When William H. Farquhar Middle School opened its doors in 1968, it marked the start of a new era for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). The Olney school became the first in the county to adopt the “middle school” model, serving grades six through eight, a departure from the traditional “junior high” structure that had long served grades seven through nine.
Named after 19th-century educator and historian William Henry Farquhar, the school was designed to meet the evolving needs of younger adolescents. Prior to the opening of Rosa Parks Middle School in 1992, Farquhar was the only middle school in the Olney area and at times enrolled more than 1,000 students throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
Farquhar’s establishment coincided with a growing national shift in educational philosophy. In the mid to late 1970s, research across the country began emphasizing the distinct developmental stage of early adolescents, roughly ages 11 to 14, and the need for a learning environment tailored to both their academic and social growth. MCPS, like many large suburban school systems, took note.
Between 1978 and 1982, the county began phasing in the middle school model across Montgomery County, gradually transitioning from junior highs to schools serving grades 6 through 8. Ninth grade students were moved into high schools, reshaping feeder patterns and curricula throughout the district. By the mid 1980s, nearly all MCPS junior high schools had been renamed and restructured as middle schools, completing a systemwide transformation that began with Farquhar’s innovative example.
