Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is a public school district that serves

Montgomery County, Maryland Montgomery County is the most populous county in the state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 1,062,061, increasing by 9.3% from 2010. The county seat and largest municipality is Rockville, although the census-design ...

. With 210 schools, it is the largest school district in the state of Maryland. For the 2022–2023 school year, the district has 13,994 teachers, 86.4 percent of whom had a

master’s degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

or equivalent, serving 160,554 students at its 210 schools. In 2010, MCPS was awarded a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. As of 2022, the county spends approximately half of its annual budget(46%) on its public school system. The Board of Education includes a student member, elected by all secondary students, who has full voting rights, except for negative personnel action. The current SMOB is Arvin Kim. The superintendent of schools is Dr. Monifa McKnight.

History

1800s–1940s

Until 1860, only private schools existed in Montgomery County for those who could afford an education. Montgomery County Public Schools was established in 1860 for white children. The school system got off to a shaky start when the Civil War caused local schools to be disabled, vandalized and closed.

Depredations Raiding, also known as depredation, is a military tactic or operational warfare mission which has a specific purpose. Raiders do not capture and hold a location, but quickly retreat to a previous defended position before enemy forces can respond i ...

by both Union and

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...

armies caused schools to close in 1862 and they didn't reopen until 1864. In 1872, the Maryland General Assembly appropriated state money so there could be schools for children of color and the county established a segregated school system. In 1892, Rockville High School opened. A second Rockville Colored High School opened in 1927, thus prompting the whites only school to change its name to Richard Montgomery High School in order to avoid confusion. The high school is the oldest in the county. The first class of 12 seniors graduated in 1897.

Gaithersburg High School Gaithersburg High School (GHS) is located in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Part of Montgomery County Public Schools, the school was founded in 1904 as "Gaithersburg School" and offered grades K-12. Since 2013, the school resides at 101 Education Blvd a ...

, the second high school to serve the county, was established in 1904. In the 1900s, the school budget started to see the effects of suburbanization. In 1908, there were 6,483 students and a budget of . The school system saw even more growth in 1912 after the United States Congress passed a "non-resident" law that excluded Montgomery County school children from enrolling in Washington, D.C., schools, which were known for their higher quality. By 1921, the school budget had grown to more than . The county's first Board of Education was named by legislative enactments in 1817; the first Board consisted of nine men. A woman was appointed to the board in 1920: Mrs. A. Dawson Trumble, who served a five-year term that led to a steady succession of female members. Edwin W. Broome, who was superintendent during 1916–1953, combined one-room schoolhouses into multi-room operations at the beginning of his tenure, reducing the number of schools from 108 to 66 by 1949. At that point, school enrollment was over 22,000. When Broome took the job, there were five high schools, all in the northern portion of the county. He built two secondary schools for Silver Spring and two for Bethesda, and also pushed high schools to add the

12th grade Twelfth grade, 12th grade, senior year, or grade 12 is the final year of secondary school in most of North America. In other regions, it may also be referred to as class 12 or Year 13. In most countries, students are usually between the ages of 17 ...

1950s–present

In the early 1950s, elementary students of color attended one of four elementary schoolsLinden, Ken-Gar,

Takoma Park Takoma Park is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a suburb of Washington, and part of the Washington metropolitan area. Founded in 1883 and incorporated in 1890, Takoma Park, informally called "Azalea City", is a Tree Ci ...

, and River Roadall of which were considered substandard. Older students of color attended Lincoln Junior High School and George Washington Carver High School in Rockville. Montgomery County was the one of the first seven counties in Maryland to start to desegregate its public schools, which it began in September 1955, following the '' Brown v. Board of Education'' ruling by the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

that ordered the desegregation of all schools nationwide. Montgomery County completed the

integration Integration may refer to: Biology *Multisensory integration *Path integration * Pre-integration complex, viral genetic material used to insert a viral genome into a host genome *DNA integration, by means of site-specific recombinase technology, ...

of its schools in 1960–1961. In 1961, the school system had 85,000 students and a budget, having become the largest system in the Washington suburbs. Prior to 1961, separate schools were maintained for black children. At that time, students from Rockville's George Washington Carver High School were rezoned to the previously all-white schools across the county. MCPS saw enrollment numbers peak in 1972 when they reached 127,912. However, as a result of the that followed, enrollement decrease the next ten years, hitting a low of 91,030 in 1983. This prompted the closure of 60 schools. However, with more than 96,000 students and 13,000 staff members in 155 schools in 1986, the school system was still one of the 20 largest in the nation. Enrollment was back over 100,000 by 1990. Dr. Paul L. Vance became the county's first black superintendent in 1991, when there were 107,000 students and 174 schools. When he left in 1999, MCPS had 129,000 students in 185 schools. Over the next 10 years, enrollment grew to more than 150,000. In 2014, the Board modified the school calendar to remove all references to the

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

and Jewish religious holidays of Christmas, Easter, Yom Kippur, and

Rosh Hashanah Rosh HaShanah ( he, רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה, , literally "head of the year") is the Jewish New Year. The biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , lit. "day of shouting/blasting") It is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days (, , " ...

. The amendment was in response to a campaign by the initiative “Equality for Eid” (E4E), which sought for Montgomery County Public School closures on the

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holidays of

Eid al-Fitr , nickname = Festival of Breaking the Fast, Lesser Eid, Sweet Eid, Sugar Feast , observedby = Muslims , type = Islamic , longtype = Islamic , significance = Commemoration to mark the end of fasting in Ramadan , dat ...

and Eid al-Adha. The amendment received some media attention. Criticism of the amendment came from a variety of sources, including Montgomery County Executive

Isiah Leggett Isiah "Ike" Leggett (born July 25, 1944) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Maryland and former executive of Montgomery County, Maryland. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Born in Deweyville, Texas, Leggett attended Southe ...

and

Congressman A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...

John Delaney. For the 2022–2023 school year, the district has 210 schools and an enrollment of 160,554 students.

Governance and budget

MCPS, which covers the entire county as its school district, is governed by a Board of Education that provides leadership and oversight for MCPS by setting goals, establishing policies, and committing resources to benefit its student population. The board’s work is guided by its vision, mission, core purpose, and core values. In 1977 the Maryland General Assembly amended Section 3-901 of the Education Article of the Annotated Code of the Public General Laws of Maryland to create a student member of the board of education with a one-year term. Since 1978, the eight-member school board has included a seat for this student board member. Between 1978 and 1982 a small representative assembly of students selected the student member.

David Naimon David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

, the first student member of the board, served during the 1978–1979 school year.

Traci Williams Tracy, Tracey, or Tracie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tracy (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname, also encompassing spelling variations Places United States * Tracy, ...

, who served during the 1980–1981 school year, was the first African American to serve as student member. Williams passed away in December 2008. Shortly after, the MCPS board released a declaration recognizing her impact on the county and her legacy, as well as sending condolences to her family. Since 1982, all middle- and high-school (secondary) students enrolled in the public school system directly elected student board members. Kurt Hirsch, the first student member directly elected by secondary students, served during the 1982–1983 school year. During the 1989 session of the Maryland General Assembly, Section 3-901 was again amended and established a

limited vote Limited voting (also known as partial block voting) is a voting system in which electors have fewer votes than there are positions available. The positions are awarded to the candidates who receive the most votes absolutely. In the special case ...

for the student member. In 1995 Charles McCullough was the first African American to be directly elected as student member of the board, serving during the 1995–1996 school year. Since 2016, the student member has full voting rights, except for negative personnel. The student member of the board can vote on matters related to collective bargaining, capital and operating budgets, and school closings, re–openings and boundaries. The student member of the board cannot vote on negative personnel actions. The student member of the board is not paid but receives a $5,000 college scholarship, student service learning hours, and one honors-level social studies credit. Bethesda bus depot, Potomac (20100325-DSC01295)

Bethesda bus depot, Potomac (20100325-DSC01295)

The Board of Education student member for the 2022–2023 school year is Arvin Kim, a junior at Walt Whitman High School. Kim was elected with 58.7 percent of the vote, with nearly 56,000 students voting. MCPS funding comes mostly from Montgomery County (66%) and the State of Maryland (27%), with additional funds from federal government grants (3%), enterprise funds (3%), and other sources (1%). MCPS operates under the jurisdiction of an elected Board of Education. Its current members are:

Students

The MCPS student population has continued to grow over the years. The district saw a record enrollment of 161,554 students at the start of the 2022–2023 school year. MCPS serves a diverse student body, with 44.8% Hispanic, 14.4% White, 21.8% Black, 13.9% Asian, and 5.1% two or more races. Graduates from the class of 2018 earned $364 million in college scholarships, an increase of more than $14 million over the previous year. The class of 2017 outperformed their peers in the state of Maryland, and the nation as a whole, on

Advanced Placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course ...

(AP) exams, based on AP Cohort Results released by the

College Board The College Board is an American nonprofit organization that was formed in December 1899 as the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) to expand access to higher education. While the College Board is not an association of colleges, it runs a ...

. In 2017, more than 7,000 MCPS graduates (66%) took one or more AP exams. The percentage of students receiving a college-ready score of 3 or higher on at least one exam rose to 52%; this was higher than the 31% of the public school graduates in Maryland and 23% of the national graduates. The total number of AP test taken declined from 41,048 in 2019 to 31,750 in 2021. The number of passing scores saw an increase from 71.5% in 2019 to 75.1% in 2020, however they delined again in 2021 to 68.1%.

Academics

MCPS has established certain criteria for students to graduate high school. Students must achieve 22 credits to graduate, with each semester course worth 0.5 credits. The necessary credits include, among others, the following requirements for the class of 2025:https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/curriculum/0212.21_GraduationAtAGlance_Classof2025%20(1).pdf * 4 credits — English. * 4 credits — Math: At least 1 Algebra and 1 Geometry. * 3 credits — Science: At least 1 Life science (e.g., Biology), and 1 Physical science. * 3 credits — Social studies: 1 credit each of Government, U.S. history, and World history. * 1 credit — Technology: Students can choose among Computer Science, Engineering, or other technology-related courses. * Other credit requirements include: Physical Education, Health Education, Fine arts, and Electives. In addition to these credit requirements, other requirements for graduation include: four years of enrollment, student service learning, and assessments. During the 2017–2018 school year, the district launched data dashboards to focus on learning, accountability and results. Continuous monitoring of students' progress ensures that students have timely support, focused interventions, acceleration, and enrichment. Readiness data helps the district to monitor students' progress and plan accordingly. The district has placed an emphasis on preparing students for both college and career. In April 2018, the College Board and Project Lead the Way awarded more than 3,000 students in the U.S. for their accomplishments in the 2016–2017 school year. Compared to other school districts, MCPS had the most students who'd earned the AP + PLTW Student Achievements, followed by districts in Illinois and Texas, and its neighboring Howard County Public School System in Maryland. Wheaton High School, which focuses on project-based learning, had the second-most students with the achievement, behind Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Illinois. Every high school offers courses linked to a variety of careers. A program implemented at Magruder High School during the 2018–2019 school year allows students to get a head start on careers in aviation. In May 2018, students from Northwest High School were the first in the district to graduate with a two-year degree in general engineering from Montgomery College as well as a high school diploma. In May 2018, five

Northwood High School Northwood High School may refer to: * Northwood High School (Irvine, California) * Northwood High School (Louisiana) * Northwood High School (Montgomery County, Maryland) * NorthWood High School, Nappanee, Indiana * Northwood High School (North Car ...

students were the first MCPS students to complete the

Middle College Program The Middle College Program is a high school alternative program first established in New York. It is a collaboration between a high school district and a community college for high school students who desire a more independent learning environment. ...

at their school, which allowed them to earn an associate degree from Montgomery College as well as a high school diploma. MCPS is one of the few school districts in the nation that offers comprehensive services at the elementary, middle, and high school level for twice exceptional students. Twice exceptional students have a unique profile of significant strengths and weaknessesthey are gifted and talented and also meet the criteria for an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or a Section 504 plan. Twice exceptional students access accelerated and enriched instruction with appropriate supports and services at their local school, within a magnet/choice program, or within a special education discrete service. Language immersion programs are offered at several elementary and middle schools.

Schools

MCPS has 210 schools, comprising 136 elementary schools, 40 middle schools, 25 high schools, 5 special schools, 1 career and technology center, 1 early childhood learning center and 1 alternative education program. MCPS publishes school data annually. Its “Schools at a Glance” document provides information about enrollment, staffing, facilities, programs, outcome measures, and personnel costs for each school. The district has 39 National Blue Ribbon Schools, a designation that recognizes public and private schools based on their overall academic excellence or their progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. The school system piloted an extended school years at two elementary schoolsArcola and Roscoe Nix elementary schoolsduring the 2018–2019 school year. The plan aims to help economically disadvantaged students, who lose the most ground during long summer breaks. As of 2022, the program is still in effect at these schools. School began July 6th for the 2022-2023 school year, giving students and additional 30 days of school. The county says this exteneded scheule provides students with interactive learning and social/emotional growth.

High schools

Middle schools

Argyle Middle School

John T. Baker Middle School

Benjamin Banneker Middle School

Briggs Chaney Middle School

Cabin John Middle School

Roberto Clemente Middle School

Eastern Middle School

William H. Farquhar Middle School

Forest Oak Middle School

Robert Frost Middle School

Gaithersburg Middle School

Herbert Hoover Middle School

Francis Scott Key Middle School

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Middle School

Kingsview Middle School
* Leland Junior High School (former) * Lakelands Park Middle School
website

A. Mario Loiderman Middle School

Montgomery Village Middle School

Neelsville Middle School

Newport Mill Middle School

North Bethesda Middle School

Parkland Middle School

Rosa M. Parks Middle School

John Poole Middle School

Thomas W. Pyle Middle School

Redland Middle School

Ridgeview Middle School

Rocky Hill Middle School

Shady Grove Middle School

Odessa Shannon Middle School

Silver Creek Middle School

Silver Spring International Middle School

Sligo Middle School

Takoma Park Middle School

Tilden Middle School

Hallie Wells Middle School

Julius West Middle School

Westland Middle School

White Oak Middle School

Earle B. Wood Middle School

Elementary schools

Notable alumni

The school system has several prominent graduates or former attendees, including: * Journalist

Brian Stelter Brian Patrick Stelter (born September 3, 1985) is an American journalist best known as the former chief media correspondent for CNN and host of the CNN program '' Reliable Sources'', roles he held from 2013 to 2022. Stelter is also a former medi ...

* Journalist Carl Bernstein * Journalist Connie Chung * Baseball Player

Curtis Pride Curtis John Pride (born December 17, 1968) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who is deaf. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. In 2015, Pride was named MLB's Ambassador For Inclusion. Since 2009 Pride has served as the head ba ...

* Actor Daniel Stern * TV Anchor Dan Heillie * Television and Film Writer

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* Football Player Darrell Docket * Comedian

Dave Chappelle David Khari Webber Chappelle ( ; born August 24, 1973) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known for his satirical comedy sketch series ''Chappelle's Show'' (2003–2006), which he starred in until quitting in the middle of p ...

* Musician Dean Felber * Biologist

Frederick Yeh Frederick C. Yeh is an American social entrepreneur and conservation biologist who founded Sea Turtles 911, a non-profit sea turtle rescue and conservation organization that operates in the United States and China. Early life Yeh attended Mon ...

* Media Personality

Giuliana Rancic Giuliana Rancic (; ; born August 17, 1974) is an Italian-American entertainment reporter and television personality. She is a co-anchor of ''E! News'' and resides in Chicago and Los Angeles. Early life Rancic was born in Naples, Italy and immigra ...

* Actress Goldie Hawn * Olympic gold medalist Helen Maroulis * Football Player

Irvin Smith Irvin Smith (born March 12, 1967) is a former gridiron football defensive back. Smith played college football at Maryland. Smith attended Poolesville High School in Poolesville, Maryland, where he led the team to the state championship game ...

* Journalist John Harwood * Singer Joan Jett * Actor John Micheal Higgins * Actor Johnathan Banks * Rapper Logic * Comedian Lewis Black * Musician

Mark Bryan Mark William Bryan (born May 6, 1967) is an American musician. He is a founding member, songwriter, and the lead guitarist for the band Hootie & the Blowfish. In 1986, Bryan and his friend Darius Rucker formed a duo called The Wolf Brothers whi ...

* Media Personality

Mia Khalifa Mia Khalifa (; ar, ميا خليفة, Miyа̄ Ḵalīfah; born 1993) is a Lebanese-American media personality and former pornographic film actress and webcam model. She began acting in pornography in October 2014, becoming the most viewed pe ...

* Actor Michael Ealy * 33rd and 35th President of Chile Michelle Bachelet * Creator of TV show Steven Universe,

Rebecca Sugar Rebecca Rea Sugar (born July 9, 1987) is an American animator and screenwriter. She is best known for being the creator of the Cartoon Network series ''Steven Universe'', making her the first non-binary person to independently create a series for ...

* TV anchor Scott Van Pelt * Entrepreneur Shervin Pishevar * Actor

Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Enzio Stallone (; born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, ) is an American actor and filmmaker. After his beginnings as a struggling actor for a number of years upon arriving to New York City in 1969 and later Hollywood in 1974, h ...

* Director/screenwriter

Spike Jonze Adam H. Spiegel (born October 22, 1969), known professionally as Spike Jonze, is an American filmmaker, actor, musician, and photographer. His work includes commercials, film, music videos, skateboard videos and television. Jonze began his ca ...

* Actor

Sean Whalen Sean Whalen (born May 19, 1964) is an American actor and writer. He is known for his work in numerous TV shows, including ''Shannon's Deal'' and ''Grace Under Fire'', as well as movies, including ''The People Under the Stairs'' and ''Twister''. H ...

* Actor Thomas Jane * Singer Tori Amos * Rapper

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References

External links

*
MCPS
at '' U.S. News & World Report''′s Best High Schools
MCPS
Maps and

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s *
Reviews of Montgomery County Public Schools Special Education Programs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland Education in Montgomery County, Maryland Public schools in Montgomery County, Maryland School districts in Maryland 1860 establishments in Maryland School districts established in 1860