where to get a primer on high schools
Anonymous wrote:Check out the MD school report card.
https://reportcard.msde.maryland.gov/
The report card has math and ELA proficiency data broken down by demographics. It also has aggregated scores from student and teacher surveys. I like the survey scores because it tells you more about the experiences of the students and teachers rather than the test scores which may be reflective more of the students' backgrounds.
These statistics reflect a school's demographics. The more diversity or poverty at a school, the lower their score.
They need to come up with a finer-grained measure that adjusts for SES differences to better reflect the value a particular school adds.
Anonymous
04/03/2024 15:04
Subject: Where to get a primer on high schools
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Moving to the area. Don’t know where to start. 2 bright kids. One into sports. One a theater/ music / creative type. One on the spectrum. Both iffy at math. Where do we begin figuring out where to buy or rent?
Einstein and Blake are schools that have a good reputation for theater/ music / creative types.
Richard Montgomery HS has the oldest, and most prestigious theater program.
They produce some really great shows.
RMHS also has the IBDP program for in cluster students, and RMIB magnet program that RM students can also apply to or join in 11th.
I don't know that much about their sports programs, but recently, I think some of their sports teams won regional and/or state.
It has the oldest theater program because it's the oldest high school...
Okay, that's kind of funny. I guess they also have the most prestigious football team, cafeteria tray sledding team, and Home Ec department as well.
To return to OP's question, there are good and bad things about almost every high school in MCPS. If you share just general commute, what kind of quality of life you are looking for, and a budget range, we can probably make some recommendations.
If we assume commute and money are no object, the "best" HS is probably Whitman just in terms of sheer wealth available to supplement existing school resources. If you want an "urban" quality of life with good access to transportation, but money is still no object, B-CC is a great choice. If you want a traditional American HS experience with football and homecoming and all that jazz, Quince Orchard is generally regarded as the most "normal" HS in the area.
Anonymous
04/03/2024 14:07
Subject: Where to get a primer on high schools
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Moving to the area. Don’t know where to start. 2 bright kids. One into sports. One a theater/ music / creative type. One on the spectrum. Both iffy at math. Where do we begin figuring out where to buy or rent?
Einstein and Blake are schools that have a good reputation for theater/ music / creative types.
Richard Montgomery HS has the oldest, and most prestigious theater program.
They produce some really great shows.
RMHS also has the IBDP program for in cluster students, and RMIB magnet program that RM students can also apply to or join in 11th.
I don't know that much about their sports programs, but recently, I think some of their sports teams won regional and/or state.
It has the oldest theater program because it's the oldest high school...
Anonymous
04/03/2024 13:25
Subject: Where to get a primer on high schools
QO also has a good theatre department.
Anonymous
04/03/2024 13:12
Subject: Where to get a primer on high schools
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Moving to the area. Don’t know where to start. 2 bright kids. One into sports. One a theater/ music / creative type. One on the spectrum. Both iffy at math. Where do we begin figuring out where to buy or rent?
Einstein and Blake are schools that have a good reputation for theater/ music / creative types.
Richard Montgomery HS has the oldest, and most prestigious theater program.
They produce some really great shows.
RMHS also has the IBDP program for in cluster students, and RMIB magnet program that RM students can also apply to or join in 11th.
I don't know that much about their sports programs, but recently, I think some of their sports teams won regional and/or state.
This is a very weird comment. How does one define the "prestige" or even determine the "oldest" theater program?
Honestly, I've seen shows all over the district and would not say that RM is better or worse than anyone else. Whitman has a beautiful physical space and kids with tons of talent/training, Blair has enough kids to put on a spectacle and does it well, B-CC consistently pushes the envelope, Blake shows are always very well-produced, and RM is also great but not head and shoulders above.
But...prestigious? I guess you could go by Cappies wins, but honestly NoVa schools have dominated in recent years and RM certainly has not stood out among MCPS schools.
Anonymous
04/03/2024 13:07
Subject: Where to get a primer on high schools
Check out the MD school report card.
https://reportcard.msde.maryland.gov/
The report card has math and ELA proficiency data broken down by demographics. It also has aggregated scores from student and teacher surveys. I like the survey scores because it tells you more about the experiences of the students and teachers rather than the test scores which may be reflective more of the students' backgrounds.
https://reportcard.msde.maryland.gov/
The report card has math and ELA proficiency data broken down by demographics. It also has aggregated scores from student and teacher surveys. I like the survey scores because it tells you more about the experiences of the students and teachers rather than the test scores which may be reflective more of the students' backgrounds.
Anonymous
04/03/2024 12:25
Subject: Where to get a primer on high schools
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Moving to the area. Don’t know where to start. 2 bright kids. One into sports. One a theater/ music / creative type. One on the spectrum. Both iffy at math. Where do we begin figuring out where to buy or rent?
Einstein and Blake are schools that have a good reputation for theater/ music / creative types.
Richard Montgomery HS has the oldest, and most prestigious theater program.
They produce some really great shows.
RMHS also has the IBDP program for in cluster students, and RMIB magnet program that RM students can also apply to or join in 11th.
I don't know that much about their sports programs, but recently, I think some of their sports teams won regional and/or state.
Anonymous
04/03/2024 11:15
Subject: Where to get a primer on high schools
Pre-pandemic some HS let you do tours.
Anonymous
04/03/2024 11:15
Subject: Where to get a primer on high schools
If they are not yet in 8th move to the DCC and apply to Blair CAP for theatre one if you think they will be okay in a huge school. Your other one would have a choice of many other programs in the DCC. They have a lot of application choice and lottery.
Anonymous
04/03/2024 10:28
Subject: Where to get a primer on high schools
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Moving to the area. Don’t know where to start. 2 bright kids. One into sports. One a theater/ music / creative type. One on the spectrum. Both iffy at math. Where do we begin figuring out where to buy or rent?
Einstein and Blake are schools that have a good reputation for theater/ music / creative types.
Einstein also has some solid sports programs that aren’t overly competitive to get on the teams, but still do well enough to be fun. The school feels artsy and creative, but there’s also a solid base of sporty kids. Einstein also has active parent support groups for both sports and the arts.
Housing in the area isn’t as cheap as it used to be, but pockets are still better than much of the county. Academics may not look all that great on paper because there’s a chunk of the student population that are low-income and/or English learners, but there’s also a substantial group of high-achieving college-bound kids taking AP and IB classes.
Anonymous
04/03/2024 08:23
Subject: Where to get a primer on high schools
Anonymous wrote:Moving to the area. Don’t know where to start. 2 bright kids. One into sports. One a theater/ music / creative type. One on the spectrum. Both iffy at math. Where do we begin figuring out where to buy or rent?
Einstein and Blake are schools that have a good reputation for theater/ music / creative types.