A reputation for stellar public schools has long drawn families to Montgomery County, but there’s an emerging concern that the quality of public education is slipping.

Montgomery County Public Schools parents still tend to give their district high marks, according to a new survey conducted by OpinionWorks for The Banner Montgomery.

However, twice as many poll respondents – 34% – said they believe public schools are getting worse, compared to roughly 17% who think they’re improving.

Priya Mahfooz is among those with concerns. Mahfooz felt proud to graduate from Gaithersburg’s Watkins Mill High School in 2005, knowing she was a product of a premier school district. The classes were small, the lessons were strong and her community was diverse.

Years later, when Mahfooz got pregnant, she and her husband decided the schools were a good reason to buy their first home in Montgomery County. But, as they researched the district’s academic data, they saw a worrying trend: Students from low-income backgrounds, and those who are learning English, are struggling.

“There’s so many core problems that are not being addressed, and we see it in the overall results,” said Mahfooz, a 38-year-old Clarksburg resident. She doesn’t see school district officials stepping up enough to support kids who are behind through no fault of their own.

Mahfooz still chooses to send her son to elementary school in MCPS, with hopes her family can do its part to help those students who need extra care.

Overall, residents’ views of their public school system remain relatively positive.

Roughly 53% of residents would grade the district an A or B, the poll found. Among parents of MCPS students, that figure shoots up to 70%.

When Bethany Titman and her husband were growing up, they attended elite private schools. But, when it came time to pick a campus for their son, they turned to MCPS.

They heard stories from neighbors about the caring teachers. They appreciated the idea that their little boy would learn alongside children of different races and ethnicities. And they certainly liked the price tag.

“If you can get a great education from the public system, I’m going to take advantage of that,” said Titman, a 39-year-old Silver Spring resident.

Getting an inside view of the county’s schools fueled Titman’s appreciation for it. She noticed how visible the principal seemed to be on campus, and she respected the way administrators looked out for families by hosting backpack and book drives.

“They’re really taking care of the kids and making sure all the needs are met,” Titman said.

MCPS students continue to score above state averages in reading and math, according to the latest Maryland standardized test results. Roughly 57% of students were considered proficient in English, while 35.7% of students hit that threshold in math.

For some residents, their negative opinion of the school system stems from a belief that academic quality varies too widely, particularly based on socioeconomic status.

Across MCPS, about 44% of students are impacted by poverty, according to district data.

Poll respondents with household incomes above $150,000 were more likely to award MCPS an A or B rating than those with lower incomes. Respondents who live in Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Potomac were slightly more likely to give the school system an A.

Jacquelyn Lowery, 78, believes education officials have not done enough to support the rapidly diversifying student population. Children enrolled in MCPS collectively speak more than 150 languages, and about one-fifth of students are designated as multilingual learners.

“It’s very difficult to provide all the services that are needed for kids who are at, sometimes, very different levels. I don’t think Montgomery County has mastered that yet,” Lowery said.

As expected, residents’ views of the school system were intimately intertwined with the nuances of their family’s own experience.

Those who assigned low ratings expressed concerns about the perceived infusion of political ideology, lack of rigor or transparency and a rigid bureaucracy.

Others praised the district’s diversity and inclusion efforts, along with teachers’ caring natures. They said the school system prepared their kids for success.

Dan Murphy, a 61-year-old father of three, has seen both sides. His two older children thrived in MCPS, taking Advanced Placement classes, dominating in sports and earning scholarships. The Bethesda resident said the district gave his family a sense of community that has lasted decades.

But his youngest son had a learning disability. Although district officials provided him individualized attention and accommodations, Murphy also felt they gave his son a false sense of academic achievement.

“They kept giving me reassurance he was doing fine, he was doing great. But, no, he wasn’t,” Murphy said. “Sometimes I question how he got through high school and got his degree.”

This school year, MCPS officials pledged to tackle some of the issues highlighted by families. They’ve revamped their grading policies, updated their student code of conduct and provided parents with a broader window into lesson plans, among other changes.

Young parents, on the brink of choosing an educational path for their children, are likely to be watching these moves closely.

Jon Connelly, a Damascus resident with a 2-year-old son, is curious whether the district issues an outright ban on cellphones. He’ll also be following the system’s efforts to revamp school boundaries and renovate the local high school building.

His most pressing concern, though, is whether his little boy will receive an education that helps him grow into a man of morals.

In MCPS, Connelly said, he sees “a willing partner in raising a good person.”

Methodology: The Banner poll, conducted by OpinionWorks, surveyed 910 Montgomery County residents. Responses were gathered via telephone and online survey during Aug. 16-23. The statistical margin of error is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.