I grew up in HOCO (in the southern area -Clarksville/Highland) and now live in MOCO. I had a great childhood but love MOCO so much more. The commute, even from the southern part, to DC is horrible and only got worse as more areas of HOCO get developed. I love my neighborhood in a W school cluster. So friendly and the kids all play together. I also like the community feel and closeness of everything that you don't get in the more rural areas although HOCO does have some planned communities that have a strong community feel. Just like MOCO, the schools in HOCO vary although probably not by as much. There are good ones and not so good ones but HOCO in general has a lot less lower class and a huge chunk of middle class and some higher class vs. MOCO has more wealthy but also less wealthy. Of course this impacts the individual school i.e. Howard County has a few really strong ones and a few bad ones but most are very similar and pretty good. They do bus kids past certain districts to others to ensure there is more diversity in the schools but even then, it is likely to be much less than what you would find in a MOCO school.

OP here, PP's assertion that MOCO kids don't play is a big reason for our considering HOCO. Everyone is always in an after school activity or studying, as young as elementary school. THis probably doesn't exist anywhere but I would love an environment where my kids could ride their bikes after homework to the playground and meet loads of other kids

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The people are less pretentious and it will be easier for your child to make friends. It's more family oriented atmosphere.

I always love these generalizations. There are a million people in Montgomery County, and 300,000 people in Howard County. But hey, they're pretty much all the same within each county!

Sorry lived in both areas 3 different places in MC and 2 different in HC. I wasn't the PP but I have yet to find a "friendly outgoing neighborhood" in MC. No one talks, kids never play, cars racing thru. I am stuck in MC so I would love to find a friendly involved neighborhood, just haven't yet.

I live in MC, and I find your statement bizarre. My neighborhood is very friendly, kids are always out playing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The people are less pretentious and it will be easier for your child to make friends. It's more family oriented atmosphere.

I always love these generalizations. There are a million people in Montgomery County, and 300,000 people in Howard County. But hey, they're pretty much all the same within each county!

Sorry lived in both areas 3 different places in MC and 2 different in HC. I wasn't the PP but I have yet to find a "friendly outgoing neighborhood" in MC. No one talks, kids never play, cars racing thru. I am stuck in MC so I would love to find a friendly involved neighborhood, just haven't yet.

Anonymous wrote:

The people are less pretentious and it will be easier for your child to make friends. It's more family oriented atmosphere.

I always love these generalizations. There are a million people in Montgomery County, and 300,000 people in Howard County. But hey, they're pretty much all the same within each county!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:…from a schooling perspective. The commute distance to the city, museums etc are obviously things we are thinking off. We have 2 elementary aged kids and wondering whether about HoCo public education. For instance, they have Common Core but do they let kids work at a higher level? Do they have HGC with alternate curriculums?
Ay feedback would be much appreciated.

IMO, I think Howard County is a better run school district. The pros are:

They have a gifted and talented specialist (at least 2) at every elementary school. I like that they practice equity and that GT students aren't shift across the county to other schools. I think it's great that no matter where you purchase your home that your GT child will be offered GT services at their neighborhood school. Also, Howard County doesn't cap students once they reach a certain level. If your child has mastered a certain level, they will not be held back or prevented from moving ahead just because the other students can't catch up. They also, offer advanced courses and college programs at every high school. Go to their website http://www.hcpss.org Click on "Academics" afterwards click on "Gifted and Talented Program" It will give you a better explanation of the GT services at the elementary and middle school levels. In addition, it provides you with the list of courses and programs that they offer at the high school level.

Smaller classroom ratios

Counselors can provide a more personable experience since they don't have an abundance of students.

Additional support staff

They do a much better job with their lower performing students than Montgomery County. So, the achievement gap isn't as big and the constant focus on it doesn't plague the school district. If anything instead of lowering standards, they actually maintain high standards. Montgomery County has lower standards which makes every one suffer.

Howard County is more green. Many of the schools are environmentally built and the old ones will have renovations to make themselves more green.

The people are less pretentious and it will be easier for your child to make friends. It's more family oriented atmosphere.

I know that some of the high schools have partnered with UMBC to offer college credit for some courses.


The cons will be commute times if you work in the DC area. So, you may want to live in the southern part of the county. Checkout elementary schools that feed into Atholton, River Hill, or Reservoir. The MARC train (Camden Line) from Laurel could take you to Union Station.

As far as museums go, you a choices of both Baltimore and Washington DC on the weekends. There is even a newly built nature center "The Robinson Nature Center" in Columbia which is great too.

MoCo did a study that showed that when the percentage of FARMs kids went over 20%, the kids did not reap any benefit of being in a high performing school. HoCo has many fewer poor kids and they're not clustered together as much as in MoCo. I imagine this might be causing some of the differences. On the other hand, MoCo SAT scores are pretty similar even with a much larger percentage of minority and poor students, so they're doing something right.

Anonymous wrote:HoCo has better ratios, teachers aides and more involved parents. Less overcrowding and more open land space too. This from a mom who used to be in HoCo and is now in MoCo, RM cluster. Not impressed Maybe it is better in other areas but we were told while looking that it was a great school area.

Are you comparing geographic sections? Clarksville compared to Elkridge, for example?

same as comparing [arts of Silver Spring to Potomac

I student taught in Ho Co - Clarksville and Columbia. night and day

So don't make a generalization about all Ho Co schools. Furthermore, they cut lines to balance out FARMs, too. Look at the Reservoir HS cluster. Because Maple Lawn has the money, the county rezoned.

Anonymous wrote:…from a schooling perspective. The commute distance to the city, museums etc are obviously things we are thinking off. We have 2 elementary aged kids and wondering whether about HoCo public education. For instance, they have Common Core but do they let kids work at a higher level? Do they have HGC with alternate curriculums?
Ay feedback would be much appreciated.

IMO, I think Howard County is a better run school district. The pros are:

They have a gifted and talented specialist (at least 2) at every elementary school. I like that they practice equity and that GT students aren't shift across the county to other schools. I think it's great that no matter where you purchase your home that your GT child will be offered GT services at their neighborhood school. Also, Howard County doesn't cap students once they reach a certain level. If your child has mastered a certain level, they will not be held back or prevented from moving ahead just because the other students can't catch up. They also, offer advanced courses and college programs at every high school. Go to their website http://www.hcpss.org Click on "Academics" afterwards click on "Gifted and Talented Program" It will give you a better explanation of the GT services at the elementary and middle school levels. In addition, it provides you with the list of courses and programs that they offer at the high school level.

Smaller classroom ratios

Counselors can provide a more personable experience since they don't have an abundance of students.

Additional support staff

They do a much better job with their lower performing students than Montgomery County. So, the achievement gap isn't as big and the constant focus on it doesn't plague the school district. If anything instead of lowering standards, they actually maintain high standards. Montgomery County has lower standards which makes every one suffer.

Howard County is more green. Many of the schools are environmentally built and the old ones will have renovations to make themselves more green.

The people are less pretentious and it will be easier for your child to make friends. It's more family oriented atmosphere.

I know that some of the high schools have partnered with UMBC to offer college credit for some courses.


The cons will be commute times if you work in the DC area. So, you may want to live in the southern part of the county. Checkout elementary schools that feed into Atholton, River Hill, or Reservoir. The MARC train (Camden Line) from Laurel could take you to Union Station.

As far as museums go, you a choices of both Baltimore and Washington DC on the weekends. There is even a newly built nature center "The Robinson Nature Center" in Columbia which is great too.

HoCo has better ratios, teachers aides and more involved parents. Less overcrowding and more open land space too. This from a mom who used to be in HoCo and is now in MoCo, RM cluster. Not impressed Maybe it is better in other areas but we were told while looking that it was a great school area.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot less ESOL in HoCo means teachers actually get to teach kids that understand them. Middle of the road kids aren't ignored to help magnets or derelicts. Better ratios, placing kids in appropriate classes because they don't have to be PC like MoCo tries to do, which helps neither the teacher or the students.

...magnets and derelicts?

really smart and really dumb. Non-english speaking. All play a part in how the average kids are learning. My daughter had 6 complete non-english speaking kids in her K class. I volunteered. The teacher would spend a significant amount of time with them while the rest had to do busy work. You won't find that in HoCo. The playing field is much more level, easier to teach. They also don't welcome illegal aliens the way MoCo does. Makes a big difference.

...you're calling children in your daughter's kindergarten class -- real actual five-year-olds and six-year-olds whom you have actually met -- "derelicts".

I'm speechless.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot less ESOL in HoCo means teachers actually get to teach kids that understand them. Middle of the road kids aren't ignored to help magnets or derelicts. Better ratios, placing kids in appropriate classes because they don't have to be PC like MoCo tries to do, which helps neither the teacher or the students.

...magnets and derelicts?

really smart and really dumb. Non-english speaking. All play a part in how the average kids are learning. My daughter had 6 complete non-english speaking kids in her K class. I volunteered. The teacher would spend a significant amount of time with them while the rest had to do busy work. You won't find that in HoCo. The playing field is much more level, easier to teach. They also don't welcome illegal aliens the way MoCo does. Makes a big difference.

I think many MoCo families think that everything is focused on the middle with not enough support for the top or the struggling. We are MoCo with friends/co-workers in HoCo. I don't see a huge difference in satisfaction. I think they did have a p-t aide for K which we did not have. Arlington is the district that really seems impressively advanced compared to what my kids are getting in MoCo.

Anonymous wrote:A lot less ESOL in HoCo means teachers actually get to teach kids that understand them. Middle of the road kids aren't ignored to help magnets or derelicts. Better ratios, placing kids in appropriate classes because they don't have to be PC like MoCo tries to do, which helps neither the teacher or the students.

...magnets and derelicts?

A lot less ESOL in HoCo means teachers actually get to teach kids that understand them. Middle of the road kids aren't ignored to help magnets or derelicts. Better ratios, placing kids in appropriate classes because they don't have to be PC like MoCo tries to do, which helps neither the teacher or the students.

I grew up in HoCo and my family still lives there. I live in MoCo now in a W cluster. I'd pick almost all of HoCo for the schools over all of MoCo any day. It's a much smaller system. It does have more differentiation in elementary schools. Particularly for math.

Neither is perfect. But if you have an average kid, s/he'd do better in HoCo, IMO.