Montgomery County is redrawing high school boundaries. The process is wide in scope and moving fast. If you live in Potomac, Chevy Chase, Rockville, Germantown, or anywhere upcounty, your school assignment could change.
At the center of this effort are three major school projects: Crown High School in Gaithersburg, the reopening of Woodward in North Bethesda, and the expansion of Damascus High School. These changes aim to reduce overcrowding, rebalance enrollment, and improve demographic equity across more than a dozen clusters.
But the current draft plans raise serious concerns. In several neighborhoods, MCPS is proposing to send students farther from their nearest schools, often disrupting established community ties.
Why Now?
Crown and Woodward are set to open in 2027, with Damascus expanding around the same time. To prepare, MCPS is redrawing boundaries for secondary schools in the following clusters:
Churchill, Wootton, Richard Montgomery, BCC, Whitman, Walter Johnson, Gaithersburg, Quince Orchard, Damascus, Northwest, Clarksburg, and Seneca Valley.
All four draft boundary options are now public. Community input will help shape the final plan.
Where the Controversy Is
Potomac: Churchill to Wootton
All four proposals move the Wayside Elementary area, near Glen Road, from the Churchill cluster to Wootton. Many homes in this neighborhood are under two miles from Churchill. Wootton is significantly farther. The change would lengthen bus rides and pull students out of a community they have long been part of.
This is not a fringe adjustment. These families attend Hoover Middle, join Churchill programs, and live within walking distance of their school. Churchill is not just nearby, it is their school identity.
The change seems driven by numbers. Wootton is expected to lose students to Crown, and this area helps make up the difference. But it comes at the cost of proximity, continuity, and neighborhood alignment.
Chevy Chase: BCC to Blair
One proposal moves part of Chevy Chase Village from the BCC cluster to Montgomery Blair. The neighborhood is within walking distance of BCC and is closer to both Whitman and Walter Johnson than to Blair.
Sending students across Silver Spring to a non-contiguous zone contradicts the stated priority of geographic proximity and disrupts one of the county’s most established school communities.
Walter Johnson to Whitman
Another draft sends part of the Walter Johnson cluster into Whitman. Although both schools perform well, this move breaks up coherent feeder patterns and introduces unnecessary distance between neighborhoods and their assigned schools.
Upcounty Reassignments
Proposals affecting Clarksburg, Northwest, Seneca Valley, and Damascus focus primarily on relieving crowding. The concerns in these areas are less about distance and more about preserving logical feeder paths and consistent school communities.
Community Ties Matter
Neighborhood schools are more than just buildings. They’re hubs of activity and trust. Families form routines around them. Children grow up together in them. These shared experiences create the cohesion that makes communities feel like communities.
When MCPS redraws boundaries, it’s not just changing lines on a map. It’s shifting relationships and undermining the systems families have built over years. Change may be needed, but it must be done with respect for how people actually live.
What About Home Values?
MCPS does not consider real estate in its decisions, but as a local Realtor, I can say with confidence: buyers do.
School assignment is one of the most consistent motivators in the Montgomery County housing market. Buyers frequently ask to see homes zoned for specific schools: Churchill, BCC, Whitman, Wootton, or Walter Johnson, and often plan long-term based on those boundaries.
Personally, I live in the affected Churchill cluster, near Glen and Falls. My oldest just graduated from Churchill, and my rising junior will stay put. My younger children are currently in Private school at Bullis, but like many families in Potomac, we bought here with the school system in mind.
If the Wayside area is reassigned to Wootton, that could shift buyer perceptions. Both schools offer strong academics, but Churchill carries more name recognition, especially in Potomac. That difference shows up in buyer preferences and, over time, can influence pricing.
Reassignments like these are a reminder of why we always advise buyers that boundaries can change. But we can’t ignore how often those boundaries shape real decisions and carry real financial weight.
What You Can Do
🗓️ Attend a Public Meeting
Tonight, Tuesday, June 3
6:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Northwest High School
Tomorrow, Wednesday, June 4
6:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Richard Montgomery High School
Each session lasts one hour. No RSVP is required.
💬 Submit Feedback
Use the survey to share your thoughts:
📍 Check Your Address
The interactive map on the site shows how each plan affects your home.
Final Thought
MCPS has an opportunity to solve real challenges, overcrowding, inequity, and the need for new seats. But in doing so, it must not lose sight of what schools mean to the families they serve.
Good boundary planning doesn’t just move students around. It reflects the geography, habits, and relationships of the people who live here.
Let’s make sure the next chapter of MCPS is built with those things in mind.
Share this post