Niche, a national rankings and review site that analyzes schools and neighborhoods across the country, has released its 2026 list of the top public middle schools in Maryland (top 25 available below). The Niche list of top 25 public high schools in Maryland can be found here.
Montgomery County Councilmembers Kate Stewart and Evan Glass urged MCPS and the Board of Education to improve the Capital Improvements Program (CIP) process, citing inefficiencies, unreliable cost projections, and poor community engagement. They pointed to the $40 million Silver Spring International Middle School project, which failed to address key concerns, as an example of the need for better planning, transparency, and incorporation of community feedback to ensure future school facility upgrades meet actual needs.
The midway point of the Montgomery County (MCPS) football season is here, and the hierarchy is starting to take shape. Quince Orchard continues to sit atop the mountain, but challengers like Sherwood and Churchill are circling, looking for a chance to shake the county’s balance of power. Meanwhile, traditional powers are scrambling to stay relevant, and a few upstarts are knocking at the door. Here’s this week’s Top 10 countdown:
CBS’s hit sitcom Ghosts has solidified its place as one of America’s favorite shows, ranking as the 16th most-watched program in the 2024-25 Nielsen ratings with 12.1 million viewers. It was also the 11th most watched network series. While the national success is impressive, the series carries an especially meaningful connection for Montgomery County, as two of its stars are graduates of Rockville’s Thomas S. Wootton High School.
The season is heating up, and Montgomery County is already showing us plenty of storylines: the defending champions at Quince Orchard remain untouchable, upstarts like Churchill and Blake are fighting for recognition, and the middle pack is scrapping for playoff positioning. This week offers everything from potential shootouts to old-school defensive struggles. Let’s dive into the matchups.
Week 3 brought plenty of movement in the standings as the season begins to take shape. Sherwood remains the team to beat, holding strong at 7-0 as the only undefeated squad in the county. Right on their heels, four teams, Magruder, Wootton, Quince Orchard, and Richard Montgomery, sit at 6-1, keeping the race for the top wide open.
Rivalry games in MoCo carry a certain weight. The crowd shows up early. The energy hums from the first whistle. Every yard feels like it comes with history attached. On Friday night, Sherwood and Blake delivered just that, a backyard slugfest that didn’t truly tilt until the final minutes, when the Warriors pulled away for a 21–12 win in Sandy Spring.
Francesco Sani, a 2020 graduate of Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, just made headlines on the world stage by helping Italy clinch the Men’s World Volleyball Championship. Italy defeated Bulgaria 3-1 for the crown.
Below are MCPS Varsity Volleyball results from Friday, 9/26/25:
The Montgomery County Office of Food Systems Resilience and Office of Grants Management awarded $2.3 million in FY26 School-Based Food Assistance grants to 13 organizations, expected to serve more than 9,000 households across 96 schools. (more…)