2 yo zombie thread alert. OP has moved on.

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda is out of our budget unfortunately.

OP don't fret about this. Special Ed programs in Bethesda (other than Bethesda ES and maybe the Tilden/WJ Aspergers programs, which are small and hard to get into) aren't much to write home about. I think the Bethesda schools rely on parents paying for private services and sometimes students get less, not more than they would at schools in other areas.

Teacher's aides (in MCPS they're called paraeducators) are only found in specific programs, or if your child is very high needs (more often with physical needs) they will have one assigned to them.

FCPS SN parents complain on DCUM too. I don't know anything about Loudon.

Forest Knolls is the best IEP school in Montgomery County! Our child is not only thriving, he is also enjoying being in school. He loves his teachers, the staff, from Principal to the front office, are wonderful, very helpful and caring. No complaints!!

Forest Knolls is the est IEP school in Montgomery County! Our children is not only thriving, he is also enjoying being in school. He loves his teachers, the staff, from Principal to the front office, are wonderful, very helpful and caring. No complaints!!

Just check the staff directory and see how many Special Education teachers are at each school (keeping the size of the schools and special programs in mind).