Boundary Analysis Interim Report

The Districtwide Boundary Analysis Interim Report is now available. We know that there is significant interest in this report, however, given the ongoing global health crisis, MCPS delayed the public release of the report to ensure the district’s focus could remain on providing continuity of services and learning for our students and families. Given the worldwide health crisis that has closed our schools since March 16, 2020, we have postponed all community engagement activities for the analysis. However, you may provide comments and share you questions in the feedback form on the bottom of this page. MCPS will share additional information about next steps in the districtwide boundary analysis process at a later time.

Letter from Board of Education President, Shebra Evans

The Districtwide Boundary Analysis was designed to provide a comprehensive assessment of Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) boundaries by analyzing various data points, such as school facility utilization and capacity, student demographics, school assignment and travel patterns. MCPS faces a number of challenges in the coming years. During the past 20 years, student enrollment at MCPS has increased by more than 30,000 students. This growth has helped MCPS become one of the largest and most diverse districts in the nation. Unfortunately, facility construction has not been able to keep pace with this significant growth. This means that as a community, we are facing incredible opportunities and some tough decisions without easy answers.

The external consultant hired by MCPS to conduct the analysis, WXY Architecture + Urban Design, has provided the Board of Education (Board) with an interim report. The 400-plus page document includes in-depth analysis on school utilization, school diversity, student proximity to school, and student assignment stability. The report also includes boundary benchmarking data from other school districts and a summary of community engagement to date.

There are intense and passionate conversations in our community on this topic. One of the purposes of the analysis was to engage the community about how to grapple with some of the decisions we are facing. Many parts of the community are fully engaged in the conversation, and we will continue to reach out to engage the entire community. Passions can run high when there is a discussion on how resources are allocated. How we speak and the words we choose matter. As a school community, we are faced with real and complex issues—issues we will have to solve together. Only the Board has the authority to change or set school boundaries, however, it is important as a community that we are collectively and respectfully engaged in the conversation. As we continue this important conversation, we ask everyone—regardless of your perspective— to give others the benefit of the doubt; to listen to understand; and to engage in a constructive manner that will help us move forward as one community committed to the best outcomes for all our students.

The Board appreciates the community’s continued participation and will continue to reach out to provide information, forums for discussion, and ongoing dialogue.

Sincerely,

Shebra L. Evans
President, Board of Education

Contents

How to read this report

Full/Complete Interim Report

Interim Report Overview
Phase I: Overview of Insights

Section I: Introduction and Analysis

1. Introduction
• MCPS at a Glance
• History of MCPS
• Montgomery County Context
• Process Overview
2. Data Analysis
• Assignment Stability
• Utilization
• Diversity
• Proximity
3. Benchmarking

Section II: Community Engagement

1. Community Engagement
• Regional Public Meetings
• Interviews
• Small Group Meetings

Appendix

• Section 8.1 Introduction and Analysis
• Section 8.2 Community Engagement
• Section 8.3 Summary Table

Glossary
Further Reading
Works Cited