Montgomery County Public Schools are transforming.

The district is redrawing its school boundary lines, redesigning academic programs and hoping for $2.7 billion to fund construction and renovation projects. The Banner is covering all this change, but sometimes it’s hard to keep up. This guide summarizes the school system’s plans, and will keep you posted on how they evolve and when the public can weigh in.

Here’s the latest.

What’s happening with the MCPS boundary study?

The district will open the Crown High School building, expand Damascus High School and reopen Charles W. Woodward High School for the 2027-2028 year, meaning officials need to redraw boundary lines to decide which students attend those campuses.

The ripple effects will be felt across the county and extend down to the middle school level.

District leaders are in the midst of soliciting community feedback on proposed boundary lines. The plans have inflamed tensions, with some families saying the maps prioritize stability for the county’s wealthiest campuses.

For example, in new drafts, high schools that serve families from wealthier neighborhoods, such as Bethesda-Chevy Chase and Whitman, would not absorb more impoverished students.

A group of parents recently asked the school board to ensure the new boundary lines lead to a more economically integrated district.

“You, board members, have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make real the promise of integrated education for thousands more children in our county. You can ensure that children whose parents drive BMWs go to school with children whose parents drive for Uber,” said Mikey Franklin, a district parent.

The latest map proposals are available on the district’s website.

Who will attend Crown High School?

That’s a hard one.

Superintendent Thomas Taylor has proposed using the new Crown High building in Gaithersburg as a “holding school” to house students while their own campuses undergo massive renovations.

That hasn’t been the plan. District officials expected to open Crown as a new high school in August 2027. But Taylor said this might not make sense anymore, given the district’s declining enrollment and its severe infrastructure needs at other campuses.

His idea is far from set in stone. It would require more conversations with community members and state officials.

To make progress on much-needed high school improvement projects, Taylor said the district needs more holding schools.

In October, the school board agreed to study the idea. District officials are expected to share Crown proposals with the community in November, with opportunities for public feedback in December and January.

How will the high school program study factor into this?

District leaders are proposing a plan to divide the county’s 25 high schools into six regions, each with a slate of parallel academic programs focused on themes such as STEM, health care and the performing arts.

The program study and the boundary study are “inextricably linked,” officials say.

The idea, they say, is to expand access equitably. Right now, some students have far greater opportunities to participate in rigorous academic programming to prepare them for life after high school.

County Council members have expressed skepticism over the plan. Several said they worried that the parallel programs will be given uneven levels of resources and staffing. They also questioned district officials on whether their plan is realistic — especially because they want to roll it out in the fall of 2027.

One major sticking point among families is that the regional model would end the Downcounty Consortium and Northeast Consortium, two longstanding programs for providing high school choice within specific parts of the district. Consortium schools will be split amid the regions.

How do people feel about the program study?

In a district as big and diverse as Montgomery County Public Schools, there’s a wide range of opinions.

But two major groups with big stakes in the debate are asking the schools to slow down.

The teacher’s union — the Montgomery County Education Association — called for the process to be suspended. It supports increased access, but doesn’t have confidence in the current plan.

“We remain deeply concerned that the district is moving too quickly to meaningfully gather input and address the various issues that we’re sharing as a community,” MCEA Vice President Danillya Wilson said in a statement.

The Montgomery County Council of PTAs expressed similar concerns.

“The only way for a regional model to succeed is for the development to be slowed down to ensure parents, students, teachers, and MCPS staff are engaged appropriately,” MCCPTA President Brigid Howe said in a statement.

The Black and Brown Coalition for Educational Equity and Excellence, however, took a different tact. The group said in a statement that they “strongly disagree” that further study is necessary. They asked the district to avoid “analysis paralysis.”

“It would advance the laudable goal of providing all students, including eligible Black and Brown students who have long been underserved, expanded seats and proximal access to exciting academic opportunities, no matter where they live,” they said.

What about the construction projects?

Taylor has requested a $2.7 billion investment in capital improvements over six years. He said that massive figure is necessary to make a dent in the district’s serious infrastructure needs.

As part of this, Taylor wants to replace Eastern Middle School, renovate Sligo Middle School and close Silver Spring International Middle School.

He also wants to replace Sligo Creek, Burning Tree, Piney Branch, Highland View and Cold Spring elementary schools.

Damascus High would also get a replacement building.

It wasn’t good news for every campus in need of fixes. Several schools came off Taylor’s recommended list including Damascus, Twinbrook and Whetstone elementary schools.

Families at aging high schools — like Magruder — were also left disappointed when their campuses didn’t make the cut.

When could all these big ideas move forward?

Program study: The analysis is expected to go before the Board of Education for final action in December 2025.

Boundary study: Taylor wants new boundaries for ninth and 10th graders ready for the 2027-2028 school year, with upperclassmen remaining in their current schools. Full implementation would come by the 2029-2030 year.

In middle school, the boundaries would be used for sixth and seventh graders in the first year, with full implementation for eighth graders coming in 2028-2029.

The Board of Education is expected to vote in March.

Construction projects: The district is hosting several listening sessions on the proposed capital improvements plan, with a board vote scheduled for Nov. 20. County government officials must then decide if they can sign off on such a massive request for funds.

“This is a problem that we must all work together to solve,” County Executive Marc Elrich recently said of Taylor’s request. “What we cannot do is simply kick the can down the road and allow our situation to worsen.”

Will things settle down in MCPS after all this?

Probably not.

Montgomery County is Maryland’s largest district, but it’s not immune from the demographic shifts that are reshaping public schools across the nation.

The latest data shows that enrollment dropped to a 10-year low — and officials predict a steeper dive is coming, driven by lower birth rates and a decline in international students.

After tackling boundaries at the secondary level, Taylor wants to expand the effort to elementary schools.

Have a question about these changes? Reach out at talia.richman@thebanner.com – I’ll see if I can get answers and update this list.