Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I take rankings with a LARGE grain of salt, because I know that schools with homogeneous middle class populations tend to score better. This is how schools outside of large metropolitan areas get ranked number 1.

MCPS is one of the nation's best school systems for kids with special needs and gifted kids: there are multiple special programs and magnets. DCUM tends to criticize them all and say they're insufficient, but I know that they're still better than what other public school systems have developed.

MCPS also deals with an large group of English learners, a large contingent who has arrived from Central America, but also, since we're close to Embassies and international institutions, some from educated, well-to-do foreign families.

This social hetereogeneity lowers scores. But I WANT that diversity. We are educated foreigners ourselves (not English learners, though) and we want a multi-cultural student body that brings various perspectives. One of my kids needed an IEP in school, and had services and accommodations. It was great. I don't think he would have received them so easily anywhere else. My other kid is gifted and has benefited from all the acceleration that her high school has been able to give her. She will take multivariable calculus and differential equations in 11th grade, and about 14 APs.

Despite all the handwringing about MCPS on DCUM, I know this is a great school system and I am happy to be here.

I’m a gifted parent of two kids that both score in the gifted range. I would say MCPS schools are terrible for gifted kids. I grew up in South Florida decades ago and the programs I had put MCPS to shame. If we had a little more money, I’d 100% send my kids to private school.

I’ve seen little programming and my kids almost never mention their teachers. The teachers almost consistently fail to inspire and supplement.

Anonymous wrote:I take rankings with a LARGE grain of salt, because I know that schools with homogeneous middle class populations tend to score better. This is how schools outside of large metropolitan areas get ranked number 1.

MCPS is one of the nation's best school systems for kids with special needs and gifted kids: there are multiple special programs and magnets. DCUM tends to criticize them all and say they're insufficient, but I know that they're still better than what other public school systems have developed.

MCPS also deals with an large group of English learners, a large contingent who has arrived from Central America, but also, since we're close to Embassies and international institutions, some from educated, well-to-do foreign families.

This social hetereogeneity lowers scores. But I WANT that diversity. We are educated foreigners ourselves (not English learners, though) and we want a multi-cultural student body that brings various perspectives. One of my kids needed an IEP in school, and had services and accommodations. It was great. I don't think he would have received them so easily anywhere else. My other kid is gifted and has benefited from all the acceleration that her high school has been able to give her. She will take multivariable calculus and differential equations in 11th grade, and about 14 APs.

Despite all the handwringing about MCPS on DCUM, I know this is a great school system and I am happy to be here.

Anonymous wrote:Bradley Hills is the best of MoCo coming in 5th place.
I know OCMD is looked down upon. Maybe I'll move there.
https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/elementary-schools/maryland

Anonymous wrote:This is one of the stupidest set of rankings. It’s like a buzzfeed listicle. Nothing more. And for the record, my DD attends one of these “top” schools. It’s probably directionally accurate but trying to parse the difference between the “top” and the next 10-20 elementary schools is meaningless.

It’s also a joke that OP thinks folks from the DC area care about Ocean City or some other resort town.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nobody cares. W ES has become watered down and terrible.

—A W ES parent

That’s McKnight’s credit. Some W ESs still haven’t got rid of her assigned appointees and the rebuild of the school reputation and spirit would take longer.

She assigned a lot of new principals (her friends) who drove most of the existing teachers away and replaced them with new teachers with no experience.

Anonymous wrote:I take rankings with a LARGE grain of salt, because I know that schools with homogeneous middle class populations tend to score better. This is how schools outside of large metropolitan areas get ranked number 1.

MCPS is one of the nation's best school systems for kids with special needs and gifted kids: there are multiple special programs and magnets. DCUM tends to criticize them all and say they're insufficient, but I know that they're still better than what other public school systems have developed.

MCPS also deals with an large group of English learners, a large contingent who has arrived from Central America, but also, since we're close to Embassies and international institutions, some from educated, well-to-do foreign families.

This social hetereogeneity lowers scores. But I WANT that diversity. We are educated foreigners ourselves (not English learners, though) and we want a multi-cultural student body that brings various perspectives. One of my kids needed an IEP in school, and had services and accommodations. It was great. I don't think he would have received them so easily anywhere else. My other kid is gifted and has benefited from all the acceleration that her high school has been able to give her. She will take multivariable calculus and differential equations in 11th grade, and about 14 APs.

Despite all the handwringing about MCPS on DCUM, I know this is a great school system and I am happy to be here.