schools in howard county (2009, house, neighborhood)

[paulse]

we are planning to move to howard county and let us know what is the good schools for middle and high.

[TuborgP]

Originally Posted by paulse

we are planning to move to howard county and let us know what is the good schools for middle and high.

What can you afford? The better the reputation the more expensive the housing. Notice I didn't say the better the school.

[Burgh21]

Most of the reputed better public schools are, of course, in the more expensive areas in the western part of Howard County (such as River Hill, Marriotts Ridge). Centennial is a prennially strong school and you can live in a neighborhood that costs less than the ones out west such as Dunloggin, Grey Rock, and many more. The problem with HoCo is that the middle schools are weak compared to the high schools so check them out too. Also, HoCo redistricts a lot so you could move to a neighborhood and have your kids switch schools because of the redistricting. There are also great parochial and private school options. If you can afford it, Glenelg Country School is tremendous, at least it is for our us. Also choosing a non-public school won't limit where you have to live and you don't have to be concerned with the effects of redistricting.

[paulse]

Thanks Burgh21.

[scubagirl007]

You can research the schools for yourself here: See their SAT grades, graduation rate, % going to 4 year college, ect. Centennial has some of the highest scores, but many of the others are close behind.
Howard County Public School System (Click on School report next to the schools you are interested in reading about - gives a 2 page fact sheet)

[njfam]

Does anyone have info. about redistricting school districts in Howard Co.? I've heard that it is done there often. So I could buy a house in the Centennial HD district and then 2 years later be told that we are now in a worse one? Any info. on this would be appreciated!

[SmokeyLisa]

njfam, are you from NJ? If you are it definitely is not like NJ where your school is determined by town.

Howard County Public School System

The link will give you information on current plans and plans since 2008. You can look up your address and see if you are in any of the proposed redistricting. If you can find a neighborhood where you would walk to your school of choice then you would be able to decrease your chances of being redistrict in future years. I think the county tries to maximize the number of walkers. FYI, I believe Centennial is overcrowded per the report. I know in the past people were redistricted out of Centennial to Wilde Lake.

Good Luck.

[newhart]

After staring at the June 2009 feasibility studies for area adjustment on the HCPSS website, it looks like no changes are planned for Centennial HS through 2013. Things can always change, of course, and I could have missed something since it's hard to read in that format. For high schools the changes appear to be with River Hill and Glenelg, and Howard and Long Reach.

njfam, you can always call the school board about any area you're interested. Also, feel free to send me a pm if you have a specific question. I'm in the Centennial district and have sat on many redistricting committees. I can probably give you an idea of what areas would be subject to being sent elsewhere.