Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) recently shared a video with superintendent Thomas Taylor introducing the 2024/2025 boundary study as MCPS prepares to expand its high school offerings with upcoming opening of Crown High School (Gaithersburg), the reopening of Charles W. Woodward High School, and the expansion of Damascus High School (video available below).
“Because of this expansion, we will need to adjust our student attendance boundaries for high schools. I recognize that this can be pretty intense and an emotional experience. Many of your family decisions may have been tied to planning where your children were going to be assigned to go to school. We know this is a big deal, and if we’re going to make a change to attendance boundaries, we must proceed with as much though and care as possible” Taylor said.
He noted that the new attendance zones will likely have a domino impact across the county and may impact schools that don’t border Crown, Woodward, or Damascus. The first step will be a boundary study that will likely come with “a ton of questions that need to be answered.” The video answers a few of them:
Who is conducting the boundary study? The superintendent recommends to the Board of Education approve FLO Analytics as the vendor to complete the boundary study process to support the opening of Crown High School, the expansion of Damascus High School, and the reopening of Charles W. Woodward High School.
- The selection of this vendor was done in collaboration with input, guidance, and feedback from stakeholders.
- Scope of FLO Analytics work will include:
- Analysis of distribution and equitable access to districtwide programs
- Boundary study
What are the priorities for the boundary study?
- Diversity: We want to create schools with a diverse student body.
- Proximity: We want to keep students close to home.
- Stability: We want to minimize disruptions to students’ education.
- Fiscal Responsibility: We want to use our resources wisely.
What happens next? A timeline will be developed with opportunities for community engagement. Important updates will be shared through a new MCPS webpage dedicated solely to this topic.
How can I provide feedback and input? MCPS will be reaching out to students, staff, parents, and community members through a variety of ways, including surveys, focus groups, and online forums.
What schools are involved in the boundary study process? Elementary school attendance zones will not be affected by this boundary study. The expansive study will include a large number of schools.
Schools included in the Charles W. Woodward boundary study: Middle Schools– Argyle, Eastern, Loiederman, Newport Mill, North Bethesda, Parkland, Pyle, Odessa Shannon, Silver Creek, Silver Spring International, Sligo, Takoma Park, Tilden, and Westland. High Schools– B-CC, Blair, Einstein, Walter Johnson, Kennedy, Northwood, Wheaton, and Whitman.
Schools included in the Crown High School boundary study: Middle Schools– Baker, Cabin John, Roberto Clemente, Forest Oak, Robert Frost, Gaithersburg, Hoover, MLK, Kingsview, Lakelands Park, Montgomery Village, Neelsville, Poole, Ridgeview, Rocky Hill, Hallie Wells, and Julius West. High Schools– Churchill, Clarksburg, Damascus, Gaithersburg, Richard Montgomery, Northwest, Poolesville, Quince Orchard, Seneca Valley, Watkins Mill, and Wootton.
Specific schools to be involved in the boundary study for the expansion of Damascus High School were not mentioned in the video.