Richard Montgomery High School, founded in 1892, continues to embrace its role as Montgomery County’s oldest public high school while looking ahead to its future. The Rockville school shared a published historical overview a couple years back, tracing its evolution from a modest addition to an elementary school into one of the county’s most recognized academic institutions.
Principal Alicia Deeny, the only woman to serve as principal in RM’s 130-plus year history, said the school’s past is a point of pride, but its students are the real inspiration. “While RM’s history is a huge source of pride, seeing our students in action every day gives me incredible hope for the future of our school and community,” Deeny said. “Our kids inspire me every day.”
Richard Montgomery began as “Rockville High School” in 1892 following a $300 allocation by the Board of School Commissioners. The school served grades one through eleven, graduating its first class in 1897. As Rockville grew, so did the school’s footprint. By 1904, the Board of Education purchased land at Montgomery Avenue and Monroe Street to construct a larger building, renamed “Montgomery County High School.” During World War I, its assembly room also functioned as a community gymnasium, strengthening the school’s early reputation as a central gathering place for classes, events, and even the city’s annual July 4th fireworks celebrations.
A fire in 1940 destroyed the school, forcing students to temporarily attend other county high schools. A new building opened in 1942 at 250 Richard Montgomery Drive on the former grounds of the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair, which has since moved to Gaithersburg. The fair’s old horse track became the school’s football stadium and track, widely used by both Rockville residents and the broader county. The land itself carries an even deeper history; during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln used the property to house up to 10,000 Federal soldiers as he sought to keep Maryland from seceding.
Students once arrived at RM by train, trolley, and eventually school bus from all corners of Montgomery County. When the new “Rockville Colored High School” opened in Lincoln Park in 1935, the original Rockville High School was officially renamed “Richard Montgomery High School.” Public school integration brought Black students from Carver High School to RM starting in 1955. The school now continues its long tradition of drawing students from Rockville and throughout the county, reflecting the same broad community it served more than a century ago.
Richard Montgomery has earned recognition as a Blue Ribbon School on both the state and national levels and has built a reputation as one of the county’s strongest academic institutions. The school is home to an array of programs, including the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, Middle Years Programme, Advanced Placement and Honors courses, special education programs, and ESOL. These offerings have helped create a unified academic environment that supports a diverse student population.
With more than 130 years of history, RM remains committed to academic rigor, social-emotional growth, and lifelong learning while continuing its longstanding partnership with the Rockville community. The school’s mission emphasizes excellence, performance, and service, principles that have guided students across generations. As Principal Deeny noted, the school’s legacy is still being written each day by its students, who continue to shape what Richard Montgomery stands for today.
A version of this article was originally published in April 2024.
