seeking information about Rockville (Bethesda: townhomes, neighborhoods, high schools)

[gtownorbust]

I will be moving to the area for a job downtown near Capitol Hill, and one area our family is considering is Rockville. It seems to be near the metro (red line?) which hopefully simplifies my commute, and I gather the schools are good. It also seems to offer more affordable, newer townhomes than many parts of NOVA and Bethesda.

Can anyone tell me more about the Rockville schools (especially middle and high schools) and the general community? Thanks.

[itinérant]

MCPS Schools at a Glance 2010–2011

Follow that link to get info on tests scores, demographics, enrollment size, etc.

Walter Johnson serves some areas of Rockville. Its numbers look pretty solid:

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/d...ools/04424.pdf

Thomas S. Wootton, I believe, is the main Hs in Rockville. Word is that it and a school called Walt Whitman (which serves the more affluent areas in Bethesda) are the "best" in the county. By that, I think people mean that they have the highest test scores. See for yourself:

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/d...ools/04234.pdf

***

I am new to the area, but do a lot of shopping in Rockville. The main thoroughfare in Rockville is Rockville Pike. The good think about the Pike is that is has any and every store you could ever want. The bad thing is that it is a traffic magnet. So be prepared for that.

Also, I should forewarn you that Rockville has a lot of socioeconomic diversity. So, if you are coming from Pleasantville, it might take a little getting used to.

Here's a link to the a school assignment locator:

MCPS Official School Assignment Locator

Have fun and good luck.

[gtownorbust]

Thank you very much for the information! I will check this out. I appreciate your help.

[maurenemm]

I don't think Walter Johnson really serves much of Rockville. The bus routes are all Bethesda. There is a sliver of Rockville served by Wootton. I think a lot of rockville is served by Rockville HS and Richard Montgomery (RM). I have a pretty good (but very limited) impression of RM. But I believe it has some highly sought after advanced programs (like IB??) and I think it is one of the newer high schools. I live on the nothern edge of Rockville and our high school is MacGruder. Of the 3 schools, I think RM is generally the one considered "best."

Rockville seems pretty big to me and very diverse. A lot of the neighborhoods just west of 355 are nice. Some of the newer town home communities seem to be in nice places too. I'm less familiar with the neighborhoods further south in Rockville.

I'll warn you that the Metro seems to be a mess these days. I did the Red Line from Shady Grove for years. it could very well take you close to an hour to get into work near Capital Hill. (I believe the train ride itself is like 35 minutes and that doesn't count getting to the metro and then getting to your office.)

Still, I like Rockville.