With less than two years left until Woodward High School is scheduled to reopen, disagreements and unknowns about the new boundaries for the county have begun to pile up.

The boundary study, which is estimated to affect over 19,800 kids in the 2027-2028 school year, is aimed at reopening Woodward and expanding Damascus High School along with opening the new Crown High School. The study will determine which neighborhoods will go to what high schools, and the effects will reverberate throughout the county.

Over the summer, Brigid Howe, president of the Montgomery County Council of PTA (MCCPTA) voiced concerns on MCPS outreach to students and parents in an interview with ABC 7.

“I feel that MCPS needs to do a better job with outreach to the entire parent community and student community,” MCCPTA president Howe said in the July 29 interview.

The boundary study is being conducted by FLO Analytics, a national consulting company, that has previously redistricted Hartford County Public Schools in Maryland and reduced the number of schools in Poudre School District in Colorado.

Woodward, previously the location of Tilden Middle School, has contributed significantly to WJ’s culture. When the two schools merged in 1987, Woodward brought their mascot, the Wildcat. It is currently unknown if WJ will keep the Wildcat as its mascot or if Woodward will take it back.

Woodward aims to curb overcrowding in WJ, which has one of the worst overcrowding issues of any high school in MCPS with an estimated 665 students over capacity. It also has the second-highest number of portables of all MCPS high schools.

WJ stands to lose not only students to Woodward but also unique classes that may not be able to be offered with the reduced student size. Due to the proximity to each other and interwoven histories, it is unclear what WJ and Woodward’s relationship will be.

“We are advocating for two strong local schools.” WJ PTSA secretary and cluster representative Deborah Kornbluth Berger said.

The next Boundary Study meeting for Woodward is scheduled for Oct. 6th and 9th via Zoom, and Oct. 7th at BCC and Oct. 8th at Blair Students are allowed to join.
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/facilities/boundary-study/