The Montgomery County Board of Education (MCBOE) confirmed a decision to reshape school boundaries and redefine how specialized programs are offered across the district on March 26. This decision is set to take effect for the 2027–28 school year.
The plan sets the stage for the county to introduce, expand and relocate four high schools. The MCBOE, along with local parents and students, greenlit these changes after several years of discussion.
The district promised to keep community engagement active while the plans are carried out through in-person and virtual meetings, multilingual engagement and public gatherings.
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) has emphasized its intention to address uneven enrollment, underused school capacity and differences in access to academic programs.
The three changes are set to begin immediately. With the board voting 7-1, Charles W. Woodward High School will be reopened, and Northwood High School and Damascus High School will be expanded. The board also decided to relocate Thomas S. Wootton High School to the Crown Farm site.
While the county is proud of the upcoming changes and is confident that the plan will better align with families’ daily lives, many oppose this decision. MCPS parent Bryan Gibb said in an appeal to the board on Fox 5 that he was “very disappointed [by the relocation of Wootton]. It’s one of the best schools in the state and the country. We literally put a pin in that school when we moved here.”
The relocation of Wootton High School and the expansion of Damascus High School will result in boundary reassignments. These boundary reassignments mean that more than 30 elementary schools will change their middle and high school assignments.
The goal of the project is to better align school boundaries with where students live, making the daily commute easier. Former Wootton High School parent Barbara Hirsch disagreed, prioritizing the preservation of the community created by the school’s current location.
“It’s a community school, we’re a community. Our school should stay where it is. It’s important for the future of generations to come,” Hirsch said.
MCBOE said thousands of community members participated in the final outcome and provided feedback that helped shape this decision.
Aside from reducing long-distance travel to school, another goal is to address how specialized programs are offered across the district.
Under the new plan, each region of the county will offer access to high-demand programs aligned with students’ interests and workforce needs. MCPS said the majority of the work will be done to ensure consistency across programs.
