Anonymous wrote:The traditional 3 w schools are Whitman, Churchill, and WJ. Some people now include Wootton in that group, it is a good school certainly but probably a wrung below those 3.

A wrung below. Hee hee.

(I'm commenting on the pun, not on the spelling or the statement. Although, since Whitman, Churchill, and Wootton only go back to 1962, 1964, and 1970, respectively, I do wonder how "traditional" that tradition is.)

^ Thanks.

The traditional 3 w schools are Whitman, Churchill, and WJ. Some people now include Wootton in that group, it is a good school certainly but probably a wrung below those 3.

Anonymous wrote:Even the Washington Post has referred to "the W schools" -- and they have always been Whitman, Wootton, Walter Johnson, and Winston Churchill.

What sets these schools apart? They still have predominantly white students from upper income homes, and parents will pay a premium to move into the clusters that feed into these schools.

Always?

Should we call them "the real-estate-premium schools"?

Even the Washington Post has referred to "the W schools" -- and they have always been Whitman, Wootton, Walter Johnson, and Winston Churchill.

What sets these schools apart? They still have predominantly white students from upper income homes, and parents will pay a premium to move into the clusters that feed into these schools.

Or were at one time

There are racial implications to the W beyond the names of the schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^I didn't conjure the phrase out of thin air. Just saw it used a lot in the last week, so I was curious.

Interesting, I have a kid in one and have not heard it referred to as 3. Some people do debate whether WJ belongs. In the old days it was Wootton who was more tangential because of geography. But for the last decade or so it's been 4 schools. The 4 schools even do pre-season play days among them in some sports.

And to the person who keeps raising it on every thread - no Watkins Mill and Wheaton are not generally considered Ws even though they begin with the same letter.

Then maybe there should be a different name for this "elite" group of schools. Must be more than one person raising the issue though, since this is the first time I ever have.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^I didn't conjure the phrase out of thin air. Just saw it used a lot in the last week, so I was curious.

Interesting, I have a kid in one and have not heard it referred to as 3. Some people do debate whether WJ belongs. In the old days it was Wootton who was more tangential because of geography. But for the last decade or so it's been 4 schools. The 4 schools even do pre-season play days among them in some sports.

And to the person who keeps raising it on every thread - no Watkins Mill and Wheaton are not generally considered Ws even though they begin with the same letter.

Then stop calling Whitman-Wootton-Walter Johnson-Churchill "the W schools". Call them something else. My idea is "the rich-people schools", but perhaps you have a better suggestion.

Anonymous wrote:^I didn't conjure the phrase out of thin air. Just saw it used a lot in the last week, so I was curious.

Interesting, I have a kid in one and have not heard it referred to as 3. Some people do debate whether WJ belongs. In the old days it was Wootton who was more tangential because of geography. But for the last decade or so it's been 4 schools. The 4 schools even do pre-season play days among them in some sports.

And to the person who keeps raising it on every thread - no Watkins Mill and Wheaton are not generally considered Ws even though they begin with the same letter.

Anonymous wrote:It funny you think you saw three Ws. It has always been four Ws.

Yes, there are 4 W schools: Watkins Mill, Wheaton, Walt Whitman, Thomas Wootton.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/globalContent/documents/List-Of-Schools.pdf

What about Wheaton?

^I didn't conjure the phrase out of thin air. Just saw it used a lot in the last week, so I was curious.

It funny you think you saw three Ws. It has always been four Ws.

RM is currently ranked 5th in the state (USNews)..above BCC and Blair. Poolesville, RM and Blair all benefit from test in magnets though.