MCPS Welcomes Record Number of Students

New school year brings new buildings, technology, initiatives to close achievement gap

August 25, 2014 11:20 a.m.

A record number of students showed up for the first day of school at Montgomery County Public Schools today after a summer that officials spent preparing for the ever-increasing enrollment.

More than 154,000 students are expected to attend MCPS schools this year, an increase of about 2,800 students. Enrollment has increased by more than 10,000 students over the past five years, and district officials say they expect that growth to continue. 

“A new school year holds endless possibilities for our students,” MCPS Superintendent Joshua Starr said, “and we are excited to welcome them on the first day of school. This year we have new buildings, new technology and new opportunities for our students to learn and grow.”

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The district unveiled more than 200,000 square feet of new construction, including a new elementary school in Clarksburg—the district’s 202nd school—and the expanded Bel Pre Elementary School in Silver Spring.

“It’s a lot of kids to add every year,” said MCPS spokesman Dana Tofig, “which does create challenges for space. We’re building as fast as we can but we can’t keep up with it.”

MCPS officials say the district will continue its focus this year on narrowing the achievement gap that leaves some minority students lagging behind other students on test scores. In a message to teachers and staffers released last week, Starr said the district “must be relentlessly committed to closing the achievement gap.”

This school year, the district has added math and English teachers in high-need high schools to lower class size and more middle school staff to serve students whose native language isn’t English. It has also expanded outreach programs for minority students and launched new community engagement teams to reach out to families who may not be connected to their children’s schools.

“We are putting a stake in the ground and making sure every employee in MCPS, from the classrooms to the central office, understands where we want to go,” Starr said.

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The district has hired about 150 more teachers this year to keep up with the growing number of students. It has spent $12,000 on new computers and launched a new cloud-based platform. The technology initiative has added 40,000 devices, mostly Google Chromebooks, to third-, fifth- and sixth-grade classrooms and high school social studies classes.

“The idea is to really engage students and to foster some creativity and collaboration in the classroom,” Tofig said. “Our kids are digital natives.”

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