by Cliff Vacin ‘25

With the start of the construction of Crown High School, the reopening of Woodward High School, and the expansion of Damascus High School, MCPS initiated a boundary study to examine how students in neighborhoods and areas will be assigned to school clusters. New boundaries will take effect in 2027 and are expected to affect several MCPS schools. All schools will be opened in Fall 2027.

Other schools may be affected, such as future Sherwood students living near the high schools in the further parts of Brookeville and Olney, as MCPS stated that a domino impact will occur. The Board of Education prioritizes 4 topics–diversity, proximity, stability, and fiscal responsibility–in setting school boundaries. However, there already has been some controversy about the lack of transparency in selecting the company FLO Analytics to lead the study.

Crown High School has been in the works since 2021; at about 31.7 acres in size, its student capacity will be 2,219. The expansion of Damascus was due to an overpopulation at nearby schools, most notably Clarksburg. Woodward High School closed in 1987, with students from its area going to Walter Johnson. The building was demolished, and MCPS started rebuilding Woodward High School.